Artwork Details
- Title
- Maquette for Vigil
- Artist
- Date
- 1978
- Location
- Dimensions
- 14 5⁄8 x 15 1⁄4 x 13 in. (37.2 x 38.7 x 33.0 cm)
- Credit Line
- Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- cast aluminum on painted aluminum base
- Subjects
- Abstract
- Study — sculpture model
- General Services Administration — Art-in-Architecture Program
- Object Number
- 1979.159.26
Artwork Description
This is a model for a large sculpture that was part of the General Services Administration's Art-in-Architecture program. The program commissioned artworks to show the vibrancy of America's visual art and bring civic meaning to federal architecture. Vigil is a kinetic sculpture with freestanding stainless-steel elements that reflect light and rotate in the wind. It is located on the east plaza of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and miraculously survived the bombing attack on that building in 1995. Four years later the piece was returned to its original location on the plaza after being cleaned and repaired and is now adjoined to a memorial garden. A former building employee recalled people interacting with the ten-foot panels on a regular basis by spinning them around, creating a surprisingly playful experience on the grounds of an imposing concrete building.