Rainer Lagemann

The Acquisition
Internationally recognized Sculpture Rainer Lagemann donated a three-piece sculpture that shows climbers in various gestures and motion. The motion is upward and signifies the progress that has been made at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center. The sculptures, although colorized here for effect and visibility, will be created with stainless steel and have a bronze coating. 
The Concept
Using carefully placed, hollow, metal squares, sculpture Rainer Lagemann sculpts the human form in various motions depicting timeless gestures and emotions. The four corners of each square represent the intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual dimensions of human being. The hollowness of each square helps the viewer leave the distractions behind and allow for the exploration of the human body while pondering its strength and delicacy. The implication of light and darkness that surrounds the sculptures is also considered and, therefore, another interpretation of the sculpture is allowed through the shadows behind it.

http://www.rainerlagemann.com/

Artsemble Underground

Artsemble Underground was created by artists Cesar Aguilera and Brian Weaver in an effort to bring art to everyone. Art for the people! Additionally, Artsemble was created to attract additional traffic to local business with murals, sculptures, and art events. Brian and Cesar have collaborated in this way with different artists and organizations since 2014 and in 2016 they formally founded Artsemble Underground LLC. Together, they wanted to forge an inclusive multimedia assembly where art could be created and experienced anywhere by anyone, without the need of a formal art institution or gallery.

Cesar Aguilera, originally from Quito, Ecuador, has been a well known staple in the SWFL art scene. In 2015 he received the Gulfshore Life Emerging Arts Leader award. He is the art curator of the Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center’s Grand Atrium and Capital Gallery. Cesar is also the creator of Paionia in 2011, a wearable art brand focused on using discarded materials, mostly computer parts and discarded technology in an effort to create a sustainable consciousness in what we wear. He serves as a board member for Love your Rebellion.

Brian Weaver attended the School of Communication Arts in North Carolina, graduating with a degree in Graphic Design and Computer Animation.  He moved to Cape Coral in 2013 and produced the monthly art festival All Walks of Art at Dolphin Key Resort in the same year. In 2014, the Fort Myers’ River District Alliance commissioned him to develop Mystery Walk for 6 months. Brian also spearheaded “The Epicenter”, an empty warehouse transformed into an artist hub, where artists would get together to work and get inspired.

Bradford Hermann

Recycled artist, Bradford Hermann’s sculpture, “Coexist’ants'”, represent the arduous coexistence of humans, other animals, and insects.  It highlights the human “throw away” culture as the insect world attempts to adapt to it.  Just as humans collectively work together but squander their resources, the ants use teamwork to exploit and thrive.

Recycle artist Bradford Hermann uses a diverse collection of recycled materials to create his art.  His YouTube channel demonstrates his creative process while using humor to bring attention to his message.

Lawrence Voytek

Graduating with a bachelor of fine arts in sculpture from Rhode Island School of Design in 1982, Lawrence Voytek was hired that same year to work as a fine art fabricator in Bob Rauschenberg’s Captiva Island studio in Florida. With only a welder on a dirt floor, Voytek helped build and establish an extensive private workshop on the property. A versatile problem solver, he was instrumental in enabling Rauschenberg to overcome various technical challenges by using engineering and welding expertise to allow the artist to explore a wide range of material possibilities. As a vital member of the studio staff, Voytek and Rauschenberg remained friends until Rauschenberg’s death in 2008.

In the words of artist Lawrence Voytek: “Many moons ago, man sent Voyager on a lonely journey far into space. The ghost in the machine sends pictures of things it sees— the first thing it saw entering interstellar space was a random rock from the farside. This aluminum wall that encircles you on the roof tells the tale of all the Cosmic Debris! We are matter, the stars are matter, what’s the matter?”

Marvin Gralnick

As you take these stairs, notice the sculpture you walk around.

Mere words cannot fully convey the inspiration behind the prolific works of Marvin Gralnick, the multifaceted American artist, painter, sculptor and founder of CHICO’S. A person must become present with each of his pieces to glimpse the vision of this world-changing compassionate soul. 

In 2015 when Gralnick walked into our building admiring its federal past, he found the stars that once hung behind the bench of justices, the old elevator gear, and the metal letters spelling out FEDERAL BUILDING, plucked from the face of the building. He decided to marry these relics, creating the beautifully eccentric sculpture he calls Federal Fantasy Flight.   

Born in Saint Louis Missouri in the year 1934, Gralnick worked many years under the fine tutelage of his father in the field of antiques, design, and decorative arts before dedicating his life to his own art. His success is widely recognized in the art world and his works have been shown all over the U.S. as well as in multiple nations including China, Australia, and quite extensively through Germany.