June 7, 2019

For Immediate Release Images available upon request

carrie@jhpublicart.org 307-413-1474

Synthetic Gemstone Carves a Place on the ArtSpot

JH Public Art is pleased to announce a new ArtSpot installation Winter’s Jewels by Pinedale artist Isabel Rucker. With a background in jewelry design and metalsmithing, Rucker has become entranced by microscopic photographs of inclusions found within gemstones and their bending of light and ability to sparkle from within. A celebration for Isabel Rucker will be held on Friday afternoon, June 28th from 3-4pm at the corner of West Broadway and Karns Meadow Drive in front of the ArtSpot. Join us for conversation with the artist, light snacks and beverages! Rucker likes to relate and connect her public sculptures to their environment. For the ArtSpot sculpture Rucker says, “I created a large synthetic gemstone that reflects Jackson Hole’s seasonal jewels of ice and snow. In this work, I include the refracted colors of sunshine on a fresh snowfield, the chunky shapes of packed snow, and the hoarfrost that magically appears after a cold winter’s night.” During the Wyoming winters she becomes surrounded by the transient gemstones of winter, snowflakes and ice; here Rucker compares her gemological knowledge with her natural surroundings and records her sightings through painting and sculpture. One craft and study lends itself to the next. The ArtSpot sculpture consists of two large shapes made from

polystyrene, fiberglass, epoxy, acrylic sheet, and paint; it is built on a center-post with bearings at the top and the bottom allowing it to spin in the wind and sparkle in the light. Rucker explains, “The top portion of Winter’s Jewels reflects winter’s ice and its shifting blue and aqua colors; growing from this ice jewel is hoarfrost that has been routed with the angular lines of frost matrices. The bottom portion of the sculpture is a large snow gem and its surface is inspired by the subtle purple and blue tones seen in the shadows of snow fields along with the glints of rainbow colors seen on a sunny day.” Her gem studies have led Isabel to join the nationwide conversation of sourcing materials locally. She has acquired lapidary skills so that she can cut regional gems for her jewelry and is working toward becoming a Graduate Gemologist through Gemological Institute of America. Past work includes a public sculpture on the main street of the town of Pinedale, WY, Quartz, Mica, Feldspar, a massive 450′ x 12″ graphic novel ink-on-paper memoir Unfurling, and owns an art gallery, Isabel Jewelry & Gallery, in Pinedale, WY. In 2017, she was awarded a month-long artist residency at the Jentel Foundation to further her painting work and in 2018, she had solo shows of her paintings at the Center for the Arts in Jackson, WY and jewelry design at the Sublette County Library in Pinedale, WY. An exhibition of Isabel’s paintings are currently on view at the St. John’s Medical Center Professional Building. Rucker’s work on the ArtSpot will be displayed through the end of the summer. ABOUT JACKSON HOLE PUBLIC ART Jackson Hole Public Art (JHPA) forges partnerships for the integration of art into any environment to inspire lasting cultural, educational and economic benefits. JHPA is a non-profit organization and our community’s leading presenter of artist-driven projects in public space. We place artworks outside traditional venues of museums and galleries to provide access to art for all people. JH Public Art produces PARK(ing) Day, hosts a Moonshot 5x5, Stickum Up (temporary mural walk), GLOW Nights, and has a Mobile Design studio used to bring art, food, and books to local youth in their neighborhoods during the summer. JH Public Art provides public art consulting services and collaborates with many local organizations.

ABOUT THE ARTSPOT

Eleven years ago, the Center of Wonder funded Bland Hoke to create the first edition of the ArtSpot and was the stewarding organization and financial supporter of rotating art installations until they donated the ArtSpot to JH Public Art in the spring of 2018. The first edition of the ArtSpot was a repurposed gas station sign, "It was covered in black plastic and an eyesore" said artist Bland Hoke. He contacted the owner to use it for art installations and began starting to create art installations with his friends. Eventually, the gas station sign left, providing Bland an opportunity to improve upon the ArtSpot design. Hoke built a structure that folded over on its side, making loading easier and safer. The structure is made from a chairlift tower donated from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The hinge

is cut out of an old bank vault. The counter-weights on the arm are snowplow scraper blades, and it raises and lowers with a car battery. Currently the ArtSpot sits on private property and may need to be moved due to upcoming development, but for now, JH Public Art plans to continue to delight passers-by with inspiring art. The ArtSpot is currently funded by a grant from the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, the Wyoming Arts Council, and the friends of JH Public Art. JH Public Art is actively seeking sponsors to support artist stipends. For more information contact: Carrie Geraci, Executive Director carrie@jhpublicart.org | 307-413-1474 www.jhpublicart.org