Prairie Steelscape

Arlie Regier

1931–2014

Prairie Steelscape, 1995

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: stainless steel

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 36.7 x 76.7 x 9 cm
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 14 7/16 x 30 3/16 x 3 9/16 in

Credit line: Gift of Sam and Connie Perkins Collection

Accession number: 2021.0072

On display: Michaelis Gallery

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Empowerment

Kansas City–based artist Arlie Regier worked with stainless steel scrap metal to create abstract artworks that evoke both cityscapes and agricultural scenes. Existing somewhere between a sculpture and a painting, Prairie Steelscape suggests a windy Midwestern day. The raised steel shapes are reminiscent of rows of corn in a field and perhaps a windmill or other farm structure to the left. How does this work challenge ideas of landscape art?

Empowerment

The title of this work, Prairie Steelscape, implies that it is a landscape made of steel representing the prairie. However, the sculpture is abstract and is left open to our interpretation. How do you see the prairie in this composition? Maybe you see a windmill, or blades of grass, a grain elevator, or wind sweeping clouds across the open sky. What kinds of unique materials could you use to make a landscape?