KATHRYN EARNHART | The Butlers Many hands involved in 'Primary Compass'

The completion of the 20-foot, five-ton stainless steel and glass wonder "Primary Compass," designed specifically for the Butler's Howland facility by New York sculptor Don Gummer, was an effort equaled only by the artwork itself, with many hands, minds, hearts and souls combining to create a work of lasting beauty and community significance.
The evolution of this impressive work of art began in the mind of the artist who since 1990 has been concerned with sculpture construction by stacking of vertical and horizontal planes.
The Butler in Youngstown is now showing a retrospective of Gummer's work through April 14.
Combining various materials -- cast bronze, stainless steel, aluminum and stained glass -- the artist has chosen to achieve "stability" through precarious balance.
His inventive works have gained recognition internationally and are included in many public and private collections including those of the Chase Manhattan Bank, The Equitable, the Louisiana Museum, the Hiroshima Lying-in Hospital, and the Joseph E. Seagram Company.
Gummer is represented by both Salander-O'Reilly Gallery (New York City) and Eckert Fine Arts (Naples, Fla., and Indianapolis).
Start of idea: Invited by Butler Director Dr. Louis Zona in 1999 to view the open vista of the north lawn of the Butler Trumbull branch, Gummer was immediately captivated by the "canvas" of the space, and envisioned a site-specific work to counter the long horizontal north elevation of the Trumbull building that was designed by the late regional architect Tom Schroth.
The artist's early vision of "Primary Compass" is captured in a series of preliminary maquettes and drawings on permanent view in the library of the Butler Trumbull branch.
According to Director Zona, "The dedication of Don Gummer's 'Primary Compass' provided a most significant milestone event in the 83-year history of The Butler Institute of American Art.
"Founder Joseph G. Butler Jr. envisioned an America that would someday assume a leadership position not only in business and industry, but also culturally. One cannot help but imagine the pride which he would have felt in Don Gummer's artistic achievement and all that it represents.
"Butler, who helped to build America's steel industry, would also devote his resources and energy into establishing the first museum of purely American art. It is interesting and ironic that Gummer, one of America's leading sculptors, would utilize the industrial medium of steel. The work, in its dignity and grace, exploits not only the toughness of the medium, but also its intrinsic beauty.
"Innovative, wonderfully poetic and enormously popular, it represents the first sculptural commission given to an artist by the Butler Institute since 1917 when Mr. Butler asked neo-classical artist J. Massey Rhind to furnish two pieces of sculpture to be installed in front of his proposed museum being designed by McKim, Mead and White."
Others taking part: When the design for "Primary Compass" was finalized, engineers Frank Deley and Barry Shultz from The Taylor-Winfield Corporation in Brookfield were called upon for consultation regarding materials and resources for the creation of the steel and glass outdoor work locally.
Gene Benyo, along with sons Brian and Alex, owners of Brilex Industries, and Steve LaBolt, Boltech Industries, Youngstown, agreed to donate all engineering and fabrication to complete "Primary Compass."
Brilex fitter-fabricator Darrell Almasi was responsible for the actual construction of "Primary Compass." The stained glass for the project was overseen by Dale Snyder of Glass Gallery, Cortland, and cut by Don and Phil Yannacey of Howland. Bart Gilmore of J. Gilmore Design executed the foundation and pad for the sculpture.
The assembly of the sculpture was assisted by a crane, an aerial lift and a welder, all supplied by Diamond Steel. Standard Machine Company (Cleveland) and Foundation Medici of Trumbull County provided funding for the project.
Sunday, March 17, at the Butler in Youngstown, the current Gummer retrospective will be highlighted with a gallery talk by Newsweek art critic Peter Plagens. The show is accompanied by a book authored by Plagens, "The Lyrical Constructivist."
Biography: Plagens was born in Dayton in 1941. Since 1997, Plagens has been a senior writer at Newsweek. He joined the magazine as a general editor, reporting and writing on the fine arts, in February 1989. Plagens has profiled both the historic masters and contemporary artists. His recent stories include an eloquent farewell to Willem deKooning, an insightful piece about the revenge of the Britpack and a smart dissection of the trendy art scene in Santa Fe.
In 1998, Plagens was named one of only four senior fellows at the National Arts Journalism Program at Columbia University. Each received an office, a stipend and access to the university's course offerings and research facilities. He is a former associate editor of Artforum magazine.
Plagens, a visual artist, has exhibited his work throughout the past 20 years at the Nancy Hoffman Gallery in New York City. He has had solo shows at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. and the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in North Carolina.
Plagens has received both a Guggenheim Fellowship (painting, 1972) and an NEA Fellowship (art criticism, 1973). He is the author of several books: "Sunshine Muse: Contemporary Art on the West Coast" (Praeger Publishers Inc., 1974) and "Moonlight Blues: An Artist's Art Criticism" (UMI Research Press, 1986). "A Time for Robo" (Black Herron Press, 1999), is Plagens' first novel.
Plagens' new paintings on paper combine elements which have been characteristic of his large abstract canvases and very small collages. Plagens lives and works in New York City.
XButler hours in Youngstown are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday noon to 4 p.m. Butler hours at the Trumbull branch are Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Butler Salem hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to all three facilities is free. The Butler and its branches will be closed Easter Sunday, March 31.