James Peniston

Last updated
Peniston's 2007 Keys To Community stands in Girard Fountain Park in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Location: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap} 39deg57'09''N 75deg08'47''W / 39.952414degN 75.146301degW / 39.952414; -75.146301 KeysToCommunity.jpg
Peniston's 2007 Keys To Community stands in Girard Fountain Park in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Location: 39°57′09″N75°08′47″W / 39.952414°N 75.146301°W / 39.952414; -75.146301
The surface of Keys To Community is textured with casts of about 1,000 keys donated by local schoolchildren. KeysToCommunity2.jpg
The surface of Keys To Community is textured with casts of about 1,000 keys donated by local schoolchildren.
Peniston's 1998 Mendel stands by the science building at Villanova University outside Philadelphia. Mendel Monument Villanova.jpg
Peniston's 1998 Mendel stands by the science building at Villanova University outside Philadelphia.

James Peniston (born 1973) is an American sculptor whose monumental works in bronze include Gregor Mendel (1998), Keys To Community (2007), and American Pharoah (2017).

Contents

Peniston worked on the 2004 National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., for which he helped design the stainless-steel armature that holds up the bronze eagles and wreaths under the Atlantic and Pacific arches. [1]

Peniston is also a cofounder and arts director of Studio 34: Yoga Healing Arts, a yoga and creative arts center in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [2]

Works

Keys, a nine-foot bronze bust that portrays Benjamin Franklin turning to greet a visitor, sits at the front of Girard Fountain Park in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The sculpture was commissioned in 2003 by the city's arts agency and was unveiled and dedicated on October 5, 2007. [3] It replaced Penny Franklin, an acrylic sculpture by Reginald E. Beauchamp that was covered with 80,000 pennies collected from local schoolchildren, and which had deteriorated and been removed. [4] Peniston won the commission with a proposal that echoed the spirit of the older work. Over two years, the sculptor visited two dozen Philadelphia elementary schools, where he talked about Franklin's activities as a community-builder. He also asked the students to bring in a spare key to be worked into the sculpture, and ultimately collected more than 1,000 keys. "The keys, worked into the statue's surface, are meant to represent the role of community organizers, donors and volunteers in making projects around the city possible," wrote one local newspaper. [5] Even more students became involved through a penny drive mounted by the Philadelphia Fire Department, which collected some 1.8 million pennies in 500 local schools to help fund the casting. The firefighters also added their own touch to the sculpture: When the molten bronze was poured for the work, they cast in brass nameplates representing fallen colleagues from four centuries of service. [6]

Mendel, a seven-foot bronze statue that portrays pioneering geneticist Gregor Mendel holding a peapod, was commissioned by Villanova University, installed in 1998, and stands in the courtyard at the front of the university's Mendel Science Center. [7] [8]

American Pharoah, a life-sized bronze sculpture of the 2015 Triple Crown-winning racehorse and jockey Victor Espinoza, was commissioned by Charles Cella to commemorate the horse's two victories at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. [9] In preparation for sculpting, Peniston visited and photographed the horse with the permission of trainer Bob Baffert. [10] The sculpture was cast in 2017 at Laran Bronze outside Philadelphia [11] and installed on January 11, 2018, at the entrance to Oaklawn's newly renovated grandstand. [12] "James Peniston's full-scale, full-stride statue of American Pharoah [is] a perfect duplicate — down to its bulging muscles and veins — of the 3-year-old colt as he carried himself and jockey Victor Espinoza in the winter and spring of 2015 toward Triple Crown glory," the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette wrote. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques Lipchitz</span> Lithuanian-born French cubist sculptor

Jacques Lipchitz was a Cubist sculptor. Lipchitz retained highly figurative and legible components in his work leading up to 1915–16, after which naturalist and descriptive elements were muted, dominated by a synthetic style of Crystal Cubism. In 1920 Lipchitz held his first solo exhibition, at Léonce Rosenberg's Galerie L'Effort Moderne in Paris. Fleeing the Nazis he moved to the US and settled in New York City and eventually Hastings-on-Hudson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Villanova University</span> Private Catholic university near Villanova, Pennsylvania, US

Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Pennsylvania and one of two Augustinian institutions in the United States. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World War II Memorial</span> National memorial in Washington, D.C., US

The World War II Memorial is a national memorial in the United States dedicated to Americans who served in the armed forces and as civilians during World War II. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smarty Jones</span> American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Smarty Jones is a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and came second in the Belmont Stakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bust (sculpture)</span> Sculpture of a persons head and shoulders

A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, and a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. The bust is generally a portrait intended to record the appearance of an individual, but may sometimes represent a type. They may be of any medium used for sculpture, such as marble, bronze, terracotta, plaster, wax or wood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort</span> American casino

Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, formerly Oaklawn Park Race Track, is an American thoroughbred racetrack and casino in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to "The Racing Festival of the South", a four-day series of races that concludes with the Arkansas Derby.

The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles on dirt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walker Hancock</span> American sculptor

Walker Kirtland Hancock was an American sculptor and teacher. He created notable monumental sculptures, including the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial (1950–52) at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, and the World War I Soldiers' Memorial (1936–38) in St. Louis, Missouri. He made major additions to the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., including Christ in Majesty (1972), the bas relief over the High Altar. Works by him are presently housed at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the Library of Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the United States Capitol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Espinoza</span>

Victor Espinoza is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing who won the Triple Crown in 2015 on American Pharoah. He began riding in his native Mexico and went on to compete at racetracks in California. He has won the Kentucky Derby three times, riding War Emblem in 2002, California Chrome in 2014, and American Pharoah in 2015. He also won the Preakness Stakes three times, in those same years and with the same horses. He was the first jockey in history to enter the Belmont Stakes with a third opportunity to win the Triple Crown; his 2015 victory made him the oldest jockey and first Hispanic jockey to accomplish the feat.

Charles Joshua Cella was president of Southern Real Estate and Financial Company, an executive in the American Thoroughbred horse racing industry and a racehorse owner.

Larry Collmus is a Thoroughbred horse racing announcer. A native of Baltimore, Collmus has called at numerous racetracks around the country. He is the race caller for NBC Sports' coverage of the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup. He previously called races at Gulfstream Park, Monmouth Park, Suffolk Downs and NYRA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girard Fountain Park</span> Pocket park in Philadelphia

Girard Fountain Park is a 0.15-acre (610 m2) pocket park in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia, at 325 Arch Street. It is open to the public during daylight hours and is maintained by local volunteers now incorporated as d.b.a. Old City Green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reginald E. Beauchamp</span> American sculptor

Reginald E. Beauchamp was an American sculptor whose works include Penny Franklin (1971), Whispering Bells of Freedom (1976), and a bust of Connie Mack that sits in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)</span> American Thoroughbred horse racing honor for winning three specific stakes races as a three-year-old

In the United States, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, commonly known as the Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. The three races were inaugurated in different years, the last being the Kentucky Derby in 1875. The Triple Crown Trophy, commissioned in 1950 but awarded to all previous winners as well as those after 1950, is awarded to a horse who wins all three races and is thereafter designated as a Triple Crown winner. The races are traditionally run in May and early June of each year, although global events have resulted in schedule adjustments, such as in 1945 and 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Murray (sculptor)</span> American sculptor and educator (1869–1941)

Samuel Aloysius Murray was an American sculptor, educator, and protégé of the painter Thomas Eakins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Association for Public Art</span>

Established in 1872 in Philadelphia, the Association for Public Art is the United States' first private, nonprofit public art organization dedicated to integrating public art and urban planning. The Association for Public Art (aPA) commissions, preserves, promotes and interprets public art in Philadelphia, and it is largely due to the work of the aPA that Philadelphia has one of the largest public art collections in the country. The aPA has acquired and commissioned works by many famous sculptors ; supported city planning projects; established an outdoor sculpture conservation program; and sponsored numerous publications, exhibitions, and educational programs. The aPA interprets and preserves more than 200 works of art throughout Philadelphia – working closely with the city's Public Art Office, Fairmount Park, and other organizations and agencies responsible for placing and caring for outdoor sculpture in Philadelphia – and maintains an inventory of all of the city's public art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Pharoah</span> American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

American Pharoah is a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the American Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2015. He was the 12th Triple Crown winner in history, and in winning all four races, became the first horse to win the Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing. He won the 2015 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year and 2015 Champion three-year-old. In 2021 he was inducted into the American Racing Hall of Fame. He was bred and owned throughout his racing career by Ahmed Zayat of Zayat Stables, trained by Bob Baffert, and ridden in most of his races by Victor Espinoza. He now stands at stud at Ashford Stud in Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Kentucky Derby</span> 141st running of Kentucky Derby

The 2015 Kentucky Derby was the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby. The race was run at 6:44 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on May 2, 2015, at Churchill Downs. It was broadcast in the United States on the NBC television network. Kentucky native Ashley Judd voiced the opening for the telecast of the race, and was the first woman to do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing</span> The four major races thoroughbred races

The Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing is an informal name for winning four major Thoroughbred horse races in one season in the United States. The term has been applied to two configurations of races, both of which include the races of the Triple Crown—the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes—and either the Travers Stakes or the Breeders' Cup Classic as the final race.

Laran Bronze is a fine art foundry in Chester, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1984 by Larry and Randy Welker in facilities built for the city's once-booming shipbuilding industry, the foundry has cast many monumental and significant sculptures, including many of the bronze components of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. In 1985 or 1986, the foundry cast replicas of the hands of painter Andrew Wyeth; in 2019, one of these replicas sold at auction, along with a Wyeth painting, for $490,230.

References

  1. ↑ "James Peniston Sculpture: Bio" . Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  2. ↑ "About Us: Studio 34 Yoga Healing Arts" . Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  3. ↑ "First Friday Fun,". Phillyist.com. October 5, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
  4. ↑ "Big Heads," Scene on the Road, blog post by The Philadelphia Inquirer photographer Tom Gralish, October 22, 2007. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Ben Franklin Is Busted". Philadelphia Bulletin. October 9, 2007. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
  6. ↑ "Keys To Community, Association for Public Art" . Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  7. ↑ "Interview: "Artist Spotlight: James Peniston," uwishunu.com, October 3, 2007" . Retrieved 2007-11-08.
  8. ↑ "Mendel's Villanova Legacy". Villanova University. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Oaklawn Park unveiling sculpture of 2015 Triple Crown winner". AP. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  10. ↑ "Oaklawn Park unveiling sculpture of 2015 Triple Crown winner". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-10-14.
  11. ↑ "Artist James Peniston's American Pharoah". Laran Bronze, INC. Retrieved 2018-10-14.
  12. ↑ "At the post". Arkansas Online. 2018-01-12. Retrieved 2018-10-14.
  13. ↑ "January dreaming: Horsemen long for this year's Pharoah". Arkansas Online. 2018-01-12. Retrieved 2018-10-14.

Coordinates: 39°57′09″N75°08′47″W / 39.952414°N 75.146301°W / 39.952414; -75.146301

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.