ST. GEORGE, Utah — The work of a renowned artist known for inventing the wire chair and his sounding sculptures has come to the popular Red Hills Desert Garden in St. George, and it's coming in with a bang.
Celia Bertoia’s father, Harry, passed away when she was in her 20s. More than 40 years later, Celia has chronicled the work of her father, who is also considered the father of sounding sculptures in the art world and the wire chair in the furniture world.
“Everyone has seen those chairs,” said Celia , who runs the Harry Bertoia Foundation and a gallery exhibiting some of his works in St. George. “They may not realize it's a Bertoia, but perhaps with more exposure of the gong and the gallery, they'll get the idea.
Celia was at the garden Saturday as a gong created by her father in 1975 was unveiled. The question now is whether the gong will bring about a sense of Zen... or noise.
“Oh, I'm sure a little of both,” Bertoia said. “I would suspect that teenagers would go for the noise factor and they'll just have a contest, see who can bang at the loudest. I don't know. But I suspect other people will have more quiet times and maybe experiment with softer sounds and have a more meditative experience.”
Bertoia said she's also not worried about the sculpture holding up, as it consists of several layers of hard bronze. She also thinks her father might protect it.
“I think the gong has a certain energy,” she said. “My father's energy is still with the gong. And he was a very strong, but a very peaceful, calm man. And I think in the gardens where it's so peaceful and beautiful here, that rubs off on people too.
The gong has been in storage for eight years and it's taken nearly as long to find a place for it. The plan, at least initially, is to have it out at the garden run by the Washington County Water Conservancy for a three-month loan. If all goes well, and there’s more zen than noise, Bertoia hopes it can stay out here indefinitely.
