Sheila Klein
Artist Statement
Site is my material. I am an artist who enjoys problem solving and the potential of the site. I understand how to interpret a site using visual, architectural, and conceptual cues to make my work. I often use the history of a place to tell me what should happen and filter it through the desire to make powerful civic works that are relevant, unique, and useful. My work manipulates the familiar and makes the connections between things visible.
I see many possibilities for your project. The artwork will be about location; it will exist only to create a special atmosphere associated with this place. Much of my work includes interaction; it’s about being in the work as well as seeing it. You are in my work: looking at it, getting inside it, seeing it while driving, walking, and waiting. I’m interested in the idea of passive kinetic surfaces, components that make use of available light, seasonal changes and the location of the sun.
I am interested in projects that use resources wisely, and environmental concerns have been an integral part of my work in both concept and fabrication. I am equally comfortable in the studio, on site, in the field, working in the fabricating shop, and in office environments. Collaboration, model building, drawing, research, re-envisioning existing spaces, and construction are essential to my process. Retrofitting, reuse, and unique uses of material are central to my vision. The ability to fabricate the work at our farm allows me to maximize the budget.
Working between art and architecture for over 35 years, I have completed both temporary and permanent projects of all types. I began making installations early in my career. In the early 1980s, I was part of the award-winning art and architecture collaborative A2Z based in both Seattle and Los Angeles. Since 1995 I have lived and worked in the Pacific Northwest while producing monumental works and exhibitions.
Tradition and innovation are hallmarks in my work. My work consistently includes a personal vision with an optimistic civic resonance. In every project I come to the table with a wide range of experience ready to be applied. I like working with the existing groups to learn about the goals of the project, the place, and the opportunities. I can meet all of the stated goals and my qualifications match the desired criteria. My projects exceed all standards; they are engaging and award winning. I have an excellent understanding of materials, engineering and public safety. Underground Girl, my subway station in Hollywood which was completed in 2000 after a ten year process, still receives attention: it has garnered many awards and been featured in both video and print advertising media. It was recently included in a presentation of 50 influential public artworks of the last 50 years by Jennifer McGregor, director of Wave Hill Cultural Center.
A goal of my work is to retranslate and transform information, and give it a visual order that points out relationships. Collaborating within the situation yields positive results I welcome the complexity and challenge of the potential project and to contribute a new cultural asset for Atlanta.