Churchill's newest sculpture has a solid base
Aug. 31—Obie Simonis taps the rock, listening for variations in sound.
Most taps ring solid; a few echo a bit more hollow.
But he's happy with this boulder, which is the base for a new sculpture in front of Churchill School, 3451 Broadway St.
"I went to first grade here," he said, pausing in his work to wave a hand at the school.
Simonis is a graduate of Baker High School, but he has lived in Boston for many years.
He's a professional artist, and his sculptures can be seen at numerous universities and other locations around the world.
"I have them from here to Singapore," he said.
He also helped organize a community of artists in Boston called the Brickbottom Artist Association that developed two semi-abandoned buildings into 150 studios.
Simonis visits Baker City every year, and while here he stays in the Airbnb rental inside Churchill, which has been renovated by Brian and Corrine Vegter.
The couple have installed several sculptures in front of the school, and Corrine contacted Simonis after acquiring three boulders from Jeffrey Bond.
The stones were hauled to the school by Superior Towing.
"We planned the placement of them," Corrine said. "Obie picked which boulder he wanted out front."
Simonis designed his sculpture in Boston, which he titled "Mind & Matter."
Although the rock remained at Churchill, in Boston he built the stainless steel triangles that will emerge from the stone for a final height of 14 feet.
He shipped the triangles to Baker City, and this week constructed the piece with the help of friends.
It will be unveiled during the First Friday art walk, Sept. 2 at 5:30 p.m.
About the piece
Simonis said the title of "Mind & Matter" comes from the name of a book written by his favorite Cambridge University philosopher, who has written extensively on the philosophy of mind and language.
Here is how he describes the piece: "The ponderous, craggy weight of the boulder is a solid, primordial presence, evoking the beginnings of time. Ascending from the rock, the precise geometric elegance of stainless steel elements represent the concept of mind, revealed in the ideas and forms of mathematics, science and technology."
As for his decision on the sculpture's placement at Churchill? He has an easy answer:
"I went to first grade here, it's an artist-owned and developed art center, and because of these two," he said, speaking about Brian and Corrine.
