Linda L. Cunningham

installed at traffic triangle Tribeca, New York City, 1985. Sponsored by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council

sand-cast highly textured  bronze from military scrap, 5 parts, 144" x 36" each,

The "War Memorial" series challenges the public sculpture tradition which celebrates heroes and politicians. It employs the traditional material for public monuments, bronze, yet consists of vulnerable heroic victims which are not elevated by pompous pedestals. 

"The bronze is cast in such a way that what we see are shells. The surfaces are varied and rich.Each  bronze is open and closed, intact and torn, self-contained and dependent upon the others. They suggest classical sculpture, natural history skeletons and the pleurants, the sculptural procession of grave and dignified mourners made for Burgundian tombs at the end of the Middle Ages." 

Michael Brenson, The New York Times

Installation in the interior ground floor passage and exhibition space, City University of New York, Graduate Center, on 42nd St across from Bryant Park and the Public Library, 1987

sand-cast highly-textured  bronze from military scrap 9 parts, 144" x 36" each

installed in the interior passage and exhibition space of City University of New York, Graduate Center, on 42nd St across from Bryant Park and the Public Library, 1987

sand-cast highly-textured  bronze from military scrap 9 parts, 144" x 36" each

Installation: City ‘’University Graduate Center, facade exhibition space, 42nd St across from Bryant Park and the Public Library, NYC , NY

sand-cast highly textured  bronze poured from military scrap bronze; 5 parts, 3 right of entrance, 2 left of entrance, 144" x 36" each

The bronze was poured in the foundry I helped build at Franklin and Marshall College from military scrap bronze. The bronze is formed  by an experimental technique of sand-casting and shaped by the process of the pour, a kind of collaboration with the physics of the pour that results in highly-textured, bark-like beautiful relief. 

sand-cast highly textured  bronze 5 parts, 144" x 36" each, Installation: Musser Park, Lancaster, PA

The "War Memorial" series challenges the public sculpture tradition which celebrates heroes and politicians. It employs the traditional material for public monuments, bronze, yet consists of vulnerable, heroic victims which are not elevated by pompous pedestals. 

sand-cast highly textured  bronze poured from military scrap bronze; 5 parts, 144" x 36"

shown here installed as part of the permanent collection of Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, New Jersey photographed during one of the yearly artist led tours of the Sculpture Park

sand-cast highly textured  bronze poured from military scrap bronze; 5 parts,  144" x 36"

built from twisted steel and "flame-like" sand-cast bronze from military scrap commemorated the Allied bombing that destroyed three-quarters of Kassel. 

11 ft x 10 ft x 5 ft, 1995

The German- American Women’s Club of Kassel bought this installation, and donated it to the Regierung’s Praesidium (regional government), which sited it in central Kassel, two blocks from the Fredricianum Installed permanently in front of the Regierungspräsidium Kassel, Germany.

Harold Kimpel, of the Kassel Kultural administration, said of the installation:  “… the stones that surround the base of the sculpture like toppled grave markers … are the building stones of structures that no longer exist, former sidewalks -- with their graffiti texts. Linda Cunningham…has developed a new type of public remembrance, interrogating instead the future…"

Historic granite sidewalk surfaces, worn smooth by thousands of pedestrians, are engraved with quotations from the diaries from people who survived the bombing of Berlin. Other stones display a quote from Audrey Lorde that speaks  individual choice, responsibility and silence, and another about hubris - America's mistaken belief in an obligation to export democracy at any cost.

Shown when first exhibited in documenta Halle, Kassel, Germanyi in the exhibition titled : :The Vertical Peril: Air War in Art" ("Die Verticale Gefahr: Luftkreig in der Kunst") The exhibition curated by Harald Kimpel , Commemorated 50 years after Kassel was 3/4 destroyed in one night by Allied bombing.

Harold Kimpel, of the Kassel Kultural administration, said of the installation:  “… the stones that surround the base of the sculpture like toppled grave markers … are the building stones of structures that no longer exist, former sidewalks -- with their graffiti texts. Linda Cunningham…has developed a new type of public remembrance, interrogating instead the future…"

Quotation from Audre Lorde, black, lesbian, American poet inscribed on the vertical red limestone

"My silences have not protected me and your silence will not protect you"

bent steel I-beams, 150 yr old granite side walk sections, text, 13' x 30' wide area, Installation:  Stifts Ruine, a medieval cloister ruin currently used as open-air opera festival, 

Collection: Stadt Bad Hersfeld, Germany

Massive steel beams, twisted and destroyed by tremendous force, are reconstructed to stand like survivors, a contemporary ruin, posed against the historic Stifts Ruin. Covenant is an alternative memorial, raising questions about destruction, history, and blindness  to the humanity of one another. Historic granite sidewalk surfaces, worn smooth by thousands of pedestrians, are engraved with quotations from the diaries from people who survived the bombing of Berlin. Other stones contain a prayer/poem in Hebrew and English, written in 1946 by Avraham Sosksover. A quote from Audrey Lorde speaks  individual choice, responsibility and silence , and another about hubris - America's mistaken belief in an obligation to export democracy at any cost.

Massive steel beams, twisted and destroyed by tremendous force, are reconstructed to stand like survivors, a contemporary ruin, posed against the historic Stifts Ruin. Covenant is an alternative memorial, raising questions about destruction, history, and blindness  to the humanity of one another. Historic granite sidewalk surfaces, worn smooth by thousands of pedestrians, are engraved with quotations from the diaries from people who survived the bombing of Berlin. Other stones contain a prayer/poem in Hebrew and English, written in 1946 by Avraham Suskever. A quote from Audrey Lorde speaks  individual choice, responsibility,  and silence, and another about hubris - America's mistaken belief in an obligation to export democracy at any cost.

Quartzite Limestone

7ft x 4 ft x 12 ft

The Cornberg Memorial is my most collaborative public sculpture installation, built during my Fulbright year,with a small stipend from a German summer culture project. I spent 6 weeks living in the medieval Cornberg Cloister renovated as a hotel.  With the cooperation of a creative mayor, a generous owner of a stone quarry, the former mayor, the town historian and a Berlin art student, I built this massive stone installation with text marking the history of the small town.  Cornberg was built by the Third Reich as housing for forced laborers to operate the nearby copper mines, and was then occupied by displaced persons when the Allies took over. 

The stone installation was engraved with quotations and a concise version of the settlement’s problematic history planned with the former mayor.

The installation remains as a landmark for which the small town was proud and the mayor remains a fan of my work.

The sculpture I designed was constructed with my supervision by the town’s road repair men from the same neighboring quarry from which their Cloister was constructed in the middle ages.

The installation remains as a landmark for which the small town was proud and the mayor remains a fan of my work.

built next to the front entrance of the 1292 AD cloister from stone and oak remnants remaining after the renovation assisted by Berliner, artist, Beate Worz and the city maintenance workers. The monumental quartzite limestone and oak sections commemorate the rescue/ renovation of the Cloister

a single oak beam from the cloister with two supporting quartzite limestone remnants of the cloister ( in private collection).

Steel , sand-cast bronze, fossil rock, red lava & weathered limestone   7ft high, 10ft wide &  25ft long;

Installation Bronx Museum Terrace

The steel and bronze originated as cast-off industrial and military scrap. They emerge newly formed and unpredictably assembled as metaphoric plants.  The bronze is smelted and formed in an open-faced sand mold and shaped by the physical processes of the pour. The bronze and steel is situated around stones embedded with shells and fossils, also sculpted by physical processes of the earth and the sea over millions of geological years.  The sculptural forms evoke associations with the environmental threat now posed by the industrial culture.

Steel , sand-cast bronze, fossil rock, red lava & weathered limestone   7ft high, 10ft wide &  25ft long;  

Installation Bronx Museum Terrace

The steel and bronze originated as cast-off industrial and military scrap. They emerge newly formed and unpredictably assembled as metaphoric plants.  The bronze is smelted and formed in an open-faced sand mold and shaped by the physical processes of the pour. The bronze and steel is situated around stones embedded with shells and fossils, also sculpted by physical processes of the earth and the sea over millions of geological years.  The sculptural forms evoke associations with the environmental threat now posed by the industrial culture.

Structural Steel, Red Flame Lava, volcanic rocks from California;  Coquina (Fossil rock)--an underwater formation from Florida;  Quartz from Vermont; gray Limestone from the Delaware River Valley, 12ft x 8ft

Installation: sited in 2 different traffic triangles at Westchester Square, Bronx, NY.

Heavy twisted steel forms a unique synthesis with stones similar to those used as sculptural elements in Chinese gardens creating an urban garden, unpredictably assembled as metaphoric plants. The structural steel originated as cast-off industrial scrap, evidencing the vulnerability and relatively short life of these man-made structures. The stones are also sculpted by physical processes of the earth and the sea over millions of geological years. Together they evoke associations with the environmental threat now posed by the industrial culture.

Structural Steel, Red Flame Lava, volcanic rocks from California;  Coquina (Fossil rock)--an underwater formation from Florida;  Quartz from Vermont; gray Limestone from the Delaware River Valley, 12ft x 8ft

Installation: sited in 2 different traffic triangles at Westchester Square, Bronx, NY.

Heavy twisted steel forms a unique synthesis with stones similar to those used as sculptural elements in Chinese gardens creating an urban garden, unpredictably assembled as metaphoric plants. The structural steel originated as cast-off industrial scrap, evidencing the vulnerability and relatively short life of these man-made structures. The stones are also sculpted by physical processes of the earth and the sea over millions of geological years. Together they evoke associations with the environmental threat now posed by the industrial culture.

Structural Steel, Red Flame Lava, volcanic rocks from California;  Coquina (Fossil rock)--an underwater formation from Florida;  Quartz from Vermont; gray Limestone from the Delaware River Valley, 12ft x 8ft

Installation: sited in 2 different traffic triangles at Westchester Square, Bronx, NY.

Heavy twisted steel forms a unique synthesis with stones similar to those used as sculptural elements in Chinese gardens creating an urban garden, unpredictably assembled as metaphoric plants. The structural steel originated as cast-off industrial scrap, evidencing the vulnerability and relatively short life of these man-made structures. The stones are also sculpted by physical processes of the earth and the sea over millions of geological years. Together they evoke associations with the environmental threat now posed by the industrial culture.

Structural Steel, Red Flame Lava, volcanic rocks from California;  Coquina (Fossil rock)--an underwater formation from Florida;  Quartz from Vermont; gray Limestone from the Delaware River Valley, 12ft x 8ft

Installation: sited in 2 different traffic triangles at Westchester Square, Bronx, NY.

Heavy twisted steel forms a unique synthesis with stones similar to those used as sculptural elements in Chinese gardens creating an urban garden, unpredictably assembled as metaphoric plants. The structural steel originated as cast-off industrial scrap, evidencing the vulnerability and relatively short life of these man-made structures. The stones are also sculpted by physical processes of the earth and the sea over millions of geological years. Together they evoke associations with the environmental threat now posed by the industrial culture.

Bronze, Steel, Fossil rock (an underwater formation from Florida with highly irregular contours, embedded with sea shells)., Red Lava(from California),Quartz (from Vermont) weathered rectangular  Limestone (from the Delaware River Valley,) 7ft to 2ft high, 150ft x 80ft area, 18 parts 

 A temporary public installation shown as sited at West Broadway and Chambers St., NY City, Tribecca, Manhattan; with permissions from DOT(Department of Transportation) and the Community board

Later installed at  Snug Harbor Museum, Staten Island, NY, Sculpture Tour, Univ. of Tenn. Knoxville, Lancaster Square, Lancaster, PA.;

currently in private collections

Bronze, Steel, Fossil rock (an underwater formation from Florida with highly irregular contours, embedded with sea shells)., Red Lava(from California), Quartz (from Vermont) weathered rectangular Limestone (from the Delaware River Valley,) 7ft to 2ft high, 150ft x 80ft area, 18 parts 

 A temporary public installation shown as sited at West Broadway and Chambers St., NY City, Tribecca, Manhattan; with permissions from DOT(Department of Transportation) and the Community board

Later Installed at  Snug Harbor Museum, Staten Island, NY, Sculpture Tour, Univ. of Tenn. Knoxville, Lancaster Square, Lancaster, PA

currently in private collections

Installation: Köln Hürth, Germany
The steel beams are evidently twisted and formed by tremendous force so they evoke associations in the memories of different generations and cultures. The twisted beams are intertwined with steel reinforcement rod and copper cable so they appear to grow plant-like from the earth, taking on a new life. The golden bronze, cast from USA military scrap glisten in the sun ambiguously flame-like.
Twisted Steel Beams, Sand-cast Bronze, 6 parts
from 11ft. to 6ft in height • October 2008-ongoing

Installation: Köln Hürth, Germany
The steel beams are evidently twisted and formed by tremendous force so they evoke associations in the memories of different generations and cultures. The twisted beams are intertwined with steel reinforcement rod and copper cable so they appear to grow plant-like from the earth, taking on a new life. The golden bronze, cast from USA military scrap glisten in the sun ambiguously flame-like.
Twisted Steel Beams, Sand-cast Bronze, 6 parts
from 11ft. to 6ft in height • October 2008-ongoing

Installation (detail): Köln Hürth, Germany
The steel beams are evidently twisted and formed by tremendous force so they evoke associations in the memories of different generations and cultures. The twisted beams are intertwined with steel reinforcement rod and copper cable so they appear to grow plant-like from the earth, taking on a new life. The golden bronze, cast from USA military scrap glisten in the sun ambiguously flame-like.
Twisted Steel Beams, Sand-cast Bronze, 6 parts
from 11ft. to 6ft in height • October 2008-ongoing

mild steel 1 1/2” , 2” & 3” twisted flat bar stock, powder-coated and sand-cast bronze,10ft 6” x 17ft ,2013 

This Decorative Grille separates an open courtyard area from the street, a metaphor for the forces that push lives, but also for growth and possibilities for change.

commissioned by Project Renewal Inc. for Bronx Boulevard, Bronx New York,

mild steel 1 1/2” , 2” & 3” twisted flat bar stock and sand-cast bronze 10” x 3ft commissioned by Project Renewal Inc. for Bronx Boulevard, Bronx New York, to match the style of the design commemorating the building after a tragic incident, 2016

mild steel 1 1/2” , 2” & 3” twisted flat bar stock, powder-coated and sand-cast bronze,10ft 6” x 17ft ,2013 

This Decorative Grille separates an open courtyard area from the street, a metaphor for the forces that push lives, but also for growth and possibilities for change.

commissioned by Project Renewal Inc. for Bronx Boulevard, Bronx New York,

mild steel 1 1/2” , 2” & 3” twisted flat bar stock, powder-coated and sand-cast bronze,10ft 6” x 17ft ,2013 

This Decorative Grille separates an open courtyard area from the street, a metaphor for the forces that push lives, but also for growth and possibilities for change.

commissioned by Project Renewal Inc. for Bronx Boulevard, Bronx New York,

,

mild steel 1 1/2” , 2” & 3” twisted flat bar stock, powder-coated and sand-cast bronze,10ft 6” x 17ft ,2013 

This Decorative Grille separates an open courtyard area from the street, a metaphor for the forces that push lives, but also for growth and possibilities for change.

commissioned by Project Renewal Inc. for Bronx Boulevard, Bronx New York,

laser cut, twisted mild steel, powder coated; with pattern imbedded in concrete patio,6 ft high x 44 ft,  2015. Security fence lining a garden patio area of a low income housing project, a project constructed from laser-cut, leaf-like steel slightly twisted to create a low relief.

commissioned by Project Renewal Inc., 2015

 laser cut, twisted mild steel, powder coated; with pattern imbedded in concrete patio,6 ft high x 44 ft,  2015. Security fence lining a garden patio area of a low income housing project, a project constructed from laser-cut, leaf-like steel slightly twisted to create a low relief.

commissioned by Project Renewal Inc. ,2015

mild steel 1 1/2” , 2” & 3” twisted flat bar stock

Geffner House Ribbon Cutting, 02/28/18 , 351 West 42nd Street

Geffner House Ribbon Cutting, 02/28/18 , 351 West 42nd Street