|
by Beverly Pepper 1981 |
|
by Beverly Pepper 1981 |
Davenport Museum of Art
1737 West 12th Street
Davenport, Iowa 52803
"Trapezium," by Beverly Pepper, weighs 24,000 lbs., and stands 23' 8." It stands in the sculpture garden at the entrance of the Davenport Museum of Art. An internationally known artist, Pepper was invited to the Quad-Cities in 1981 to create twelve sculptures at the John Deere Foundry in East Moline. Made from ductile iron, these works were the first major sculptures to be cast in the Quad-Cities.
The model for Trapezium was made from plywood. A local pattern maker constructed the model from Pepper's design. Her sculpture was then cast in ductile iron, an alloy produced by treating cast iron with additions of magnesium and inoculation with ferrosilicon. Due to the complexity of the casting process, Trapezium took approximately six weeks to build. During this time Pepper worked with local engineers, draftsmen, pattern makers, foundry workers, machinists, welders and technicians.
In the same year, Beverly Pepper created "Spirit of Place", a monumental work also made of ductile steel. This imposing sculpture stands in John Deere Commons in Moline -between the The Mark and Radisson Hotel.
Beverly Pepper switched from painting to sculpture after a trip to see the architectural ruins at Angkor-Vat in Cambodia. Her early sculptures were carved from several felled trees she found in her yard after moving to a new house.