The city of Bozeman is a college town, with a large School of Art, hence scads of resident artists. This lead to a sincere dedication to the arts by the City of Bozeman, resulting in dozens and dozens of works on display throughout the city. Certainly the largest gathering of art works is at the Bozeman Public Library, the majority of the works located in an art park behind (south of) the library,
Bozeman Sculpture Park.
Not in the Bozeman Sculpture Park, this is one of the myriad works arrayed around Bozeman's downtown area. A slight departure from the run-of-the-mill sculptures to be found here, this one is actually functional, designed to not only be admired and appreciated, but sat in as well. This particular
easy chair was made from iron and steel machine parts, all circular, such as sprockets, bearings, cogs, washers, gears, spacers, shims and what not. From whence Kirsten sourced the large balloon style wheels we have no idea, though they do look somehow familiar.
Holy Roller, by Kirsten Kainz, is one of the few examples of
functional seating Kirsten has done, the majority of her work being figurative in nature, including many types of animals, humans, insects, even rattlesnakes. The media, however, remain the same throughout - machine parts or other recycled bits of iron & steel, all left to achieve "patina" from sun, rain and snow.
Kirsten Kainz
Originally from Chicago, Kirsten was tempted to Montana from Vermont by her boyfriend after receiving her BFA in metal work originally intended for jewelry. She found her creations tended to take place on a much larger scale, and soon trained as a blacksmith to further her vision. Giant and ostentatious, her creations definitely left the realm of jewelry and grew into something far more organic in the Big Sky.
From Gallatin Art Crossing
Kirsten Kainz is an established artist who lives in Montana. Her art sends a message for us to celebrate nature. The work is created so we may open our hearts to what she considers,"the freakish genius and amazing splendor", that she witnesses in the natural world.
Kirsten's work transports the elegance of the natural world into our live's and it sets a context for our own personal relationship with the world. She has been formally trained in many mediums and is known to sculpt in any material and paints in both oils and acrylics. Her works are placed in many public and private places around the globe.
From Kirsten Kainz
Gallatin Art Crossing + Sculpture Park
Inside Art Crossing
Mission Statement:
To place public art that enhances the cultural experience for Bozeman area residents and visitors to the Gallatin Valley.
Vision:
The Gallatin Art Crossing (G.A.C.) exhibit hosts a variety of artwork introducing viewers to many artistic approaches. The main focus of the organization is to select and place sculptures throughout the Bozeman area. All sculptures, unless noted on their plaque, are available for purchase during their tenure in the program An additional goal of the program is to add at least one piece to our permanent public collection each year. The community assists in this process by voting for their favorite sculptures online which helps the board select the People’s Choice Award winner. The winning piece, along with two to three other pieces are then voted on by the G.A.C. board for possible purchase and permanent placement.
From Gallatin Art Crossing