KEN THOMPSON - ArtInPlace

During the last few weeks, a new selection of outdoor sculptures has been placed along the byways of Charlottesville. This is the result of the very successful ArtInPlace public art program, and has become an annual tradition in this town. Since I participated as a juror in the selection process this year, I’d like to give you a little insight into what is now out there for the public's viewing pleasure. So, please follow me in this series as I give you a tour.

With the holidays soon upon us, the predictable buzz around the hyper-commercial Barracks Road Shopping Center will no doubt increase. But, before you pull into the parking lot, make sure you cruise down Emmett Street and catch Kenneth M. Thompson's ArtInPlace installation called Split 2. I love this piece - a lot! And I’m so happy it is located on busy Emmet Street near the generally packed Barracks Road Shopping Center.

For Split 2, Ken has fabricated corten steel (with zinc rivets) into a graceful and virtually weightless twelve foot tall sculpture. Beyond the warmth of the weathered color and the softness of the form, I am truly attracted to the joyful emotion Ken has created in this monumental piece. Split 2 virtually dances along the Emmett Street median - leaping and defying its grounded state. Ken releases the burden of Split 2's weight by lifting the design lines upward and springing the piece up on one foot. You feel that with just a little more effort, Split 2 could release itself from its moorings and we would see it happily skipping down the street.

Ken holds a Master of Liberal Studies in Sculpture from the University of Toledo and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from Siena Heights College, Adrian, MI. Ken has been making sculpture for more than 25 years out of his car dealership turned studio in Blissfield, Michigan. From this facility he also operates Flatlanders Sculpture Supply and Art Galleries (the gallery has an impressive exhibition schedule). Ken has received a variety of awards and honors in national and international exhibitions.

For additional insight to Ken's work, he says:

I have long felt that profound art contained a high level of spiritual content, not necessarily that of religion, but that of the "spirit of a man" - a spirit defined by his truth and honor. My sculpture is based on this form of spirituality.

Split 2 is definitely a spirited piece; one that we are fortunate to have here in Charlottesville. I predict it will lift a few spirits during the upcoming season of holiday shopping madness.