Art Installation at Becton, Dickinson and Company

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Award-Winning Art Installation

In 1986, Arts Management Services LLC was part of the team commissioned to install two large sculptures. The piece shown above is titled Atrium Garden by Michael Singer and is located in the world headquarters of Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) in Franklin Lakes, NJ.

Singer was commissioned to create works of art for two interior atrium spaces in the executive building of BD’s vast corporate campus.

“Both atria were planned by the architect to be central light wells for the building, providing natural lighting for the core circulation space as well as the adjacent offices and gathering spaces. Upon entering the building there is a view of the central Atrium Garden and its linear water element which carries one’s view deeper into the space.

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Low dense ground cover blankets much of the sculpted ground plane, with several excavated shapes below the surface and around the fountain and water channel. These excavated areas contain different configurations of stone and wood forms.

The garden may be viewed from the adjacent offices and walkways on the upper levels. The many viewpoints reveal different forms within the underground chambers. In the second atrium, which faces an outdoor courtyard, there is a wood and stone sculpture Cloud Hands Ritual Series 1986, an etched copper tablet and an old quarry cart. The elements of the sculpture and etched copper plate reflect the larger forms seen in the sculptural garden atrium.

This project won an American Institute of Architects Gold Award.”

Made of granite, pine, and field stone, I return for yearly maintenance to clean both pieces and apply repairs as needed which is infrequent.

Restoration has involved replacing rotted infrastructure elements supporting the granite. Other than these minimal repairs the piece is remarkably durable. An electrical leak in the ceiling above the Cloud Hands sculpture caused staining on several wood surfaces. The owners have chosen not to repair it due to the fact that the stains look just like knots in the pine surface.

Update 

In 2019 Arts Management Services LLC restored both sculptures. The entire below-ground infrastructure was replaced and the electrical stain damage was restored. See this article for further details.

Installation of a Major Exhibition in Denmark

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We installed four sculptures, five framed artworks, and numerous story board photos of architecture and infrastructure projects. Sculptures included Ritual Series Retellings 1999-2010 made of pine, cast concrete, bronze, copper, and stone.  158″ wide x 209″ long x 65” tall.

We also installed Ritual Series Map of Memory 2001-2010. This is made of pine, cast concrete, bronze, copper, aluminum, marble, lead, and field stone. It measures 140″ wide x 180″ long x 56” tall.

Both exhibits were well received and included symposia on the role of art in saving the environment, saving the world!

custom made museum display pedestals

As part of the exhibition, a major book on the work of Michael singer was published, The Re-Enchantment of Nature and Urban Space: Michael Singer, Projects In Art, Design, and Environmental Regeneration. It is available in hardcover on Amazon.

Book by Michael Singer

Sculpture Installation at the US Embassy in Athens

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Six-Week Sculpture Installation

A Major Overseas Project

Michael Singer Sculpture at US Embassy in Athens Greece

In 2007 Arts Management Services LLC (AMS) was hired to manage a major and challenging sculpture installation.

For this six-week project I assembled a ten-person team (five from the US and five from Greece) to install "Garden Sculpture" by the artist Michael Singer at the US Embassy in Athens, Greece.

The project was completed on-time, within budget, and without injuries.

What Is FAPE?

The project was commissioned by The Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE). This is a non-profit organization dedicated to placing American art in U.S. embassies around the world. For over 30 years, FAPE has contributed to the U.S. Department of State’s mission of cultural diplomacy by partnering with American artists. These artists are specially chosen for artworks that encourage cross-cultural understanding.

FAPE asked Michael Singer to design a sculpture to be placed outside a new building constructed on the embassy grounds. This building was design by Kalman, McKinnell and Wood Architects. Michael McKinnell and Michael Singer have a long history of collaboration which first began with their award-winning Becton, Dickinson and Company project. This new building and outdoor sculpture are adjacent to the existing embassy that was designed by the renown modern architect Walter Gropius.

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The sculpture can be viewed from several angles: from inside the new building, from its terrace, from the grounds, and from an entry bridge.

About the Sculpture

Michael Singer Sculpture in Athens Greece

It is 70' long and made of marble, concrete, aluminum, and inlaid tile. Its 49 tons were fabricated at Michael's studio in southern Vermont. Then it was packed and shipped. I tracked the ship on my computer as it crossed the ocean. At one point I watched the dots on my computer screen representing the container ship, sharply divert from its course to avoid a storm.

No pieces broke in transit though several replacement pieces were included just in case. These extra pieces were used to increase the concrete walkway surrounding the piece. Notice in the photos the white concrete squares embedded in the ground surrounding the sculpture.

Challenges

Dozens of custom-made wood crates arrived in a single shipping container. They arrived ahead of schedule at the port in Piraeus, not far from Athens. Good thing we shipped early since the container remained in the port for two weeks until a strike by dock workers ended.

Challenges were common in this project. Months before on my first trip to Athens to make arrangements for the installation, a rocket-propelled grenade struck the front of the embassy! I arrived just a day after this occurred. The rocket missed the American Seal it was aimed at and blasting into the ambassador's private bathroom. No one was injured. The incident occurred early in the morning when no one was in the embassy. I was told that this is typical Greek protest, violent but not meant to injure anyone. The incident underscored the unique challenges we often face in overseas art installation.

Once the container arrived at the embassy, its contents were lifted by crane over the embassy wall and placed around the foundation.

The installation took six weeks including a week to correct errors in the concrete foundation.

What the Artist Says

The artist describes the sculpture in this way:

"...a platform-like structure emerging from below grade at one end and rising three feet from the ground level at the other end. The solid forms of the piece combine to reference a whole, as if the piece were a foundation for something once present. The piece has been said to have archaeological references, an uncovering of something lost and mysterious."

 

Michael Singer discusses the design and fabrication of 'Garden Sculpture.'

Water runs from the high end of the sculpture down over a narrow concrete corridor. Then it spills out onto a wide textured cast aluminum spillway. Finally, the running water falls into a deep, below-ground cistern.

Flowering indigenous succulents were planted throughout the sculpture. They now drape over edges and blend in beautifully with surrounding olive trees and lavender hedges.

Detail of Singer Sculpture in Athens Greece

Marble slabs provide seating for visitors and employees. It is a place of quiet except for the sound of birds and flowing water.

Success

Special thanks goes to Alan Chapman. He's the best builder and troubleshooter on the planet, and he's my number one choice when I need additional help. His unique meld of artist and carpenter make for marvelous solutions. Plus, he made us all laugh when it counted most. And brought us together when things got tense. The success of this project is dedicated to him.

Another special thanks goes to our translator, Fred Naff. He is an ex-pat and local architect who was so much more than a translator. With wonderful calm, intelligence, and humor, he guided us safely through many pitfalls, and was just a heck of a lot of fun to be around! The project could not have succeeded without him.

Update: January, 2018

This large compound of the US Embassy in Athens is expanding again! The new building designed by Kalman, McKinnell and Wood Architects only 10 years ago is now being totally gutted, renovated, and added onto. Michael Singer's sculpture is now covered to protect it during the three-year construction project. All the plants and dirt were removed and the water shut off. When the project is completed, AMS will return to completely restore this sculpture.

Update: June, 2023

Well, 3 years became 5 with delays due to Covid. Plans are afoot for me to return later this year to finally restore this marvelous sculpture.

Installation at the American Academy of Arts and Letters

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Exhibition

My son William and I installed a new sculpture by Michael Singer entitled Ritual Series 2018 at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York City for their 2019 Invitational Exhibition.

This annual one-month event features contemporary artists from around the United States. This year's exhibit - March 7 to April 7, 2019 - featured 35 artists. Following the exhibit, nine received top awards. Award winners continued to exhibit for two more months and add one or two more artworks. This is considered the most prestigious award for visual art in the United States.

Installation

This sculpture by Mr. Singer is made of granite, copper foiled pine wood, cast aluminum, field stone, dirt-coated plywood, and copper leaf.

A major aspect of all his sculpture is level horizontals and plumb verticals. The effect is a sense of calm and for me personally (and also from the comments of others) a sense that the entire piece is weightless, floating, and even otherworldly. Thus, great care is taken to place each and every piece precisely.

The gallery space is located at the Academy's Manhattan headquarters. It is the most beautiful exhibition space I have ever seen with antique tile floor and a ceiling made entirely of a glass skylight!

The installation took us 3 days.

Awards

I'm pleased and honored to report that Michael was one of the top award recipients. His work of over 50 years - sculpture, drawings, architecture, and environmental design - so deserves it. See his wonderful artwork here. And for more details of the award click here.

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American Academy of Arts and Letters

The American Academy of Arts and Letters was founded in 1898 as an honor society of the country's leading architects, artists, composers, and writers. Charter members include William Merritt Chase, Kenyon Cox, Daniel Chester French, Childe Hassam, Henry James, Theodore Roosevelt, Elihu Vedder, and Woodrow Wilson. The Academy's 250 members are elected for life and pay no dues.

In addition to electing new members as vacancies occur, the Academy seeks to foster and sustain an interest in literature, music, and the fine arts by administering over 70 awards and prizes, exhibiting art and manuscripts, funding performances of new musical works, and purchasing artwork for donation to museums across the country.

Below are more works by Mr. Singer:

Sculpture Installation for Michael Singer

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New Project for the Environmental Artist Michael Singer

The Met!

Sculpture Installation for Michael Singer

'First Gate Ritual Series 1985', ash, cut granite, and field stone.

My team and I, joined by our newest member, my son William, just embarked on a challenging project.

Michael Singer commissioned my company Arts Management Services LLC to remove several of his sculptures that are currently installed in his private gallery, and replace them with new ones. This is in preparation for a special visit next month by representatives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art who are visiting his studio to possibly include his work in an upcoming exhibition of western and middle eastern art. They may also purchase something.

Installations Begin

The work began at the end of April, 2016 and lasted several weeks.

The first sculpture pictured above, First Gate Ritual Series 1985, is over a hundred pieces and many are very easy to break. Adding to the challenge, every time the next piece is placed, the ash pieces bend under the additional weight, causing the entire piece to change, meaning that everything previously placed needs to be adjusted again. And essential to every Singer sculpture is that horizontal and vertical pieces are level and plumb.

First Sculpture Complete

After a couple weeks my son and I have it all up. We let it 'settle' for a few days so that whatever bending the ash will do under the weight of it all, takes it's course so that we can finish leveling it. Once done the entire work feel like it's floating!  We're just happy it all hasn't fallen down!

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Sculpture Number Two

Now we're on to the next sculpture, Ritual Series Retellings 1999-2010, made of pine, cast concrete, bronze, copper, and stone. It measures 158' x 209' x 65”. Lots of heavy and fragile thick pine as you can see in the picture below. The grey walls are stunningly beautiful, sand basted, then painted white, and finally dirt is rubbed into the nearly dried paint. The effect is a textured antique-looking surface with white and patinaed copper leaf sparkling thru.

Here is a fascinating video of Michael and his assistant Paul creating the patterns in the concrete.

This is a very different sculpture - no settling here. But as with the previous sculpture, horizontal levels and vertical plumbs are critical to the overall effect of quiet and other-worldliness which this work of art evokes.

Success

Michael Singer Sculpture

'Ritual Series Retellings 1999-2010', pine, cast concrete, bronze, copper, and stone.

The final days of the project are spent carefully inspecting both pieces and the entire gallery with last minute details such as light sanding of the marble surface to clean it of all dirt and finger prints, repairing wood surfaces that are slightly damaged in storage, and cleaning the gallery space.

The project was completed on time with a few days to spare. We always put a lot of long days in at the beginning in case of emergencies. When projects like this are completed without any surprises, it's so enjoyable.

Here is a time lapse video of the installation of another Michael Singer sculpture, First Gate Ritual Series 10/78, by the staff of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in 1978. This gives you an idea of the effort involved.

Art Installation at Singer Studio Gallery

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Gallery Installation

Arts Management Services LLC (AMS) provides art installation, restoration, and conservation for artists, museums, and corporate collectors.

One of my clients is the environmental artist and architect, Michael Singer. He commissioned AMS to install one of his earliest sculptures created in the 70’s.

This is a sculpture he decided to keep rather than sell. We removed it from his storage facility and installed it in his Sculpture Gallery, one of the many studio buildings at his summer residence in southern Vermont. He often refers to earlier work as part of his process for creating a new one. It’s always fascinating to see what results. Sometimes he even changes the earlier piece. Not this time – so far!

New Project

The installation is also part of a new project by Singer Studios to simplify instructions so that the many museums that own his artworks can exhibit them without the added expense of our help. This has become an important issue. Several years ago Michael asked AMS to study the question of why his work was not exhibited more often. As a result, we discovered that museums would be more likely to show his work if it was not so complicated or expensive to install.

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We tried many instructional methods including video, 3-D instructions, and transparent overlays. AMS and Singer Studio staff used this piece to develop, test, and refine a new way to create installation instructions. This time we tried photographing each element as we placed it on the sculpture, then adding measurements and helpful comments on each photograph.

Success

We found that our new instructional method was a complete success. It simplified the installation process so much that any museum preparator could do it themselves.

AMS then composed a draft letter to the museums which own Singer sculpture. Michael customized each letter and sent it, followed by phone contact. The response was very positive. As a result, our first customer for new and improved instructions is the Williams College Museum of Art, followed hopefully by MOMA, Guggenheim, Wellesley College, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark.

The process for creating new instructions takes one week. It involves installing and de-installing a sculpture in a vacant room in the museum. AMS creates the new instructions. Singer studio pays all the expenses and the museum provides space and one person to assist.

This particular installation required one person for four full days. No restoration was required. The piece is made of rough pine and field stone, and it’s in excellent condition.

Art Installation at Williams College

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Acquisition

Art Installation by Arts Management Services

Arts Management Services LLC assisted in the fabrication of this sculpture by Michael Singer and in the subsequent art installation for the first exhibition of this work of art at the Williams College Museum of Art.

Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts added this sculpture to their permanent collection as a gift from one of Michael’s closest friends and Williamss alumnus, Dr. William Fishkind.

About the Sculpture

Art Installation by Arts Management Services

The sculpture is titled Ritual Series, 1990. It consists of wood, granite, fieldstone, copper, iron, and bronze. It measures 230″ wide x 230″ long x 75″ tall.

The wood has a gorgeous texture created by sand-blasting 2″ thick rough-cut pine, harvested from the woods nearby Michael’s Vermont studio. After sand-blasting, the large and heavy planks were carefully singed to create an ancient look. The wood is not coated and easily bruised so handling needed to be careful and with gloves at all times. Likewise, packing and storage was always done with special care so that no surfaces touch each other or any hard surface.

Field stone was collected from around the artists 100-acre property in the mountains of southern Vermont. Mr. Singer would assemble a group of us from his studio and line us up behind him in a single row. We would then follow him all over his fields like ducklings. He would point to a rock and one of us would pick it up and carry it. Most were too heavy to carry more than one. When we all had one we would load them on his pickup truck and transport them to be cut flat on one end. One or two would be cut in an odd way with slices up the middle.

Art Installation Details

Williams College art installation

One of the secrets of this artist’s work is the precise degree of vertical plumb and horizontal level. Most good carpenters notice when something is off-level by anywhere from an 1/8″ to 1/4.” Incredibly, Mr. Singer notices pieces that are off-level by 1/32″! This precision creates a subliminal effect of calm and quiet, making the heaviness of stone, metal, and thick wood somehow feel light, floating, contemplative, and even otherworldly. This stunning effect can be felt in many of his works.

The granite and bronze plates were heavy and the long and thick pine planks bulky, needing two to handle and place precisely according to the instructions.

Our team devised an instructional system with carefully marked photographs whereby all of his intricate sculpture such as this can be assembled and disassembled by museum and gallery preparators.

This art installation required two people five days.

These pictures show details of the piece after completing the art installation for it’s first exhibition at the Williams College Museum of Art in 1990, from April 7 through October 21.