Art is a fundamental part of the mountain lifestyle. It
represents the environment that spectators and participants live
and play in every day.
The Mountain Games combine artistic influences with competition
and we foster the arts through
film, photography
and random expressions of on-site art.
Vail is a vibrant community that takes pride in celebrating the
diverse mountain lifestyle and all that represents, from athletics
to culture. The Town of Vail's Art in Public Places board (AIPP)
oversees the existing art displays within the town and also
coordinates and creates temporary instillations from renowned or
up-and-coming artists.
While in Vail for the Mountain Games, we encourage you to seek out
and learn about the current art pieces AIPP has chosen for
2011.
"STEELROOTS" BY STEVE TOBIN
On view near Golden Peak, Vail
Internationally-renowned sculptor, Steve Tobin is from
Pennsylvania and has been visiting Vail since 1972. These works not
only celebrate the importance of trees in our environment and the
strength of their hidden root systems, but they symbolize the
greater significance of roots within our culture. "The roots evoke
communities, families, unseen power and networks coming together
for a shared purpose. They gather energy and send it upward in
support of the tree that is not visually apparent. The legs are
anthropomorphic, suggesting images of people dancing or huddling
together in embrace and collusion. They create a sense of
gathering."
"Steelroots" was one of 40 works chosen for "40 Years of Art in the
Parks" in New York City in 2007 and has been featured in The New
York Times and New York Post. Tobin's work can be seen at the
Minneapolis Landscape Arboretum and the Morton Arboretum outside of
Chicago. Permanent collections are on display at the American Craft
Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, American Glass Museum and Musée
des Arts Decoratifs in Switzerland.
"THE SINGING TREES" BY BEN ROTH & BRAD
WATSABAUGH
On view in Ford Park, Vail
"The Singing Trees" was created from Lodgepole Pine trees killed by
the mountain pine beetle in the forests near Vail. Many western
states in the US are currently undergoing the devastating effects
of pine beetle kill with tens of thousands of trees dying each
year.
Artists Roth and Watsabaugh from Jackson, Wyoming dissected the
trees by hand longitudinally from root to tip with chainsaws and
created benches with the remaining halves of the trees. The result
is a 90-degree structure arranged in an interactive and engaging
pattern. As most trees are sawed in a cross section, this is a rare
opportunity to examine the growth of a tree and its branches for
the entirety of the tree's life. The visible blue-staining is the
fungi carried by the beetle that ultimately kills the tree from the
inside out.
At the completion of the instillation project, the Colorado
Children's Chorale (performing nearby at the Gerald R. Ford
Amphitheater) brought it full circle, christening the sculptures
with their music.