Savage Mill is proud to be hosting its second ARTsites installation this year. Organized by Howard County Center for the Arts, ARTsites liberates sculpture from the constraints of a gallery and places it in outdoor public spaces for all to enjoy.

Positioned by the Big Lot entrance, the bright green swirls of Ribbon Arch II beckon passersby to come closer. The worn path through the lush grass under the arch is evidence that people are accepting the invitation. Curious to learn more about the artist and the inspiration, we spoke with its creator, internationally-renowned sculptor Jim Gallucci.

You are fascinated by gates and their symbolism. Can you tell us more?

I’ve been a sculptor for over 40 years and have been designing gates and doorways for a long time. I’m fascinated by their mystical properties. Arches were used by the Romans to mark celebratory spaces. Everyone loves to walk under arches, and I find they bring focus to a place and provide direction.

This piece, Ribbon Arch II, is designed to mimic the fluttering of ribbons. Golden Oak Leaf Arch, my other ARTsites sculpture now on display at the Robinson Nature Center, pays homage to the country’s gradually-diminishing forest canopy.

You live in Greensboro, North Carolina, and many of your pieces can be found there. Others are on display in major cities around the US, and a few are exhibited internationally. This year, two of your sculptures are part of Howard County’s 2024 ARTsites. What prompted you to apply for the program?

I’d applied for this program for a few years now, and it’s a coincidence that two of my works were selected this year. I’ve produced and installed dozens of sculptures around the country, including over 50 public art commissions. It can be logistically challenging and exhausting to travel long distances to install pieces (Kansas City comes to mind), so I’m now focusing on opportunities closer to home.

Does a particular piece hold a special significance to you?

I’m particularly proud that one piece, Golden Oak Leaf Arch III, made it into the 2018 Venice Biennale. But I’ve also been privileged to witness how some of my commissions become significant parts of people’s lives. For example, I designed two benches in Key West that look like monstera plants. Before the installation was even complete, I learned that one of them was the scene of a marriage proposal. In Raleigh, which commissioned one of my whispering tube benches in memory of a music director, someone named their child after me. What an honor it is to be so intimately connected to those who find meaning in my art.

Why do you do public art?

Art is a physical manifestation of an idea or event that calls forth an emotional response from the viewer. It speaks to us and strikes chords deep within us. Good art challenges us, can make us feel righteous, moves us, soothes us and can bring us peace. Public art is so powerful. I have to think about a simple stick in a stream, floating downstream and gradually collecting things – leaves, other sticks – until it forms the perfect conditions for an acorn to germinate and grow into an oak tree. In the same way, you put art out into the world and see what it attracts. It might look disorganized at first, but good things come from it.

What are some things you’d like people to take from your art?

First, I’d like my art to elicit joy. But in addition to that, I want it to inspire reflection and observation of what’s around us. Our world and the ecosystem give us so much, including a sense of health and wellbeing. I hope that people become more aware of the life around us and its complexity.

Ribbon Arch II is on display at Savage Mill through Fall 2025 as part of the ARTsites program.