Larry McLaughlin, Three Graces, concrete & aluminum
Laurie Lundquist, Hanging Garden, metal & wood with
acrylic basin Shemer permanent collection
Outdoor Sculpture Garden
The Shemer Art Center& Museum sits on a 4-acre site overlooking Camelback Mountain. Since its inception in 1984, the Shemer has focused on exhibiting the work of local and emerging artists within its Main and Front Galleries. The grounds expand upon the gallery space, providing artists further opportunity to showcase their work. It is one of the few places in the Valley that allows visitors to experience large-scale sculpture in an outdoor setting.
This aspect of the Shemer’s role is also reflective of a long-standing tradition of gardens adorned with artistic expression. From the National Gallery to the Getty, museums across the country have gone beyond their walls to enlist the landscape around their buildings as an exhibition space. There are also sites dedicated solely to outdoor sculpture- one of the most famous is the Storm King Art Center, a 500- acre park in Mountainville, New York.
Throughout the year, you may see some of the works on display around the Shemer change. Some will sell; others will rotate out of newer works. It is also a site for temporary works that are a part of indoor exhibitions, a role that enlivens the museums experience for both visitor and the artists. The vibrancy of the grounds makes this particular sculpture garden especially exciting.
Highlights of the Sculpture Garden
Joe Tyler’s Urban Forestry quickly became one of the most popular pieces on Shemer grounds. The attraction may be due to the wonderful combination of intricate foliage reproduction in welded steel and whimsical, larger than life botanical features in copper and painted steel. These elements are signatures of Tyler sculpture, which can be seen throughout the Valley of the Sun as highlights for many public areas. After a 20-year career in horticulture, Tyler decided his welding skills could bring that extensive professional knowledge to life through art.
Larry McLaughlin’s human forms are the patriarchs and matriarchs of outdoor sculpture at Shemer. The personable artist who began his career in Paris, France now also resides in Arizona and exhibits his work throughout the U.S. and Europe. The fluid figures are easily recognizable and as lovable as the artist.
Michael Anderson’s newest sculpture to the Shemer grounds entitled Mwana Mwasi is in an African language and means young girl or maiden. Stylized steel sculptures such as this are born in downtown Phoenix at Anderson’s Arc Form studio. Anderson has been a professional sculptor since the 70’s having completed many public and private commissions. These pieces have homes in several countries around the world and several in Arizona
Sculptures on the Shemer Grounds:
Kevin Berry, Quilted Butte, forged & hammered steel w/ enamel paint
Ralph Deuschle, Serendipity, aluminum/powder coated
Michael Anderson, Spire, corten steel
Michael Anderson, Girl with Iron Curl, corten steel
Michael Anderson, Fragmented Shelter, corten steel
Michael Anderson, Little of This, Lot of That, corten steel
Larry McLaughlin, Female Soul, concrete & glass
Susan Risi, Bucephalus and Young Alexander the Great at Play, steel
Joe Tyler, 4 Winds, welded steel & copper
Mary Bates Neubauer, Northern Lights, bronze
Laurie Lundquist, Hanging Garden, metal & wood with acrylic basin, Shemer Permanent Collection
Joe Tyler, Tanglewood, welded steel
Joe Tyler, Urban Forestry, welded steel& copper
Rick Lussier, Skyward, welded steel painted
Garry Beals, Helios No. 10, stainless steel
Duffy Mc Mahon, Simplicity, Italian marble
Larry Mc Laughlin, 3 Graces, concrete & aluminum
Michael Anderson, Mwana Mwasi, corten steel
Larry Mc Laughlin, Soul 1, concrete& bull’s eye glass
Larry Mc Laughlin, Blue Soul, concrete& glass
Don Bassett, Railroad Annie, mixed metal media, Shemer Permanent Collection
Larry Mc Laughlin, Sailor, concrete& glass
Ron Gasowski, Totem, concrete and found objects, Shemer Permanent Collection
Ray Edwards, Butterfly with Flower, welded steel and bronze
Richard A. Wager, Macro: Eroding Man Series, concrete and steel, Shemer Permanent Collection
Larry Mc Laughlin, Grace, concrete& glass
Rose Ann Feigenbaum, Bird Bath, mosaic
Gary Beals, Desert Spirit #13, weathering steel
Larry Mc Laughlin, Male Soul, concrete& glass