This abstract art piece is located in the central courtyard of a U-shaped building on the southwest corner of 200 South 500 West in downtown Salt Lake City. The marker reads:
DAN TOONE
METAL SCULPTURE
"RESCUED"
Saved from sure destruction in a scrap
Yard, this sculpture was created from an
imploded 30,000 gallon stainless steeel dairy
silo.
To read how artist Dan Toone rescued
this piece, see dantoone.com
The website relates the following story:
""Rescued"
Two years ago, a 30,000 gallon dairy silo was imploded. I happened to be on the site when it happened. I was asked to see if it could be repaired. On looking inside and seeing the damage done, we determined it could not. It was then scheduled for scrap. I talked with the owners and saved it from the scrap yard.
Cutting apart this huge mass of stainless was a difficult and time consuming job. Peeling away layers--like opening a gift--not knowing what waited inside. The force of Mother Nature had taken tons of stainless steel and in just a few moments had crushed it like an aluminum pop can. There appeared in this mass of metal, a piece that could almost be described as "delicate".
Many hours were spent cleaning, cutting, grinding, shaping and polishing, doing my best to work in partnership with what Mother Nature had already started.
Many have commented that the end result is reminiscent of a flower. I would rather it be remembered as a work of art that, thankfully, was "rescued" from eminent destruction." (
visit link)
The artist, Dan Toone:
"Artist Statement
The most rewarding part for me is taking the normally rigid and structural steel and turning it into smooth unconstrained flowing lines similar to those found in nature.
Biography
Dan was raised on a farm in Spokane, Washington. It was there he developed a deep love and appreciation for the intricacies of nature. Even In at a young age he began to notice and sketch the beauty around him.
He continued to enjoy sketching and developing his skills in art classes in high school. He studied commercial art at Spokane Falls Community College. As an assignment in one course, he built a kinetic sculpture and has been fascinated with sculptures in motion ever since.
In 1976 he took a job where he was trained to weld stainless steel. As his skills increased, so did his fascination and appreciation for steel. Though most of his time was spent working with food processing equipment, he still had a passion for art and was continually sketching ideas for sculptures. He particularly enjoys the challenge of creating sculptures using scrap, found items, and recycled materials.
"The most rewarding part for me is taking the normally rigid and structural steel and turning it into smooth unconstrained flowing lines, shapes and forms.
In 2005, he was commissioned to build a six foot, ideal cut diamond out of mirror finish stainless steel. It is mounted in pillars of stone in front of Jewelry Design Center in Spokane, Washington
Since that time, Dan has continued to follow his passion for building metal sculpture. He is represented by Phillips Gallery in Salt Lake City, Utah, Metal Gallery 873 in Coyote Gulch Art Village, Kayenta, in St. George, Utah, and RARE Gallery in Jackson, Wyoming.
To Dan, this is like a second childhood. He feels very blessed to be able to share his excitement and passion for art and sculpture." (
visit link)