Jon Laustsen is a thinker. An artist too, of course, and a sculpture instructor in URI’s art department. But make no mistake, his art is a vehicle for the ideas that inspire and inform his work.

This fall, he mounted an installation in the Project Space at the Fine Arts Center. The idea, he says, was to demonstrate facets of the creative process itself. He built a set that mimics his office as an at-home studio, with a gallery reflecting an envisioned art installation. Making himself a critical part of the installation, he visited regularly to type a few pages and to sculpt freely using his chosen materials: wire, aluminum foil, and an air-hardening clay. His habit of daily writing and sculpting was recently re-inspired by Julia Cameron’s classic book, The Artist’s Way.

Through this dynamic installation, he aimed to “provide [his] students with an experience of discovery through actively working with materials, tools, and space, with curiosity at the forefront.” When you work with words or materials and stay focused on the present–the process, rather than the outcome–”some-thing will grow, an idea or theme will unfold.”

Laustsen’s current theme–breathing–emerged from a wire wind turbine he crafted in late spring as he contemplated the country’s escalating death toll from COVID-19. He took a late-night walk, which took him to an overgrown field where, he says, he “envisioned a cemetery overflowing with sculpted wind turbines.” He continues, “They seemed a sign of healing, an emphasis on the air of the earth, the breath of life. This was the day George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police, pleading to breathe.”

His current work is entitled, “For All Who Can’t Breathe, and for a Less-Damaged World.” •

–Barbara Caron

Photo: Nora Lewis