Barry Tinsley
American artist and sculptor (b. 1942)
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Early life and education
Tinsley grew up in Roanoke, Virginia where his father was a maintenance worker for Norfolk and Western Railway. Tinsley became interested in steel as a medium while watching his father at work, maintaining the rails. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from the College of William & Mary, and then completed an MFA at the University of Iowa in 1968.[1]
Career and style
After completing his graduate education, Tinsley established an artist studio in Chicago. His sculptures are fabricated in industrial materials, especially COR-TEN (weathering) steel, which he often combines with stone or concrete. His sculptures are predominantly abstract, and integrated with the surrounding architectural or landscape settings.[1][3]
His notable sculptures include Jetty, fabricated in weathering steel in 1980 for the City of Chicago’s Percent-for-Art collection, and Aqua, a bronze-and-granite sculpture constructed in 1998 at Illinois State University. Some of Tinsley’s other works are held by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and other public collections.[5]
His commissioned pieces also include projects for Dayton Hudson Properties, which later became Target Corporation).[1]
Tinsely was one of the founding members of Chicago Sculpture International, a non-profit that advocates for public sculpture in the region.[6]
Selected public works
- Jetty (1980), Cor-Ten steel; installed at the 24th District Police Station, 6464 N. Clark St., Chicago; commissioned under the City of Chicago Percent-for-Art program.[2]
- Untitled (1974), steel; Illinois State University campus (between the Center for Visual Arts and Centennial West), a tribute to former student Janice Louise Moorhous (1952–1972).[4]
- Aqua (1998), bronze and granite; Illinois State University Science Laboratory Building, a triangular sculpture referencing the alchemical symbol for water; commissioned via the State of Illinois Art-in-Architecture program.[3]
- Red Earth (1980), welded Cor-Ten steel and concrete; Smithsonian American Art Museum (relief, 17 5⁄8 × 28 × 4 7⁄8 in.).[5]
Legacy and affiliations
Tinsley is associated with the development of late-20th-century abstract public sculpture in the Midwest as well as with civic art initiatives in Chicago.[6]