Historical Sculptures coming to Madison, Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis., July 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Historical Sculptures come to Madison, Wisconsin. A Young Union Civil War Soldier Memorial a first of its kind in Madison, Wisconsin and two other historic subjects based on the local history of the site the Union Tavern and a Rayovac Battery Company will adorn the newly renovated Union Corners Development on the corner of East Washington Avenue at Winnebago Street. The Young Union Soldier is a 24-carat gold leaf on a bronze casting and the other memorial sculptures are stainless-steel which are produced by ART Design Group and cast by ART Research Enterprises, Inc in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and are produced for Gorman Brothers, Inc.

Narrative Intension of the Sculptures for Union Corners

Over the recent years the concept of art for change has risen to the top of priorities in the world, joining traditionally appreciated values like history, beauty, craftsmanship with the ability to evoke emotion. Art for social change has as many approaches as there are artists. An empowered public is asking new questions about representation and the writing of history including how and why we are memorializing.

The suite of sculptures at Union Corners narrate the story of events that occurred in Madison’s past. We hope the sculptures will be engaging and educational for the public, so much that they will continue to discover and research additional information about the subjects. The narrative sculptures will bring about an emotional level that connects the spectator with their past and a reverence for those that went before them.

To the Process

Producing Public Sculpture is a collaboration between the sculptor, the donor, public opinion, and the fabricator. We are fortunate to have our own casting and fabrication facility with a team of highly skilled artisans to assist in the process creatively and technically.

Our first step as the artist/sculptor is to understand the desired interpretation of the story the clients wishes to be told. Then we do our best to provide sculpture as a narrative. If the subject matter is historical we delve into a lot of research, partner with Historical Societies and local Museums. For the Madison project we collaborated with the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum.

Next phase was to present several ideas through drawing to the client Gorman & Company to narrow the images to be sculpted and make a site visit. Upon approval of the drawings the sculpting of the three major pieces began with the aid of artist assistants.

All the sculptures were produced by the lost wax method of hot cast bronze and Stainless-Steel. A rubber mold was made of all the clay enlargements and reliefs. Wax patterns were pulled from the rubber molds then gated and vented for the next phase. Wax patterns were coated in several layers of ceramic shell. This takes several weeks to move through the process. The wax is melted out and the metal poured into the ceramic shell molds.

Once the molten metal has cooled, the molds are removed exposing the raw casting. All elements are welded together, and fine metal finished to appear seamless as the original clay. The elements are then hot chemically patinated, clear sealed, and waxed or gold leafed. All sculptures are approved by the client before delivery and installation.   

Company Biography

Becky Ault and Mike Cunningham are the co-owner founders of ART Design Group and ART Research Enterprises, Inc located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Their mantra is to take the most technically challenging projects because they are creative, invigorating and refreshing. A belief that artistic sensitivity, technical excellence and the sweat of developed skill make ART who they are today.

The companies started in a garage; at present ART’s home is a 30,000 square foot facility built specifically for production of monumental sculptures and employs a team of artisans. ART has the capability to perform major art fabrication, lost wax, and sand casting in bronze, stainless steel, and aluminum.

Their reputation in the industry is one of honesty, the very best quality, on time, within budget and delivery.

Over the past forty years Becky and Mike with their team of artist technicians have produced thousands of sculptures scattered throughout the United States and Internationally. Some of the highlights are a stainless-steel Times Capsule for Santiago Calatrava installed at the American National History Museum in New York, Four 5’x5′ stainless-steel reliefs of flight on the National Mall for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, A 9/11 Memorial for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department in Ybor City, Tampa Florida, The Maxwell Street Historical Life-size bronze figures and high reliefs as seen on Chicago Fire and the City of Chicago Tourism Films. The company has also restored numerous historical memorials such as the 15′ tall Gold-leafed Winged Victoria Memorial for Pelham Park, New York, Bronze fountains and lamp Standards at the US Capital, and the Presidential Seal for the White House and numerous sculptures for the Parks Department in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

SOURCE Art Design Group