Art, nature interact in 'Steelroots' exhibit at the Morton Arboretum
Staff members at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle were looking to host a group artist exhibition this summer when they came upon the sculptures of Steve Tobin.
They quickly put on hold their plans for a group exhibit and decided to feature the work of a single artist, one who takes his inspiration from tree roots.
"We just realized this was so cool and so relevant to what we are, we would move forward with it this year," said Anamari Dorgan, the arboretum's manager of interpretation and exhibits.
"Visitors can come and see trees in a different way because roots are the hidden strength of the tree."
"Steelroots: Tobin at The Morton Arboretum" officially opens Friday, April 9, with 14 monumental, abstract sculptures - some reaching up to 40 feet high - aesthetically placed among the pines, firs and other evergreens in the arboretum's 22-acre Conifer Collection. They will remain up through January.
Dorgan said the sculptures, which were brought on site in February, already have attracted the attention of visitors. On nice days, visitors may be seen walking about and under the sculptures, looking up at them and touching them.
"People love these," Dorgan said. "Lots of people taking pictures."
Tobin hopes many of the picture-takers will share their photos with the arboretum. He's been working on Steelroots for five years and, while individual pieces have been shown elsewhere, this is the first major exhibit of the sculptures.
He deliberately chose an arboretum setting for the exhibit rather than an art museum. In an art museum, the sculptures inevitably would be compared with the works of other artists, Tobin said.
"I would like the language surrounding this first exhibit be about its relationship to nature," he said. "It helps make the work more real."
Steve TobinTobin - a Pennsylvania artist whose work can be found on display around the world - takes his inspiration from nature. He makes his home on 15 acres, where he boils his own maple walnut syrup, grows much of his own food and watches the wildlife that shares his property."First I micmic, then I make art," he said.Tobin attracted international attention in 2004 with the installation of his "Trinity Root" near Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan. The sculpture is bronze casting of the stump and roots of a more than 70-year-old sycamore tree that saved St. Paul's Chapel during the attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.The tree was broken in the attack, but helped shield the church from damage. The sculpture is the only memorial near the 9/11 site."Trinity Root" was such a demanding project - requiring 20,000 hours to complete - that Tobin decided to turn to a new medium."I just didn't want to make another bronze root after that," he said.In switching from bronze to steel, Tobin's style changed from naturalistic to modernistic. The change is significant, signifying the dominion of man over nature, he said."The roots evoke communities, families, unseen power and networks all coming together for a shared purpose," Tobin said in an artist's statement on Steelroots. "The legs are anthropomorphic, suggesting images of people dancing or huddling together in embrace and collusion. They create a sense of gathering."Rather than excavating and turning the root systems of dead trees into bronze, Tobin now collects used steel pipes in 40-foot sections from throughout the Midwest. The pipes are sent to New Jersey, where a 200-ton machine bends them.The sculptures then are shaped and welded together in his Pennsylvania studio. Tobin said he has a staff of 15 employees to help with the work."Some of the pieces are 5,000 hours," he said. "These pieces will be here in 500 years. They're made for millenniums."The pieces were transported to the arboretum on 10 tractor trailers, Tobin said.At the arboretumThe arboretum exhibit includes a few examples of Tobin's other work, in addition to the Steelroots sculptures. Among the pieces lining the Conifer Walk are two steel pine cones fashioned from fireworks launching tubes.Two cast bronze roots, titled "Romeo and Juliet," stand in front of the Visitor Center. A bronze sculpture titled "Forest Floor" may be seen in the administration/library building. Clay pieces from his "Exploded Work" series are on display in the Arboretum Store.Visitors will have several opportunities to meet Tobin and ask questions during the exhibit's opening weekend. "Meet the Artist" autograph sessions will be at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, April 10, in the Visitor Center. At noon Saturday, Tobin will lead a guided tour of the exhibit. Visitors will be able to watch how molten iron at 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit is turned into decorative pieces during an iron pour at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 11, in Arbor Court.Children will be able to explore tree roots using paper mazes during weekday afternoons throughout April in the Children's Garden.False20001125These cast bronze tree roots, titled "Romeo and Juliet," are in front of the Morton Arboretum's Visitor Center. Taking them in are Jill Adzia of Plainfield and her grandchildren Sophie and Josh Adzia.Scott Sanders | Staff PhotographerFalse <p class="factboxheadblack">If you go</p><p class="News"><b>What:</b> "Steelroots: Tobin at The Morton Arboretum"</p><p class="News"><b>When:</b> April 9 to Jan. 31</p><p class="News">• "Meet the Artist" at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. April 10</p><p class="News">• Artist-led tour of exhibit at noon April 10</p><p class="News">• Guided tours at noon and 3 p.m. April 11</p><p class="News"><b>Where:</b> Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 53, Lisle</p><p class="News"><b>Cost:</b> Free with admission of $11 adults ($7 on Wednesdays), $10 seniors ($6 Wednesdays), $8 children ($5 Wednesdays), free for children younger than 2</p><p class="News"><b>Info:</b> <a href="http://mortonarb.org" target="new">mortonarb.org</a> or (630) 968-0074</p>