Finding the Way
to Balance
By Bernard J Stote
Construction
Farm in Monatgue, New Jersey - Construction begins
Construction drawing for sculpture assemble.
Sculpture bases return from paint shop with gloss resin finish.
Construction of third sculpture in woodshop.
Experimenting with waterfall effect for middle sculpture.
Sculpture panels dry in paint tent in hay barn.
First test of assembling of main sculpture.
About
Bernard Stote - In 2010, I conceived and built a large-scale sculpture, titled Finding the Way to Balance,
which was unveiled in the Hall of States at the Kennedy Center in January 2011.
The work is a wood painted & resin sculpture. The three sculptures each measures 9 feet
tall x 6.5 feet wide. The three-part installation, illustrating the extremes of bipolar disorder, was bridged by a working with artists with mental illness.
VSA, the international organization on arts and disability, commissioned the piece as part of
The Presidency of John F. Kennedy: A 50th Anniversary Celebration, commemorating the president who was an arts patron and champion
of disability rights.
The sculpture was on view at the Kennedy Center from January 11 through February 13, 2011,
and is scheduled to be installed at the corporate headquarters of Citi in April of 2011.
Note - The center white sculpture originally a fountain was dismantled and replaced by a later concept for the Citi installation in 2012.
Sculptures
Final assembly at the farm.
Viewpoint looking through the middle sculpture.
Wooden peg system for attaching panels.
Two sculptures completed.
Balance sculpture.
Assembling the depression sculpture.
Back view of two sculptures. Three colors of paint.
Finished front view of three sculptures.
Kennedy Center
Kennedy Center Hall of States.
Detail view from Mania Sculpture.
Bernard Stote and Finding the Way to Balance Sculpture.
The Red Sculpture represents the heighten extremes of Bipolar Disorder.
The Fountain represents the balance part of a human being containing tiles made by artists with mental illness.
The Grey Sculpture represents the depressive isolation of Bipolar Disorder.
Citi
Diagrams and hardware for installation.
Installation at Citi with art handler and Bernard Stote
Installation at Court Square in Long Island City.
Unwrapping pieces from the Mania Sculpture at Citi.
Art handlers deliver base from Finding the Way to Balance Sculpture at Citi.
Bernard puts finishing touches on sculpture.
The final installation of the three piece sculpture, Finding the Way to Balance. On view at Citi, One Court Square in Long Island City. Queens, New York.