The design for the Chestertown site addresses the desire for an interactive piece, and the relationship between art and the human experience in nature. Drawing inspiration from the waters of the Chester River and Chestertown’s maritime history, my design utilizes three dynamic forms - a full sail, a breaking barrel wave, and grassy berms forming the wake of a ship. The sculpture is composed of a 20’ tall stainless steel sail, a 10’ tall stainless steel wave and mounded grass covered earth. Children and adults might climb through the wave, slide down

the sail or run up and down the berms. The two pieces frame the view of the water beyond. Standing between them, visitors might imagine being beneath the sails of a boat or on the shore with waves crashing in front of them. This sculpture illustrates the enduring themes of earth, water

and sky, thereby serving as a lasting monument to Chestertown, the waters of the Chester River, and historic vessels like the Schooner Sultana.

WILMER PARK

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Public Art • Sculpture • Works on Paper

David Hess works primarily with found materials which he refers to as “rescued objects.” These rescued objects are repositories for the history and cultural narrative that inform his work. By combining these objects with the skillful use of raw materials such as glass, steel, copper and wood, Hess creates his own narrative; a collision between the man-made and natural worlds.

At Dartmouth College, Hess studied with the realist wood sculptor Fumio Yoshimura, whose precision and humor had a profound impact on his student. Hess’s interests in science, engineering and narrative filmmaking also inform his body of work. Frequently, Hess explores a precarious balance of elements poised on the verge of movement, often challenging the laws of gravity and physics, as in his works Momentum Study and Service Road.

Hess’s adept knowledge of the structural properties of his materials and his innate curiosity, allow him to design and

engineer monumental works that challenge both the eye and mind of the viewer. His award winning piece Bird’s Nest (1996) for the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland functions as an observation balcony and a focal point of the museum’s expansion. The piece comprises 6,000 linear feet of twisted stainless steel pipe and conforms to building code for both structure and function. Hess was Awarded Craftsman of the Year for Ornamental Ironwork by the Building Congress and Exchange in 2005 for this piece.

Momentum Study - 2003Service Road - 2013

Bird’s Nest - 2004

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In the sculpture Homophone for the Pierce’s Park Project, a waterfront park site in Baltimore, Hess designed a monumental form that mimics the inner workings of the human ear and pays homage to machines that project sound. The park’s sculpture project presented a unique challenge for Hess, as its purpose was to memorialize the namesake’s love of poetry. Hess’s solution functions as an interactive centerpiece for the site and conveys the joy of the spoken word. The project as whole is a multi-faceted installation derived from the imagination and ingenuity of David Hess; along with the skill sets of those at his studio, Hess Industries.

The studio, Hess Industries, is housed in an expansive 1850’s barn and functions as a hub of creative activity where Hess oversees the work of several skilled craftsmen building his commissioned sculpture, architectural elements and custom furniture. This group of experienced craftsmen works under the direction of Hess to execute every project, with camaraderie, expertise and vision.

David Hess’s work can be found in numerous private and public collections including the collections of American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore Museum of Industry, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Sinai Hospital, Thurgood Marshall Airport, Kaiser-Permanente and the Emerson Corporation.

Homophone - 2012

David Hess

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Facts

Born: 1964

College: Dartmouth College, Bachelor of Arts in Visual Studies, Graduated Cum Laude

Active Since: 1986

Completed Public Art Projects: Over 15

Studio Location: Maryland

See CV on website for additional information.

cONtact

Website: davidhess.net

Interviews and Information: davidhess@davidhess.net

Digital Images of works by David Hess photographed by Geoff Graham: geofftgraham@comcast.net

Council gets look at playscape design winner By PETER HECK Jan 21, 2015

This artist’s rendering shows the winning concept for the playscape to be built at Wilmer Park in Chestertown. This design, “Broad Reach” by David Hess of Baltimore County was selected by the jury and shown at the Tuesday, Jan. 20 town council meeting. CHESTERTOWN — The town council got a look at the winning design for a playscape in Wilmer Park at its meeting Tuesday, Jan. 20.

Chestertown Zoning Administrator Kees de Mooy explained the process by which the design, “Broad Reach” by David Hess of Baltimore County, was selected. De Mooy said the project was funded by an Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

A request for proposals resulted in a dozen submissions, from all over the country. A jury consisting of seven local arts professionals studied the proposals and selected

Hess's submission. Hess has designed other projects in Baltimore and elsewhere in the state, Barnard said.

Juror Miles Barnard, a landscape architect, discussed the jury's criteria, which included appropriateness to the town and the site, functionality, feasibility, ease of maintenance, safety and fun. The winning proposal, to be made of heavy-gauge stainless steel, represents a wave and a sail, which children can climb and slide on. The larger piece will be about 20 feet tall.

De Mooy said the jury also recommended siting the piece closer to the park entrance, where there is more shade. He said the location would be safer for children. He said there would need to be some site work for that location, which tends to become marshy in wet weather.

Juror Alex Castro, of Washington College, said Hess is open to modifying the design to fit the alternate site. Also, he said, the site is more visible from the road and therefore gives the piece more prominence.

Juror Eleanor Altman, of Adkins Arboretum, said safety was one of the jury's main concerns. She said the design has no blind spots, so nobody can hide inside it.

Gallery owner Carla Massoni said the project would make children and young parents feel welcome, and bring them into the downtown area where they would patronize businesses and visit other sites. She called it “beautiful and exciting.”

Mayor Chris Cerino said he would invite Hess to a public meeting to discuss the design, at a date to be determined.

Juror Sally Harding said Hess is already expecting to come to town. “He'd love it,” she said.

In work of designer Alex Castro, history plays a starring role March 12, 2006|By EDWARD GUNTS | EDWARD GUNTS, SUN ARCHITECTURE CRITIC

Creating something new without losing a sense of the past is a recurring theme in the work of Alex Castro, the designer tapped to create the Baltimore Immigration Memorial and Liberty Garden. His own past made him a logical choice.

With architect Rebecca Swanston, Castro led the team that used the curve of an old trolley barn at the foot of Federal Hill as inspiration for the swirling home of the American Visionary Art Museum.

He devised a plan for combining the Charles Theatre and the Famous Ballroom on Charles Street to create an anchor for the Station North arts district, without wiping out the character of the original theater. With graphic artist David Ashton, he dreamed up the winking neon "Mr. Boh" sign that shines nightly over Brewer's Hill -- so in keeping with its former brewery setting that many people think it has been there for years.

In each case, Castro and his collaborators found a way to draw on the history of a place to create a work of art or architecture that's rooted in the past.

"I don't know how to create anything from scratch," he quips.

A youthful 63, with a lean build and calm demeanor, Castro brings a global sensibility to the task of designing Baltimore's newest waterfront attraction. Alejandro Francisco Castro was born in Washington, the son of a noted surgeon. One grandfather was an ambassador to the United States from El Salvador. The other was an Irish-American congressman from Michigan. The combination

of Latin and Irish roots gave him not only striking features, but also a keen interest in the world outside his back door.

'I like variety'

"You have to know the world a little," he says, "in order to bring something back to it."

After receiving undergraduate degrees from Yale University in English literature and Spanish literature, Castro went on to get a master of architecture degree at the University of Pennsylvania, where the faculty included such luminaries as Louis Kahn, Romaldo Giurgola, Ian McHarg and Edmund Bacon.

After college, Castro supported himself by working as an art professor at George Mason University, and as an artist and graphic designer.

He first came to Baltimore in 1979 to work with deputy director Brenda Richardson at the Baltimore Museum of Art, designing catalogs. He never really left, forming Castro / Arts, a studio focusing on architectural design, exhibitions, books and film.

Throughout his career, Castro has been a peripatetic designer, comfortable working with many different scales, locales and materials. His resume reads like the work of three people. "I like variety," he says. "I don't like doing the same thing twice."

He has designed exhibits for the Los Angeles County Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Atlanta's High Museum and the Smithsonian Institution, among others. His own works are in public collections at the National Gallery of Art, Brooklyn Museum and Newberry Library in Chicago.

From 1996 to 1997, Castro was the art director for nest, the late, lamented interior design publication founded by Baltimore native Joe Holtzman. He is currently art director for Urbanite magazine in Baltimore.

Though never licensed to practice architecture, Castro gets projects built by collaborating with others who are. Under that arrangement, he has worked in a half-dozen countries, including Ghana, Barbados, Jordan and Kuwait.

Whatever he's working on, Castro approaches the assignment from an artist's perspective. "If I can be of value as an artist, that's great," he says. "If I can be of value as an architect, that's great. But the art drives the architecture, rather than the architecture driving the art."

That approach is what attracted one of his first building clients, AVAM founder Rebecca Hoffberger. When she asked him to propose a design for the museum, she was delighted that he wanted to preserve the curving Trolley Works building when others recommended tearing it down.

"He saw the beauty of it," she said.

'The guy is brilliant. '

Castro's sensitivity to history also impressed local developer Bill Struever, the head of Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse.

The two met because they had children at the same day care center and lived in the same building, Tindeco Wharf in Canton. Both were newly divorced and glad their children had a playmate in the same building.

Over the years, Struever has consulted with Castro on a variety of projects, for Baltimore and beyond. One might go so far as to say Castro has become Struever's muse -- or at least one of them.

"The guy is brilliant," Struever said. "He's an incredibly thoughtful man. He cares intensely about our place in history -- our past and what's happening today -- and puts them together" in his work.

Three and a half years ago, Castro moved his office to Tide Point, the office park that Struever Bros. created in and around the old Procter & Gamble plant on Locust Point. His office is under a train trestle and faces the Domino Sugars plant, practically at sea level.

Castro says he intends to stay in Baltimore -- although he would like to see the city take more risks in terms of urban design. "I wish it would open its eyes a little more."

Castro said he is happy with the way the Hull Street area is evolving, five years after Struever first asked him to work on it. Any good work of urban design, he reasons, has to be able to adapt to new ideas and opportunities.

"It's about the dance," he said. "To dance, you have to shift and move. You have to take chances. That's what keeps you alive."

2013

OUR TOWN

Town of Chestertown, Maryland Chestertown, Maryland

A view of Wilmer Park on the Chestertown waterfront, site for public art installations that will build upon recent infrastructure, trail, and park improvements. Photo by Kees de Mooy.

The NEA grant will support the creation of a public arts master plan for Chestertown's waterfront area. The Town of Chestertown, in partnership with RiverArts, Washington College, and Kent County Arts Council, will commission a consulting firm to lead a diverse group of stakeholders through charrettes centered on priorities identified by the community in recent planning processes: art, environment, and history. The project will culminate in an inaugural public art installation, selected through a competitive request for proposals. Integration of art into

Chestertown's waterfront builds on recent infrastructure, trail, and park improvements and coincides with Washington College's interdisciplinary arts initiative at the historic Stepne Farm, located directly adjacent to the waterfront. Chestertown has a population of 5,254 and has made special efforts to include its growing African American population (21.8 percent) through its Diversity Dialogue Group. The resulting public arts master plan is expected to serve as a model for other rural towns on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

National Endowment for the Arts 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20506 202.682.5400