BARBARA BAER  

1027 Steele St.
Denver, CO 80206
USA
Phone: (303) 388-4948
Email: onebaer@ix.netcom.com

Ribbon of Sky aerial sculpture
EL POMAR CENTER ROTUNDA
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO

Design Considerations

This aerial sculpture was conceived as a flowing river made of blue sky. As people move across the lobby, the aluminum component sweeps in a gentle turn that traces the circular space. The sculpture unfurls upwards against a translucent grid of acrylic panels. The acrylic’s geometry floats in graceful counterpoint to the powerful circularity of the architecture.

Forms are inspired by the revolving motif in the terrazo, the intriguing narrow passage between levels, and the enormous high windows ringing the space.

Images etched and airbrushed onto the acrylic borrow from the Library’s setting and function. The silhouette of the Front Range overlays a fragment from a logarithmic graph. Scrub oak leaves copy those on the Austin Bluff campus. The Library’s computer center suggests an image of the integrated circuit from a historic memory chip.

Rich color starts with the blues and blue-purples accenting the interior and applies them in soft transitions. The effect is a welcoming harmony and visual unity between the upper and lower floors.

Natural light from the high windows and dramatic spots from the lower rotunda will act on the softly reflective finishes to produce luminous, changing color.

Materials

The metal component is 1/8" aluminum cut, edged, and rolled as four sections. The elements bolt together to create a 150-pound form, 21’ long.

The acrylic sheet is premium, architectural grade Plexiglas, UV-stabilized to retain its colorless nature and 3/8" thick to prevent any warping. The nine- panel plastic assembly measures 11’ square and totals 250 pounds. Translucent imagery is etched into the surface by sandblasting.

Artist's Statement

Designing for indoor and outdoor public spaces is a favorite challenge for Baer: each sculpture must not only engage the eye and mind but also work well. Commissioned artworks evolve from the visual features of each site and reflections of the people who use the location. A successful work explores and celebrates its space, bringing humanizing grace, balance, and calm energy. Sculptures created for atriums or high-ceiling lobbies seem to float on their own buoyant spirits.

Biography

Growing up in southern Louisiana, the artist studied in New Orleans before moving to Colorado. The lush vitality of the Southern cityscape and the light filled openness of the West both infuse her work.

She has produced works for clients across the U.S., including Andersen Consulting, BellSouth Services, Hafele America, and Kaiser-Permanente. Her interactive park installations have been featured at the Museum of Outdoor Arts, Fair St. Louis, and festivals in Berlin and Hamburg. In 1999, her design for a 27’ long artwork of coiling steel plates was installed in Denver’s premier sculpture park.

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