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.
While not in the Bozeman Sculpture Park per se, this is one of the several works which surround the Bozeman Public Library. In a landscaped area at the northwest corner of the grounds,
Red Whirly simply stands in the face of winds both mild and strong, heavy and light, entertaining passersby with its ability to whirl around, sometimes madly, with no apparent motive force. We all know, however, that a motive force is present in the atmosphere which, when it moves, we interpret as
wind.
A product of the fertile imagination of sculptor Gary Bates,
Red Whirly uses the same principals, and the same design, as the common anemometers we all know and love. With air catching cups on the ends of a pair of arms mounted freely on an upright support, a minimum of air movement will set the arms in motion, delighting youngsters of all ages who happen to be in view when a bit, or perhaps a LOT, of wind happens to be present.
Red Whirly is just one of possibly dozens of kinetic sculptures created by him, beginning as a teenager. A local boy, Bates grew up on a farm in nearby Amsterdam, MT. Bates has become quite well known for his wind operated kinetic sculpture. His works may be seen at several venues in the area, most recently the Bozeman campus of the University of Montana.
A second Kinetic Sculpture by Gary Bates, entitled
Wind Totem, can be found behind the Bozeman Public Library, within the Bozeman Sculpture Park. Somewhat less dramatic, but somewhat more musical, Wind Totem is a 108” tall x 6” wide steel shaft or pole, with 16 stainless steel tori mounted in the centre, each about 6" above the next. When wind catches the tori they whirl and create a soft whistle. There was no wind then we visited so we blew on one torus to hear the effect. The whistle created was quite soft, but with a wind blowing on all 16 tori, I imagine the sound created might be audible at quite a distance.
Fortunately though, there was sufficient wind to power
Red Whirly during our visit.
Gary Bates
Born in Bozeman in 1946, Gary began his sculpting career on his father’s ranch, where his earliest creations began to climb skyward at mile intervals across his family’s fields. The scale of most Bates sculptures is grand (or mighty, if you will) and resonates with an interesting and passive focus. Gary sees his art as a medium for others to understand the elements in a new light. Large and simple, most of his sculptures are kinetic, each reacting differently to their medium of locomotion.
From Gallatin Art Crossing
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