page_title: John Van Alstine
section_title: Artistic works
hierarchical_section_title: John Van Alstine / Professional background / Artistic works
caption_attribution_description: English: John Van Alstine, sculptor, installed Austin College, Sherman, TX, granite/stainless steel, 21'h 40'w x16'd
context_page_description: John Van Alstine is an American contemporary art sculptor and former assistant professor of fine arts at the University of Wyoming in Laramie and the University of Maryland in College Park where he taught drawing and sculpture. He primarily creates abstract stone and metal sculptures. His work has been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the US, as well as Europe and Asia.
context_section_description: Sculpture
  Van Alstine works primarily with granite and steel mediums in a large scale format. He is known for stone and metal abstract sculptures exhibiting exceptional balance and poise. The works are often multilevel with references to the figure, classical, nautical, celestial and western mythological themes. Stone is used in an assemblage method, the way a welder uses steel, rather than in the traditional manner of subtraction. His work has touched on themes of Greek mythology, specifically the myth of Sisyphus. In 2008, Van Alstine was one of 50 artists to have his work chosen to be display at the 2008 Summer Olympics. The piece displayed, Rings of Unity – Circles of Inclusion, was based on the Sisyphus myth, consisting of a large piece of stone suspended in the middle of a 16-foot ring made of bronze. The piece took two weeks to create in a foundry. As of 2008, Van Alstine was represented by David Floria Gallery in Aspen, Colorado. Prominent solo gallery exhibitions have included Gerald Peters in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Nohra Haime in New York City; and C. Grimaldis Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland.
  Public Works
  Towards the Heavens – Large Scale and Broad Reaching
  Beginning in 1986 while continuing to work on human scale work in his studio, Van Alstine embarked on the first in a series of "Celestial" works where he combined the character of large-scale contemporary sculpture with the tradition and function of humankind's oldest scientific instrument – the calendar. Inspired by his travels to England, Mexico and the American west, he created works that together with their impressive scale, placement and design, simultaneously combine aspects of astronomy, physical science and contemporary art.  "In our contemporary society we often lose sight of the natural occurrences that once impacted our ancestors and played an important role in shaping our collective conscious. The cyclical nature of the days, and seasons with their patterns light/darkness, plant/harvest, birth/ death have historically given meaning, structure and richness to our lives. This project offers the viewer an opportunity to regain awareness of these fundamental rhythms that continue to subconsciously shape our lives," Van Alstine wrote in 1986.
  Responding to a specific site in Texas, Van Alstine created his first "celestial" sculpture using the calendar to connect art and science on the Austin College campus near Dallas. Using primitive stone forms suggesting ritual and observance, "Solstice Calendar" (1986) produces shadows of varying lengths based on the time of year marking the rhythms of season through solstice, equinox, solstice. Similar large scale works were created for SCR Super Computer Research Center in Washington in 1991, "Artery Sunwork" (1993) in Washington, DC and "Via Solaris" (2005–06) in Terre Haute, Indiana at Indiana State University.
  Van Alstine's most recent public projects include "Passage" 2011 commissioned by Tsinghua University in Beijing, China and installed on campus as part of the University's Centennial Sculpture Exhibition.  On September 11, 2012 "Tempered by Memory" a 35-foot memorial sculpture fabricated with steel beams from the fallen New York World Trade Center was dedicated in High Rock Park, Saratoga Springs, NY. It was a collaborative effort with sculptor Noah Savett. In 2010 "Funambulist" a 30-foot high painted steel sculpture was permanently installed on the Michigan State University campus in Lansing, Michigan. Van Alstine received a merit award in 2008 for his commissioned work "Rings of Unity-Circles of Inclusion" created in conjunction with the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and installed permanently in the Olympic Garden. "Cardinalis" a 40-foot high piece made partially from a titanium wing of F-14 fighter was commissioned and installed at the Indianapolis International Airport, Indianapolis, Indiana.
  Drawings
  Van Alstine's drawings have been an informal, spontaneous form of expression. In contrast to the typically long and drawn out creation of one sculpture, he is attracted to drawing precisely because it is im
caption: Solstice Calendar, 1986
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