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By Beth Anderson, Staff Writer 06/05/2004 Updated 06/14/2005 11:21:52 AM CDT Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendly Ames dedicates 'Circle of Art' Creativity has come to Ames, and she is wearing clothes. The long awaited "Ames Circle of Art" was dedicated Friday in Bandshell Park with the centerpiece female figure, an allegorical depiction of "Creativity," draped in a wide and well-placed ribbon. That's not how the bronze figure was originally designed by Rhode Island artist Bill Culbertson. And that's not the design that the Ames Public Art Commission originally approved. But when a model of the design was presented to the public in 2001, the neighbors thought otherwise, and the media responded with articles, editorials and TV news footage, Culbertson recalled. "It was no longer called 'Circle of Art,'" the artist said. "It was called 'The Nude Sculpture in Bandshell Park.'" Culbertson - whose "Circle of Art" was chosen by the city out of more than 150 entrants in a 1999 international design contest - wasn't looking to make a statement in 2001, and was willing to clothe the woman, he told The Tribune at the time. But the final decision was made at the foundry, he said, when he discovered that bringing the figure's arms closer to her body and draping her with the ribbon gave the sculpture more strength to withstand the test of time. "A few years of kids hanging on her arm and it would have snapped off," Culbertson said. The piece is meant to be climbed on, Culbertson said. It's meant for moms pushing strollers, poets writing in their journals and little boys running cars across the figure's toes. It's a landmark art piece to be enjoyed for the next 200 years. "I want my kids to bring their kids out to see it," the artist said. "We'll all be planning vacations to Iowa." Culbertson understands the unique involvement of children and art. He was the sculpture director for Hasbro, and samples of his art, featuring Disney and Sesame Street characters, can be found in most toy boxes. His current commission is a two-foot tall figure of Goofy, which will be used at a Disney theme park. That's the art that pays the bills. But it is the public art - carved columns in Garland, Texas; a clock tower in Tampa, Fla.; an impressionistic piece in China - that feeds his soul. "It's a little like having a child," he said. "You go through the pregnancy with all its suffering and hardship, but then the child is born and you forget all about it." The "Ames Circle of Art" is his newest offspring, and he is thrilled. "I e-mailed all my friends and told them to look at the Web site," he said. Like all of his fine art works, the birth of the Ames piece has not been easy. And it has certainly lasted more than nine months. Culbertson's original contract with the city called for completion on March 31, 2002. But between Ames City Council votes, committee disagreements, engineering problems and the slow pace of sub-contractors, he asked for and received three time extensions. City council member Russ Cross was one who voted against the project in 2001, but Cross later recalled his vote to allow the landmark piece to move ahead. He is pleased with the final piece, he said. "I'm impressed with the quality of the piece," he said. "I had been concerned that it didn't fit the park, but having seen it, I think it's a nice piece of art in an appropriate location." Whether the figure was clothed or not had never been an issue for him, Cross said. The "Ames Circle of Art" can be seen on the artist's Web site at www.whooplah.com. Staff writer Beth Anderson can be reached at 232-2161, Ext. 353, or at banderson@amestrib.com July 11, Bill Culbertson will be speaking at the Serious Play Conference being held in Buffalo, NY.
The nations largest text book publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, will be distributing Bill Culbertson's preschool video game, Pollywog Pond in the Fall of 2016 on their new Marketplace. The Marketplace is a new e-commerce site targeting the nations k-12 teachers. The store is also open to the public for sales. The game, a portal to music, reading, and activities features the Pollywog Pond characters, Derb, Berb, Waddle and Weep.
Visit Pollywogpond.com for information about the game. (Click here for full Article) PORTSMOUTH, N.H., Jan. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A Rhode Island-based entrepreneur who produces children's television programming has won Direct Capital's national "Small Biz, BIG Success" award competition and the$10,000 prize that goes with it, the company announced today.
William Culbertson and his North Smithfield company, Whooplah LLC, won the national competition by producing this video that described his work. Culbertson has created a children's television program from scratch -- even sewing his puppets by hand and creating elaborate scenes from recycled materials. Whooplah plans to use the $10,000prize money to go into production on an upcoming series for PBS. Direct Capital sponsored the competition as part of its 20th anniversary celebration. Companies competed for the award by producing videos that explain how they will use the prize money; how they make every interaction with their customers remarkable; their passion, scrappiness, and creative problem-solving skills. "Culbertson's passion for his business and his scrappiness in finding creative solutions to put it all together really came through in his video submission. We are thrilled to be able to give Whooplah a jump start in 2014," said Stephen Lankler, senior vice president for the Portsmouth, NH-based company. Whooplah was chosen by a panel of judges from the Direct Capital executive staff, based on the judging criteria found here. Over the last several months, small businesses across the country had the chance to enter to win the $10,000 to help fund the project of their choice. City Council endorses public art project for downtown entrance (3-22-06)
By Mark Wineka, Salisbury Post Salisbury City Council gave its enthusiastic endorsement Tuesday to a public art project that would create a dramatic welcome to downtown. Council voted 5-0 to back the selection of Rhode Island artist William Culbertson's mostly brick design, which would be erected on East Innes Street between the railroad bridge and Long Street. A model of the selected work will be on display over the next two weeks in the lobby of the Rowan County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Culbertson's design emerged out of 140 original applications. It features a center column (in a median) roughly 36 feet high and with sculpted relief. Columns on each side — smaller versions of the center column — would extend about 28 feet in the air. Colorful banners, which could be changed with the seasons, punctuate the columns. The smaller columns would have fence-like appendages with insets describing the History and Art Trail, markers for which are now being produced. Barbara Perry, chair of the Public Art Committee, said her members used phrases such as "timeless appeal" and "strong presence" in describing Culbertson's work. They also said it fits with the city and will be a piece that says "Welcome to Salisbury," she said. "I think it's a beautiful project," Mayor Susan Kluttz said. Mayor Pro Tem Paul Woodson called it "remarkable." Perry's committee will initially seek grants from the Robertson Family Foundation and the N.C. Arts Council before pursuing other sources. Culbertson has told the committee that it would take 18 months to two years to install the project after funding is in place. The Public Art Committee, which grew out of the Community Appearance Commission and Downtown Salisbury Inc., has 17 members. A separate eight-person selection panel was chosen to reduce the 140 original applications to 20, then five. The panel eventually invited three artists to Salisbury, and they came between Nov. 30 and Dec. 9 last year. The selection panel, which included Councilman Bill Burgin, met Feb. 23 and had conference calls with all three finalists before unanimously voting for Culbertson's project. The Public Art Committee also was unanimous in its preference for Culbertson's idea. His project would be the first of some of the larger public art installations envisioned for Salisbury in the coming years. The History and Art Trail also will install a series of bronze markers to identify individuals, places and events significant to Salisbury's history. Fabrication has started on the first marker and six more are designed and ready to be produced. Culbertson gave the selection panel a specially produced DVD to show how his project would look on its site from every angle, how it would be illuminated at night and how it would look in passing traffic. Perry and Lynn Raker, urban design planner for the city, played the DVD for council Tuesday. "Could you tell he worked for Disney at one time?" Burgin asked after the DVD finished. Culbertson works out of North Smithfield, R.I. Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263, or mwineka @salisburypost.com.©2006, The Salisbury Post The Tampa Tribune For a .pdf copy of article with photos, please click here!
Depot Clock Tells History By SEAN LENGELL slengell@tampatrib.com Published: Oct 18, 2003 TAMPA - Time isn't standing still at Tampa's 91-year-old Union Station. A freestanding 30-foot clock tower has been installed outside the downtown train depot, featuring four clock faces and images representing the city's railroad history. The piece, called the Centennial Clock Keep, was commissioned by the Tampa Public Art Program for $35,000. ``It's certainly one of the most complex [artworks] we've done, by design and construction,'' Public Art Administrator Robin Nigh said. Designed by Rhode Island artist Bill Culbertson, the concrete structure features dozens of graphic and pictorial reliefs , including Florida railroad magnet Henry Plant, logos of passenger train lines that once served Tampa, and Henry Love, Union Station's first manager. A brick base will be installed soon. ``The whole thing is the history of the train station,'' Culbertson said. ``I'm trying to make people happy and hopefully make something local people can be proud of.'' Culbertson said he designed the ornate clock box at the top of the column to resemble the station's long-demolished watchman's tower. The tower was used as a lookout by railroad workers to direct trains. Union Station, 601 N. Nebraska Ave., was built in 1912. The building, now an Amtrak depot, was restored in 1998 for $2.6 million. Reporter Janis D. Froelich contributed to this story. Reporter Sean Lengell can be reached at (813) 259-7145 The installation was also covered by Fox Television in Tampa for the 6 O'clock news |
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