MCEP Sculpture Walk – Sculpture of the Week 12
By James Oleson, artist & author
Shadyside Park
“The art of sculpture is to take something considered to be useless or broken and give it a new life and a chance to be a part of something bigger than it ever was. I take an inanimate congregation of objects and put them together in a way that gives them an actual presence that you can feel and touch. Not only can you touch these inanimate objects but they can touch you back. They visually speak to you, invoking real emotions. When this almost unexplainable connection is happening, the material thought to be useless or broken comes to life. That connection between you and my creations and the emotions that take place gives me much excitement and drives me to create with great passion.
To make an inanimate object touch, feel and speak is a gift that has been given to me. This gift has turned me into a pioneer of sorts, who dredges through industries pollution on a quest for steel. I find myself climbing amongst the ruble of a recently demolished high rise, and digging in the garbage for fragments of a recent fabrication, or in a junk yard dragging off parts of an old dinosaur that time has forgotten. I believe in things discarded lies the seeds of infinite possibilities. My mind is constantly studying and categorizing all the objects that I am collecting. I visualize the objects floating in the air waiting for their chance to twist and dive into the sculptures not yet born, that constantly swim in my mind. As I clean the earth, all the objects I collect will be recycled and no longer destined to be trapped for eternity in a landfill forever labeled as garbage. I also firmly believe it is my duties as an artist to create art with archival longevity and superior quality as I single handily sculpt the future of the twenty first century.”
Check out his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/james.oleson.376/
Stop by our office located at 92 NB Gratiot in Mount Clemens and pick up a brochure of all our sculptures in the brochure box located on our front porch or at the Bonior Tree or Pollinator Park. There are plenty of sunny, spring days where a walk can be invigorating.
If you want to support our efforts, please send a small tax-deductible contribution to keep the next show going in October 2025 – 2026. If you have a friend who may want to join us, ask them and if yes, send us their name, address, phone number and email (if they have one). We are always looking for additional friends to help bring art and beauty to our community.
Be sure to like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MCEP99/