Madison, (sculpture).

Madison, (sculpture).

Sproat, Christopher, 1945- , sculptor.

Becker, Edward, fabricator.

Peters, Kenton A., architect.

Scott Sign of Wisconsin, fabricator.

Brattleboro Roofing & Sheet Metal, contractor.

Madison, (sculpture).

Untitled Light Sculpture, (sculpture).

Commissioned March 1985. Jan. 24, 1987. Installed 1987.

Digital Reference:

Aluminum, Lexan, acrylic, cold cathode glass tubing, steel, Plexiglas and neon.

2 pieces. Overall: approx. 12 x 61 x 45 ft.

An abstract sculpture consisting of two red "cold cathode" pieces, designed with red neon glass tubing, located on the ceiling of the Federal Courthouse portico. The first piece is an "arc of lights" installed close to the ceiling forming a near circle. The arc of lights consists of four parallel rows of lights, supported by thirteen black acrylic boxes and clear lexan brackets. The second piece is a "chandelier" positioned within the arc of lights. The chandelier is suspended from the ceiling by a sanded aluminum bar from which five concentric circles descend in space and size to form an inverted conical shape. At the tip of the chandelier is a pyramid-shaped point. Clear Plexiglas follows the exterior and interior curves of the lights to protect them from vandals. The windows and metal ceiling in the portico of the Federal Courthouse reflect the light from the sculpture.

Abstract -- Geometric

Outdoor Sculpture -- Wisconsin -- Madison

Architectural component

Administered by United States General Services Administration, 230 South Dearborn, Room 3670, Chicago, Illinois 60604

Located Madison Federal Courthouse, 120 North Henry Street, Portico, Madison, Wisconsin

The sculpture for the new Madison Federal Courthouse was funded by a $20,000 grant from the United States General Services Administration's Art in Architecture program. The architect of the Madison Federal Courthouse was Kenton A. Peters. According to the artist, the sculpture is designed "to unify the inside and outside of the building," and to "warm up the dark space." Madison neon sign maker, Edward Becker of Scott Sign of Wisconsin, fabricated the sculpture to Sproat's designs by twirling and bending over 700 feet of glass tubing. Brattleboro Roofing & Sheet Metal of Brattleboro, Vermont acted as a contractor for the sculpture project.

IAS files contain an excerpt from Frances W. Hurst's "A Common Joy," 1991, pg. 60-61; articles from Capital Times (Madison, WI), Mar. 12, 1985, pg. 18; and Wisconsin State Journal (Madison), Jan. 15, 1987, pg. 1. IAS files also contain the architect's statement regarding the design of the Madison Federal Courthouse. IAS image files contain a photograph of only the chandelier part of the sculpture, but "A Common Joy" contains an image of the whole piece.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Wisconsin survey, 1993.

Hurst, Frances W., "A Common Joy," 1991, pg. 61.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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