Buster Simpson
| Buster Simpson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Lewis Cole Simpson March 29, 1942 Saginaw, Michigan |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Michigan |
| Known for | Sculpture, Environmental art |
Lewis Cole "Buster" Simpson (born March 29, 1942 in Saginaw, Michigan) is an American sculptor and environmental artist based in Seattle, Washington.
Career
Lewis Cole Simpson was born in Saginaw, Michigan and raised in a nearby farming community. He became interested in art while attending junior college in Flint and attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, graduating in 1969 with a master in fine arts. After graduating, Simpson joined other artists at the Woodstock Festival in New York state, helping build play areas for festivalgoers.[1][2]
Simpson caught the attention of glass artist Dale Chihuly in 1971 while giving a talk at the Rhode Island School of Design and invited him to join the new Pilchuck Glass School near Stanwood, Washington. Two years later, Simpson moved to Seattle at the suggestion of Polly Friedlander and began his work in "recycled art" at a studio in Pioneer Square.[3] During the 1970s, Simpson created several pieces of public art along Post Alley near Pike Place Market, utilizing materials from dumpsters and thrift shops for Shared Clothesline and discarded bottles as scrap glass for 90 Pine Show and Counterparts. He also developed an alter ego, named "Woodman", used during street performances while scavenging for materials.[4][5]
During the 1980s, Simpsons engaged in "agitprop" work, including dropping soft limestone blocks in the headwaters of the Hudson River that was dubbed by the media as "River Rolaids".[6]
Simpson was later commissioned by institutions and governments across the United States and Canada to create public art to display in cities. Simpson was given his first career retrospective in 2013 at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, called Buster Simpson: Surveyor.[7]
Works
- Shared Clothesline (1978), Seattle
- Lundeberg Derby Monument, Seattle
- Seattle George Monument (1989), Seattle
- Host Analog (1991), Portland, Oregon
- Parable (2009), Seattle (at Rainier Beach station)
Awards
- 2009 Public Art Network Award from Americans for the Arts[8]
References
- ↑ Graves, Jen (September 18, 2013). "Simpson, Buster (b. 1942)". HistoryLink. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ↑ Updike, Robin (January 18, 1998). "Expanding the canvas for public art: Agitator Buster Simpson's works are of the people, and for the people". The Seattle Times. p. M1. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ↑ Graves, Jen (September 20, 2013). "Buster Simpson arrives in Seattle and makes his first eco-art installation downtown, with fellow artist Chris Jonic, beginning on December 4, 1973.". HistoryLink. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ↑ Farr, Sheila (June 18, 2013). "Enter the Woodman: The Frye Recaps the Career of Eco-Artist Buster Simpson". Seattle Met. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ↑ Graves, Jen (July 10, 2013). "The Outside Artist". The Stranger. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ↑ Ayers, Robert (July 5, 2013). "Celebrating artist Buster Simpson's 'sky's the limit' spirit". The Seattle Times. p. E23. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ↑ Miller, Brian (July 30, 2013). "Visual Arts: Buster Simpson at the Frye". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ↑ "Environmental Artist Buster Simpson Wins PAN Award". Blouin Artinfo Canada. Louise Blouin Media. June 25, 2009. Retrieved November 24, 2016.