Ali – Move like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee

2016
Cast iron, steel, bronze, mirror, sound, butterfly, bells, doorbell
transformer, misc. parts

Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), perhaps the greatest boxer of all

time, certainly one of the best, defeated Sonny Liston in 1964 to
share the world champion title. At that time, he was Cassius Clay,
I watched that fight on television. He changed his religion from
Baptist to Muslim, and became Muhammad Ali, which I did not
understand. I grew-up Presbyterian and Ali remained Cassius Clay
to me.
Clay won a Gold Medal in the 1960 Olympic Games in the Light-
Heavyweight Division.
Ali held the heavy weight title three times defending against Joe
Frazier, Ken Norton, George Forman and Michael Spinks. He lost
his last two professional fights to Larry Holmes and Trevor
Berbick.
This work is a whimsical portrayal of the fighter, his vanity, his
desire to be the best and the many attributes to his life. Ali was
one of the most celebrated, controversial and charismatic
personalities of the 20th century. In 1984 Ali was diagnosed with
Parkinson’s Syndrome, perhaps related to his time in the ring.
This work is interactive. Please press the doorbell to move on to
the next round.
Simplex Silence
2016
Simplex alarm bells

This work suggests sound, alarm – a plan to exit. Amidst the

global climate of terrorism and the need for safe spaces, these
objects represent Peace and a separation from the chaos
associated with terror – a still, meditative, silencing, yet, they
remain objects of alarm.
Remove Ashes Daily
2016
Cast iron, steel, pull alarm, antique light, battery/charger, flasher,
voltage reducer, antique ceramic bird (chime), bird cage, bird seed
and Eastern and Western Bluebird sounds

This work offers that we move to higher ground each morning,

leaving yesterday behind – it is a new day. My Mother, Reva Jean
Lane Friedly, advocated that each morning is a new day and be
glad in it, letting your soul sing like the happy song of the
Bluebird.
Breathe in the Conestoga
2016
Video, sound, Conestoga River (Creek) water, feed buckets

Water is our most precious resource – it is a gift and sustains all

living creatures. This work is an ongoing series that addresses the
importance of fresh water and our stewardship to keep our
waterways clean and healthy. The Conestoga is an important,
historic waterway winding from Berks County through Chester
and Lancaster Counties, feeding into the Susquehanna River at
Safe Harbor. The river has been drastically compromised due to
nitrogen and phosphorous levels from agriculture and Urban run-
off. This work raises awareness of the current state of the river
and a need to adjust farming and municipal practices along the
Conestoga Watershed.
Water Works – Columbia
2014
Fire hydrant, pipes, monitor, video and sound

Water Works – Columbia was conceived as an expression to view

the Susquehanna River and Columbia/Wrightsville Bridge from a
very common vantage point, just off the loading Dock at
Columbia Crossings near Columbia Water Works. I witnessed
other images of the bridge and river and wanted to take a similar
vantage point to create unique work based on water and water
consumption.
Democratic Remote Control – I
2015
Cast glass and cast bronze

We advocate equality and human justice; yet, there remain so

many unequals in society. This work began with a fight over the
remote control at home, where one party changed the channel and
then hid the remote. The other party threatened to cut the remote
in half so neither had control, but in doing so realized the halves
were not equal and rendered the Democratic Society unequal.
Democratic Remote Control II
2016
Cast glass and cast bronze

This is a second version of Democratic Remote Control. In this

case the bronze shifted in the casting and the glass split upon
cooling, leaving four parts, two that have only a patina or
ghosting from the bronze metal. All are sharp and suggest the
dangers of splitting atoms. The colors are really cool!
Displacement
2010-2016
Jackson Wheel Barrow, 1,872 Ping Pong balls, currency

This work was originally proposed for an exhibition at the

International Sculpture Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The committee chose another work I proposed, so it is finally
coming to fruition for this show. Displacement, is proposed as a
fund-raiser, in this case for Keystone Art and Culture Center. The
idea is to displace the Ping Pong balls by taking one out and
replacing it with currency of any denomination. The balls become
less and the currency becomes more – ‘Less is More.’
Harrowed Fields – Corn
2014
Ceramic, video, sound

Harrowed Fields – Corn, is part of a series in which I pay

homage to my family as farmers, coming to America from
Switzerland in the late 19th Century. In farming the seed is
planted, fertilized and watered. We depend on Nature/God for all
to be in order, so we can reap what is sewn. The orange ceramic
tiles represent the seeds, and the blues tiles represent water.

The video was shot on a rainy day in the field behind our house.
The ears were bursting with silk – it was a very sensual
experience. I checked my compass before entering the field to find
my way out – there was no visual reference on the horizon.

Corn is a water loving plant and does very well where there is a lot
of rainfall. It is also grown in the Plain States where there is little
annual precipitation. The water needed is drawn from a large
aquifer, which is a great source of pure water for consumption.
The aquifer is being depleted; the farmers are being subsidized to
grow the corn for ethanol.
Corn – Chip
2016
Corn, corn chips, soil, Plexiglas, irrigation system, light

Corn – Chip, references my love for corn chips and salsa, as well as
my interest in systems and how things work. This is an
experiment and is slightly off schedule due to the change of
venues for this work.

Thanks to Martin’s Potato Chips for the generous donation of the chips.
Summer of 1968 – Night Crawlers and Baseball
2008
Cast bronze

The summer of 1968 was a very good one, playing baseball during daylight
hours and hunting night crawlers at night. We sold the night crawlers to
Young’s Bait Shop, which supported the need for new ball gloves, baseballs
and bats.
Top Dog
2014
Cast bronze

Top Dog, was created for George Krevsky’s Annual Baseball Show
in San Francisco. I have been creating baseball works since the
first invitation came from George to show in his gallery. The work
references the hot dog brand Top Dog, the desire to be number
one on any account, and the black balls (black balled) symbolize
the exclusion of black players from the major leagues before
Jackie Robinson opened the door for other black players into the
big show.
Hot Dog!
2012
Cast Crystal
Edition of 12

Hot Dog, is another work for Krevsky and is in private collections.

It was recently shown in Safe at Home: A Short Survey of
Baseball Art in the Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the
Arts, Walnut Creek, California. Carrie Lederer and George
Krevsky curated the show. Historical artists in the show were:
Elaine de Kooning, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Reginald Marsh,
Arthur Miller, LeRoy Neiman, Claes Oldenburg, Saul Steinberg
and Andy Warhol among other contemporary artists.
Blue Light Special (outside – blue flashing light)
2015
Steel, cast iron, fiberglass, paint and light

This work is a spoof on the old Blue Light Specials at K-Mart.

It is a silly combination of parts that were acquired over several
years. The manikin with one leg was passed from office to office in
the Bookstore at Elizabethtown College for many years. Each
exchange had a personal note written on the manikin. All those
humorous messages are now under the primer and paint – you’re
it!
Cicada – Note to Julia Spicher Kasdorf
2008
Cicada, resin, paper and wood

This work was inspired by a poem written by poet and scholar Julia Spicher
Kasdorf. Julia is a professor in the English Department at the Penn State
University.

Summer of the Seventeen Year Cicada

Brood XIV covers the trunk of a giant catalpa

the girls call the swing tree, though our old neighbor

calls it a deer tree for the gutted carcasses that hung

there during hunting season. The kids fear the split, brown

husks stuck to its bark, to leaves, to blades of grass,

hung even from the swing’s ropes, or anywhere

an insect lurched free and emerged a new thing

of glass wings and red, beaded eyes. They hate

the thrumming that rises in shimmering waves

like heat over asphalt on hot days, so loud

they can’t hear one another at their games

which require incessant narration: pretend
you are married; pretend I’m the baby; pretend
someone’s buried under the bald patch in the grass.

They beg for butter to lure the bugs into bags

they will smash. So much for the wonder of nature.

Listen, I say, they deserve life as much as you do!

Harmless miracles sprung from underground grubs,

the loudest bugs on the planet, Homoptera magicicada.

The Greeks believed their song resembled the soul

or men who loved the dialectic so much their bodies

shriveled up. But the kids no longer listen,

and truth be told, I, too, hate their shrill, muddled mating,

the way they lunge at my face and hair when I mow

between lilac and mock orange. We hope for quiet,

cool mornings, recite the life cycle and count weeks.

Soon this frenzy will be done, and when the cicadas return
these girls will thrum with their own inescapable noise.

Julia Spicher Kasdorf / jmk28@psu.edu

Reprinted with permission.

Pipe Wasps
2008

Wasps’ nests, resin, napkin and wood

The work came about through curiosity.