place

Interviewing David Middlebrook is like riding a Ferris wheel. Your perspective changes as he moves you up and down through the elements of his work. With ease he explains the research and planning that went into the 20-ton archway that invites passersby into Gordon Park and the neighborhood.

“Public artists should think of themselves as site artists first and sculptors second,” Middlebrook explains. “I don’t make things that are transferable. I think public art should be created with only one place where it can go. Not only conceptually, but in the visual, tactile and texture as well. It is literally the artist’s reaction to the place and the people who live there.”