KY: Kentucky Arts Council

Description: Central section has an upward curving open grid structure held with tightly stretched cables and supporting columns. The arrow-like indicator points due north.

Size: 45’ x 27’ x 12’

Medium: Stainless Steel

Location: Intersection of Mero, Holmes and High Streets, Frankfort, KY 4060

Tony Higdon & Erika Strecker Tony Higdon and Erika Strecker are married sculptors/blacksmiths who own and operate a 7,000 s.f. Metalsmithing/Sculpture studio in Lexington, Kentucky. They work independently, but also collaborate on large-scale pieces of art as Higdon-Strecker Studio, Inc. They also show and sell their works in Higdon-Strecker Gallery, a 1,200 s.f. gallery attached to the front of their studio.

With a combined 25 years of experience, Tony and Erika have expertise in metal forging, fabrication, and casting. They work with a wide range of materials; from stainless steel, to bronze, steel, wood, concrete, aluminum, stone, selecting what materials best suits their design ideas. They design and build one-of-a-kind functional and sculptural works for the public and private realm.

Tony Higdon has a BFA in Studio Arts from the University of Kentucky and did his graduate studies in sculpture at Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville. As co-owner of Ironhorse Forge, a studio for fine furnishings and architectural details for commercial and residential applications, he designs and builds hand-forged and fabricated pieces to the highest of standards.

His commissions include, in brief, the Zen Bench project for the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, a bronze relief for the Edwardsville Nature Preserve, IL, an outdoor sculptural piece for Gray Construction and a series of Nouveau Window Grills permanently installed on the exterior of the Lexington Art and Cultural Council’s building- ArtsPlace.

Erika Strecker has a Bachelor of Arts from Kenyon College, was a CORE student at Penland School of Craft, received a Welding Certification from Mayland Community College, and a Master of Fine Arts from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, with a primary degree in blacksmithing/metalsmithing with a secondary field of study in sculpture and glass.

Erika has an established a studio in Lexington -Strecker Studio- she primarily does private commissions; collaborates with Tony as Higdon-Strecker Studio, Inc, on large-scale pieces of public art, and sells her work through national galleries.

Her commissions include, in brief, a sculptural piece for the new Jewish Hospital in Louisville, KY (Bullitt Co. location), “Fractured Whole x 2” -2 pieces of sculpture located in the Ormsby III corporate offices in Louisville, KY, a sculptural bench for Woodland Park, and “Beacon” a 20’ piece of sculpture in Townley Center- which was a collaborative piece with Tony as Higdon-Strecker Studio Inc.

You can see more of their work, and learn more about them as artists at www.tonyhigdon.com and www.erikastrecker.com.

We are thrilled to be the Kentucky artists/ and Kentucky natives selected for this commission. We have enjoyed the challenge of working on this piece, and in such a large-scale. This piece of sculpture is standing in Frankfort because of the efforts of a great number of people.

We would like to elaborate briefly on the content and process involved in the making of “Nexus”. The definition of “Nexus” is: a connection linking things, or a central and most important place. We named our piece this, because Frankfort is the capital city of our state; so it is the place where people from all over Kentucky converge to push forward new ideas for the Commonwealth as a whole.

To give you a better understanding of what was involved in fabricating Nexus, here are some facts. “Nexus” stands 45’ tall, by 12’ wide by 27’ deep. (It is 50’ tall on it foundation) It is made entirely from stainless steel. It weighs approximately 3 tons, and it took 3,500 linear feet of 1/8” round material to produce the mesh. We spent approximately 4 months fabricating Nexus in our studio, but many more days on drawings, planning, and engineering prior to that.

Our vision was to produce a sculpture that was abstract in nature, but with some transportation references.

Nexus is an homage to the creative spirit.

It is about the moment, through necessity or creative passion that humans throughout history have come up with innovative solutions. Whether it was the first suspension bridge, the first flight, or medical innovations; it is about that moment.

The implied tension in Nexus captures that epiphany when an idea becomes reality.

The Kentucky Arts Council is a state agency in the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet

Kentucky Arts Council
500 Mero Street
21st Floor, Capital Plaza Tower
Frankfort, KY 40601
502-564-3757
Toll Free: 888-833-2787
FAX: 502-564-2839

Page Updated: 08/11/2007