WONDER ON BUXTON

Located in Indianola Iowa:

“Wonder on Buxton” is a plan to transform a portion of North Buxton Street into a place that celebrates our community, connects the town to the college, invites people to gather together, tells the “story” of Indianola, and inspires an overall sense of curiosity and wonder. We will do this by installing a series of amenities and art along 2.5 blocks from the Square to Simpson College.

"Wonder on Buxton" includes:

  • Telling our story through art
    Sculpture Series

  • Sharing our culture and history
    Storytelling Tour

  • Bringing the community together
    Outdoor Gathering Spaces

  • Connecting and branding the path
    Light Pole Art & Sidewalk Inlays

WONDER ON BUXTON, SCULPTURE SERIES

The conceptual designs for these works were drawn with paper and pencil and then photographed and uploaded to Photoshop for further revisions and refinement. The designs were then printed out and I worked from the 2D designs to build out the form of the large-scale sculptures. I start with the general form and movement of the lines in the drawing and then arrive at the completed sculpture through a series of material additions and edits. All of the pieces are constructed using steel and concrete. I constructed all of the works on my family farm and at JTL Workshop in Grinnell, Iowa. Each sculpture is supported by an internal armature and base, which consist of painted steel, and the exterior sculptural shape and surface is constructed out of polymer-modified, fiber-reinforced concrete. I use a variety of fabrication techniques to make each of the sculptures. In brief, I utilize board molds to form the concrete, apply a wire mesh over a steel armature to build out the general form, and then apply a coat of concrete over the mesh. When necessary, I also use mortar and adhesives to stack, build on, and attach multiple parts together in order to arrive at the final sculpture.

ADDITIONAL INFO

SCULPTURES:

All the Animals at the Fair. Steel and concrete. 60" x 60" x 72". Wonder on Buxton. Indianola, IA. 2025

Founding Frame. Steel and concrete. 60" x 60" x 72". Wonder on Buxton. Indianola, IA. 2025

Leafy Abstracted W. Steel and concrete. 60" x 60" x 72". Wonder on Buxton. Indianola, IA. 2025

Bundle of Balloons. Steel and concrete. 60" x 60" x 72". Wonder on Buxton. Indianola, IA. 2025

Intersections. Steel and concrete. 60" x 60" x 72". Wonder on Buxton. Indianola, IA. 2025

Sing Out. Steel and concrete. 60" x 60" x 72". Wonder on Buxton. Indianola, IA. 2025

DESCRIPTIONS:

All the Animals at the Fair, Steel and Concrete, 60” x 60” x 72”, 2025

A direct reference to The Warren County Fair, this piece is a playful jumble of figures, tractor parts, farm animal features, and geometric shapes.

A Bundle of Balloons Steel and Concrete, 60” x 60” x 72”, 2025

The piece is a whimsical interpretation of several hot air balloons taking flight, a reference to a cherished event of Indianola and one of the traditions the town is best known for.

Hot air balloons have a multitude of conceptual linkages, referencing the feeling of freedom, exploration, or awe. I continually think of hot air balloons as a symbol for the idea of play, exploration, wonder, and childhood creativity.

Founding Frame, Steel and Concrete, 60” x 60” x 72”, 2024

Each side of the sculpture includes an important year for this area: 1846 refers to the founding of Warren County and 1849 refers to the founding of the city of Indianola. This is the flagship piece of the Wonder on Buxton series and the first to be installed. The sculpture functions as a tangible frame or square that encapsulates the evolving context of this specific site and place. It highlights the ongoing changes and developments occurring in the present while also pointing toward future transformations. This framing device allows viewers to better understand and appreciate the dynamic nature of the location as it transitions through time. While designing and constructing the piece, I came to see the piece as a portal or gate that has opened and will now allow the other pieces to move into place. What follows is a list of concepts to consider while viewing the piece: 1846, 1849, what happened then, a border, a boundary, a compartment, a partition, a viewpoint, an aperture, a way.

Intersections, Steel and Concrete, 60” x 60” x 72”, 2024

This piece references a multitude of concepts and previous bodies of work. I have used the term “Intersection” in a number of sculpture pieces and exhibition titles. The piece is referencing a system or network, similar to neurons or tree branches and roots, i.e. a set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network. This sculpture also references the concept of intersectionality, which examines how multiple systems of oppression and power affect the experiences of people who hold multiple identities. The piece encourages the audience to examine their place within their community, how their community is formed through the systems and obstructions within their society, and how we build connections to each other, to our home, to our family, and to our global community.

Leafy Abstracted W, Steel and Concrete, 60” x 60” x 72”, 2025

This piece combines references to the Buxton Park Arboretum, Indianola’s founding as the Warren County Seat, and general ecological and agricultural context. The W, for Warren County, is multiplied to represent a diversity of activities and participants working alongside one another to hold each other up. The piece is covered with concrete leaves signifying the passage of time, the idea of nature reclaiming the site and structures, and the architecture of dilapidated ruins. The references work together to arrive at an ultimately abstract piece that can have a multitude of subjective readings.

Sing Out, Steel and Concrete, 60” x 60” x 72”, 2025

The inspiration for this piece was sound, music, voice, the opera, and the body. With this piece, I wanted to capture the essence of universal character or consciousness that is acting out an existence of its own making. The piece communicates a body composed of the interactions and environments in which they are surrounded and highlights a member of a community without a notion of individualism. Additionally, while drawing, designing, and constructing this piece I found myself ruminating on Gene Kelly’s song and dance performance in “Singing in the Rain”, and the bittersweetness of it. In addition, the piece connects back to the previous Grin Cupola exhibition “Hatchet of Hope,” which embodies the notion that hope serves as a powerful instrument to transcend established patterns and facilitate transformative endeavors amidst a world characterized by constant change. Hope, in this context, extends beyond mere optimism or positivity, encompassing a profound acknowledgment of reality and a proactive commitment to address it. I see this figure as being radically optimistic, defiant, and resisting its constraints and categorizations, while still existing rooted, bolted, and embedded in place. This piece is in dialogue and references its location adjacent to The Des Moines Opera, Singing Out in a continuously ever reemerging present within an eternity.