JESSICA BODNER
Jessica Kay Bodner is best known for her large scale metal sculptures, installations and public art. Her work evokes ideas of woven artifacts from a bygone era, animal relics and curvilinear images from the sky. Woven metal is twisted and hewn into thickets where light is reflected into cast shadows that create an interplay with the natural backdrop, changing seasons and the direction of the sun to attain a woven beauty and give the viewer a moment to reflect on a sense of place and time.
Jessica Bodner, “Nautilus”, 2017, Steel
“As a practicing full time professional artist for thirty years, I can honestly say I have the best job on the planet, my passion for working with steel and other mediums as a pallet to create my art, blends a strong foundation of engineering and metalworking techniques with a freeform natural style of working with the materials.”
Jessica Bodner, “Inferno”, 2022, Steel
Born to artist parents, she was fostered at a young age and encouraged to explore her creativity. She studied early on at the Chicago Academy of Arts High School. Her grandfather who worked at Chicago Bridge and Iron, often took her along with him to the factory where I-beams were made from huge cauldrons of boiling iron. She grew up longing to learn metal work from grandpa but "That was boys work" he said. It wasn't until college at The Academy of Art University in San Francisco when she learned to weld, fabricate and blacksmith. While in college, she worked as an art preparator, building and creating shows for numerous artists at The Yerba Buena center for the arts, Capp Street project and the Modern Art. Working with artists from across the globe in vastly different mediums and materials, she mastered techniques that weren’t taught in college, and went on to study engineering and fabrication to hone her skills. This knowledge base spring-boarded her career, giving her the freedom to focus on her creativity and the work she wanted to create without limit.
Jessica Bodner, “Bluehorns”, 2019, Steel
She has a particular sensitivity and intuitiveness in her design, style, color and scale in relation to the given site and its surroundings. She bases each site-specific work on inspiration drawn from the locality to reflect the culture, express and support neighborhood pride and identity, and enhance the quality of life for its residents and visitors, creating a waypoint and place-maker for the community.
Native American culture fuels an inner passion and inspiration for multiple projects. As an environmentalist and naturalist, she has held a strong respect and appreciation for the "Original Peoples" and their interwoven relationship with the land and animals, she feels a strong empathy and kinship with the old ways humans lived, and draws profound inspiration from their ancient techniques of weaving and craftsmanship.
Jessica Bodner, “Lenticular”, 2017, Steel
“I aspire to bring some awareness and respect for Native cultures and traditions through the creation of sculptural objects placed in nature or public spaces.”
Learn More about Jessica Bodner HERE