At A Glance
The leaf-like forms consist of mirror-polished steel around a core of manganese bronze
The sculpture was commissioned for the entrance of a bank building as part of the Redevelopment Authority’s 1% program
Artist Joseph Bailey wanted to link the geometry of the architecture with the park-like setting of nearby Independence Mall
The sculpture was moved to another area on site as part of the new Faith and Liberty Discovery Center that opened in 2021
The leaf-like forms of Joseph Bailey’s Gift of the Winds consist of mirror-polished steel around a core of manganese bronze. On two of the surfaces, curving shapes that suggest natural forms such as roots or tendrils are cut into the steel to reveal the bronze beneath, and the central “leaf” is positioned so that it reflects these images on both sides.
Trees were planted close to the sculpture so that the leaves would reflect in the steel surfaces.
In this work, commissioned for the entrance of a bank building as part of the Redevelopment Authority’s Percent for Art program, Bailey wanted to link the geometry of the architecture with the park-like setting of nearby Independence Mall; thus he used hard-edged metal forms to suggest organic shapes. Trees were planted close to the sculpture so that the leaves would reflect in the steel surfaces. People approaching the sculpture can see themselves reflected as well.
As part of the renovations on site for the new Faith and Liberty Discovery Center, which opened in May 2021, Gift of the Winds was relocated to another side of the building, along a “contemplative garden” path with seating between 4th and 5th Streets.
Adapted from Public Art in Philadelphia by Penny Balkin Bach (Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1992).
RESOURCES:
This artwork is part of the Around Old City tour
