NORA HUTCHINSON JOHNSON

SITE SPECIFIC/ SCULPTURE

TWO AS ONE
5"x5"x12"
STAINLESS STEEL ARMATURE, BRONZE, METAL, BRONZE MESH

AS YOU PERUSE THIS SITE, FEEL FREE TO CLICK ON THE ENVELOPE ICONS TO SHARE EACH SECTION WITH OTHERS VIA EMAIL.

VESSEL FORMS

VESSEL
12"x12"x60"
BRONZE MESH, ALUMINUM WIRE, ACID WASH
PRIVATE COLLECTION

CHRYSALIS #3
6"x8"x41"
STAINLESS STEEL MESH, ALUMINUM WIRE, ACRYLIC PAINT

EMERGENCE AND TRANSFORMATION
30"x50"x8"
STAINLESS STEEL MESH, CABLES, ACRYLIC, FOUND OBLECT

SITE SPECIFIC

VENICE BEACH
8'x12'x6'
STAINLESS STEEL MESH, ACRYLIC PAINT, ALUMINUM RODS,
STAINLESS CABLES, ATTACHMENTS
PRIVATE COLLECTION

BOX KITE #1
16' x 18'
DEEP STAINLESS STEEL MESH, ACRYLIC PAINT,
SPRUCE, STAINLESS CABLES
ENGINEERING FIRM LOBBY, NJ

BOX KITE #2
25'x25'x4'
DEEP STAINLESS STEEL MESH, ACRYLIC PAINT,
SPRUCE, STAINLESS CABLES
SOMERSET, NJ

ZEPHYR GODDESS

ZEPHYR GODDESS
~32' HIGH
CAPITAL CENTER
TRENTON, N.J.

SPIRIT OF ST. FRANCIS

SPIRIT OF ST. FRANCIS
SACRED HEART HOSPITAL
EAU CLAIRE, WI

Detail of glass birds; St Francis Hospital; Eau Claire, WI

DETAIL OF GLASS BIRDS
SACRED HEART HOSPITAL
EAU CLAIRE, WI

INSTALLATION VIEW

SACRED HEART HOSPITAL
EAU CLAIRE, WI

SEVEN GENERATIONS

SEVEN GENERATIONS
THEATER LOBBY, PEORIA CIVIC CENTER
34' HIGH x 32' WIDE x 64' LONG
PEORIA, IL

LOADING OF "SEVEN GENERATIONS" FOR SHIPPING

STRUCTURAL ARMATURE IN FABRICATION STUDIO
4' x 7' x 25'

BELLS FOR THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE

“Bells for the Virgin of Guadeloupe”
BELLS FOR THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE
ST. VINCENT'S HOSPITAL
(VIEW LOOKING UP)

“Bells for the Virgin of Guadaloupe” view of installation of 1 of 7 groups of bells suspended in glass atrium lobby. Of St Vincent’s Hospital; Los Angeles, CA (over all height of sculpture 98’)
BELLS FOR THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE
INSTALLATION VIEW OF 1 OF 7 GROUPS OF BELLS SUSPENDED IN GLASS ATRIUM
LOBBY OF ST. VINCENT'S HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES, CA
(OVERALL HEIGHT OF SCULPTURE: 98')

Installation at 125’ of first group of bells

BELLS FOR THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE
INSTALLATION AT 125 FEET OF FIRST GROUP OF BELLS
ST. VINCENT'S HOSPITAL

WINGED FORMS

One of my earliest memories as a child was of looking up and seeing spruce airfoils, which had been parts for my father’s gliders that he made as a teen, and flew off local cliffs near his home.

I always loved the forms, but had no idea how to incorporate them into my artwork, but one day, I realized that I had to just leap into sculpture that revolved around the forms I loved.

At that same time, I was asked to design 3 lobby works for a developer building a corporate headquarters for AT&T. I did not realize when I proposed works with winged imagery that he had been an aeronautical engineer in his earlier life and loved the theme.

Exploring winged symbolic forms gradually folded inward and became cocoons and boats, a way of dealing with the death of my father who had worked with me fabricating some of the larger commissioned works.

SACRED HEART HOSPITAL:

Perhaps the clearest opportunity for using wings as an obvious spiritual symbol was for Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, WI. The hospital, owned an operated by a Franciscan order of nuns felt strongly that art had a very important part in the healing process and in their ministry, which centered on service. The core element of the 34’ sculpture suspended in the lobby atrium as an homage to St Francis, was a pair of 2 golden wing forms surrounded by tiny versions of the same curved elements in glass resembling clusters of birds. To reinforce the hospital’s belief that spirituality was at the core of their healing mission, one of the large abstract golden wings morphed into realistic looking 'feathers' at its tip.

PEORIA CIVIC CENTER:

The call for artist specified a suspended sculptural work to “fill” the 180’ long by 64’ high space and weigh less than 1000lbs. In addition, the sculpture was to be relevant to the community at large, who participated by large and small donations in paying for the artwork.

The design was conceived as a sort of a 'flying carpet' with patterns painted on the wing form surfaces evocative of the American Arts and crafts movement, a significant part of the history of the Midwest, employing numerous artisans in production of furnishings and pottery.

The final patterns, however, were taken from African fabrics, patterns which have a direct correlation to designs used universally in many cultures, and to the arts and crafts movement in Western culture. Using symbolic imagery spanning diverse cultures formed a bridge between the sculpture and the community who supported the work.

Because of the weight restraints and the need for a large scale visual statement, the armatures for the 7 elements were designed using airfoil principles, allowing for maximum surface and minimal weight. The largest elements, each 25’ long, weighed only 165 lbs. each.

ST. VINCENT"S HOSPITAL:

Heaven-specific design again was used in another hospital, St Vincent’s in Linwood, CA, operated by the Daughters of Charity Order, the same order of nuns that came to CA with the Spanish priests and established the mission trail centuries ago. The newest addition to the hospital, where I was commissioned to design and produce an 87’ suspended work, was designed as an abstract glass version of a cathedral, using the symbolic numerical equivalents to express the trinity, the 4 apostles, etc, The Sisters specifically requested that the sculpture be a series of bells, as the lobby tower resembled a campanilla, albeit a glass one. The bells, conforming to the interior space of the gradually narrowing “tower”, spiral as if ascending to the heavens. In place of the expected clappers, were cast roses, an homage to the patron saint of the hospital and to the Latino community, largely Mexican immigrant, the Virgin of Guadalupe, and her iconography of the Virgin surrounded by roses.

Using the roses was a design risk, loved by the nuns, but not understood by all. But I knew that I had succeeded in my personal goal when a neighborhood visitor saw the sculpture for the first time, dropped to his knees with tears in his eyes and genuflected.

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