Lyric Art Center - Outdoor Art Museum

911 - Ground Zero
On September 11th, 2001; Terrorists attacked the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. As horrific as it was to watch on the news, it was devastating to the poor souls who witnessed it first hand. Immediately, Firemen, Policemen, and EMT personnel were called upon to help, and in doing so they put their lives in harms way. This photograph was taken as New York Firemen raised the American Flag at Ground Zero, much like the six U.S. Marines did at Iwo-Jima during WWII. The loss of lives on September 11th reached in to the thousands, and many of them were Firemen, Policemen & EMT's. This reproduction is painted in their honor, and to the professionals and volunteers who are here to protect us, Each and Every Day.

Joe Barrington – Metal Sculptor

Joe Barrington is the first living artist to be featured in the Eastland Outdoor Art Museum. He has received commissions for many public art projects including the Albuquerque Aquarium, The Rio Grand Zoo, and the City of Stamford, Texas. His works have been sold at the Shidoni Gallery in Mexico for 20 years. Joe received his M.F.A. at Mid-Western University in Wichita Falls, Texas, he later returned to teach there for two years. He’s had at least 10 one man shows in Texas. Barrington is known for his whimsical work, like the four tall ravens in fanciful poses nearest the Abilene Zoo entrance. Abilene also is home to a huge skull on South First, and antlers on North First.

Joe grew up in his dad’s welding and machine shop in Throckmorton, Texas. His grandfather brought the first electric Arc Welder to the county in the 1930’s. His father opened a welding shop when he was twenty and gave Joe his first welding hood when he was two years old.

The longhorn head sculpture is similar to one commissioned as a gift for the chancellor at TCU. You can find Joe at the Red Star Gallery in Throckmorton where he lives with his wife J.J. who he remodeled his studio for and made it into a unique home.

William Blake (British, 1757-1827)
The Ancient of Days

Relief etching finished in gold, watercolor and Gouache on paper.
Original work: 9 1/4 x 6 9/16 in.

This powerful depiction of Blake's wrathful, law-giving Character Urizen is perhaps his best-known image. Its composition draws on medieval representations of God creating the universe using the tools of an Architect. Here, the snowy-haired figure kneels down from the sphere of Heaven and attempts to circumscribe the infinity of creation with a golden compass. The Plate, designed as the frontispiece to the prophetic book *Europe*, was also issued as a separate print that later acquired the traditional but inaccurate title *The Ancient of Days*. It recalls Blake's pithy epigram.

To God - If you have formed a Circle to go into
Go into it yourself & see how you would do

Alexander Calder (1898-1976)

Calder was one of the leading American sculptors of the 20th century. He trained as an engineer, and did not turn to art until he was in his mid-twenties. His early works were witty portraits and set pieces, such as the acrobats of *The brass family*, which reflect his interest in the circus and use of twisted wire to suggest complex volumes. He also made animated toys prefiguring his most famous creations, "mobiles", a term coined by Duchamp to describe these mechanized or hand-moved sculptures. Both mobiles and their static equivalents, "stabiles", employ colourful biomorphic shapes. Calder's sculptures tended to increase progressively in scale, reaching as high as 95 feet for the Montreal World's Fair. He also worked in many other fields and media including jewelry, tapestry, rug-making, bronze and gouache.

This sculpture is the work of local artist Gary Ford.

Cézanne (1839-1906)

Paul Cézanne was born into an Italian family in Cesana Forinese. He was raised in a country house on the outskirts of Aix, which was frequently represented in his paintings. In 1856 Cézanne attended drawing classes of Joseph-Marc Gilbert at the Aix Museum. Later he attended the Académie Suisse in Paris to paint. In Paris he was able to frequent the Louvre, where he met Pissarro, Monet, Sisley, Bazille and Renoir.

During his "dark" or "romantic" period (1862-70) Paul Cézanne often visited Paris where he met Manet and the further Impressionists. His "Impressionist" period (1872-79) found him painting with Pissarro. He painted smokers, card-players and bathers along with still lifes and portraits. This period is his favorite.

"When I judge art, I take my painting and put it next to a God made object like a tree or flower. If it clashes, it is not art." - Paul Cézanne