“Breaking Boundaries,” an art installation created by Artist Mary Jo Whitman in City Centre, across from Everybody Eats, is officially completed. An unveiling was held on Monday evening from 6-9p.m
“So, I’ve been working on it and installing it for the past three weeks. I did the two panels at home, and I was kind of working on and off for about two months while I was finishing up some other projects. And about three weeks ago, I brought the panels in and started building the 3D elements,” says Whitman.
After setting up the panels, Whitman went to work on creating the tree inside City Centre.
“I had to take into account for the overhang of the wall, which I hadn’t planned for. So, I had to figure out how am I going to work around that. And you know, once you get into the space, you kind of let the space dictate how the sculpture is going to move. I had a general idea of what I wanted to do, but I really let the space kind of guide me.”
Breaking Boundaries is the name of Whitman’s creation.
Because I was kind of like, you know, pushing the boundaries between the mediums, between 2D and 3D painting and sculpture. And then I really wanted to get the audience to, you know, kind of interact with art in a different way. You know, you usually come in and you look at artwork where this is a little more immersive, with the tree actually protruding away from the picture plane. It either, you know, comes into the audience’s space and pulls the audience more into the artwork. So, it feels a little more immersive.”
Whitman says it was a lot of fun talking with the public as she created Breaking Boundaries over the past three weeks. A lot of people that walk the mall would stop and talk to her.
“A lot of people were very curious, because when you see artwork in progress, it doesn’t look anything like what it’s going to look like underneath. This is all white foam, so you’d have a white tree. Because of drying time, it was easier to, you know, do one section, let it dry, work on the next section, and kind of keep rotating. I’m thrilled with it. I’m very excited with how it turned out.”
Whitman says there are plans for other installations in City Centre and with other artists as well.
Link to Facebook page to see the process:(20+) Facebook
Whitman partnered with the BDC (Batavia Development Corporation). This is the third work of art that has been created in City Centre. The projects are made possible with funds from a Statewide Community Regrant Program from the NYS Council on the Arts and administered by GOART!
Whitman is a well-known area artist and has been active for over 20 years. Her creations are communicated though drawings, mural paintings, photography, digital art, and sculpture with a focus on conceptual art.
Previously:
BATAVIA/Sculpture Garden has sprouted at City Centre – Video News Service
