Here’s the theme for the fall: public art. Get used to it. Between the Nasher, the eye on Main Street, Love Field, a new City of Dallas commission at a library, and some other soon-to-be announced projects, Dallas is going to be flush with it. The latest incarnation is a new work being installed in the garden of the Crow Collection for Asian Art.
If you haven’t strolled around the office tower that hosts the Crow Collection in a while, take some time to visit it after this weekend. That because the garden, which has been undergoing the slow renovation that was announced way back in 2011, has a number of new sculptures. And now missing from the garden is this old guy, as well as the Rodin, Maillol, and other European sculptures that used to be there.
The new piece is called “Buddha,” a work by contemporary Chinese artist Liu Yonggang consisting of 18-feet of brilliant-red steel. Here’s the release with more information about the work and this weekend’s installation, if you’re interested in watching it:
18-FOOT STEEL STRUCTURE ENTITLED BUDDHA TO BE INSTALLED SATURDAY
(AUG. 31) ON SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF CROW COLLECTION OF ASIAN ART
Cranes and cables in place to hoist three-ton Chinese sculpture into place on Flora Street; sculpture to be part of new Crow Collection sculpture garden debuting Oct. 5
WHAT: Cranes and cables will be at the ready, and the concrete in the public walkway will have been reinforced with steel grids to ensure safety and stability. It’s all in preparation for Saturday’s installation of an 18-foot, brilliant-red steel sculpture that will become part of the Crow Collection of Asian Art’s new outdoor sculpture garden, which debuts to the public Oct. 5.
Entitled “Buddha,” the three-ton structure was created in China by contemporary artist Liu Yonggang. Unlike the iconic round figure known by many, this Buddha sculpture features calligraphy letters – historical and contemporary – that represent the word fo, which loosely translates to mean Buddha and “enlightened one.”
The Buddha sculpture has been under wraps in a Dallas storage unit since May, as leaders from the Crow Collection worked closely with city officials to gain approval for the sculpture to be situated in a public walkway
The installation is expected to take four-to-five hours.
WHO: Stacie Wheelock Adams, director of external affairs, Crow Collection of Asian Art
Johnny Robertson, special projects manager, Crow Collection of Asian Art
The artist will be in Dallas Oct. 2-5 for the official dedication ceremonies and public opening.
WHEN: Saturday (Aug. 31). While the installation is slated to begin around 10 a.m., the project manager predicts the most action will occur between 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
WHERE: On the public sidewalk in front of the Crow Collection of Asian Art, near the corner of Flora and Olive Streets. The Crow Collection is located at 2010 Flora Street.
PARKING: Media may park along Flora Street or in the Trammell Crow parking garage.
About The Crow Collection of Asian Art
The Crow Collection of Asian Art features a variety of spaces and galleries with changing exhibitions of the arts of China, Japan, India and Southeast Asia drawn from cultures ancient and contemporary. Celebrating its 15th year of operation, this lovingly curated free museum offers a serene setting for quiet reflection in the heart of the Dallas Arts District. The Crow Collection continues to grow in art and service to the Dallas-Fort Worth community with an emphasis on shared learning and fun. New initiatives include the development of an Asian physical and mental wellness center endorsed by Dr. Andrew Weil as well as a Sculpture Garden slated to open to the public October 5, 2013. For more information, please go to crowcollection.org.
