Thumbkin Maquette

The CofC sculpture department has been lucky enough to score four $500 public art commissions for its students this semester. A competition will be held among all advanced students who will each submit a public art proposal, complete with budgets, drawings, and 3-D models. My proposal is geared towards the City of North Charleston's commission, for which the parameters are relatively boundless. Since it commands quite a bit of space, I would love for this piece to be able to live among the other large-scale sculptures at Riverfront Park.

This proposed installation is comprised of seven massive concrete thumbs, each depicting various stages of progressive motion. Crawling like an inchworm, the thumb comes to life as an object all its own. He becomes a character in his very own story. To further this concept of personification, the thumbs will be scaled up to human-size. No longer are they appendages, but bodies of their own. Those familiar with the childhood nursery rhyme “Where is Thumbkin?” should know that this song has served as a great source of inspiration for this body work.

February 2010

painted cast plaster thumbs, model grass, wood, wire
approximately 24" wide x 4" tall x 6" deep