Today in the ArtZany Radio studio Paula Granquist welcomes filmmaker Paul Krause and sculptor and poet Mac Gimse to discuss the new documentary Striving for Peace on Horizon’s Brim: The Sculpture and Poetry of Mac Gimse.
Documentary Premiere Striving for Peace on Horizon’s Brim: The Sculpture and Poetry of Mac Gimse: Monday, 2 December 2024 at 7pm, Carleton College Weitz Center Theater. https://dancingsunmedia.com/
Striving for Peace On Horizon’s Brim is a kinetic, interactive sculpture created by St. Olaf Professor Emeritus of Art A. Malcolm “Mac” Gimse. It serves as an emblem of hope for peace among humans, all living things, and with the earth. The initial idea for Striving for Peace on Horizon’s Brim, and a poem by Gimse of the same name, originated with the 2009 Upper Midwest Nobel Peace Prize Forum held at St. Olaf College. Commissioned to create sculpture and poetry for the Nobel laureates, Gimse’s artistic focus turned to issues of human rights, climate change, poverty, disease, and other ongoing challenges to humankind.
About the artist Professor Emeritus of Art A. Malcom “Mac” Gimse ’58 joined the St. Olaf faculty in 1970. Over the course of his 30-year career on campus, he taught classes in sculpture and art history, including world architecture in China, Japan, India, Southeast Asia, and Africa. He built a bronze foundry at the college, was one of four founding faculty in the fine arts major, taught several rounds in the Great Conversation, and was a Paracollege tutor for more than 25 years. He was a National Endowment for the Humanities visiting scholar in the South Asian Institute at Columbia University in New York City and in Chinese Art History at the University of Maryland. As a Joyce Foundation Scholar, Gimse conducted research on Indian temples, including six visits to the Taj Mahal.
Gimse’s work is a unique blend of sculpture and poetry that captures the ultimate goodness of humankind. His dedication to peace and human rights is manifested through many commissioned artworks in various forums, including the United Nations Human Rights Commission and, notably, bronze sculptures for 12 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, which have been presented at the Upper Midwest Nobel Peace Prize Forum.
Gimse estimates he has created more than 2,000 bronze pieces over the years, and has carved stone, wood, and just about anything else he can find. Additionally, four of Gimse’s poems have been set to music, two for the St. Olaf Choir and two for the St. Olaf Band. His sculptures have been exhibited in more than 120 galleries, colleges, and churches in the United States, as well as in 11 countries. His artwork can be seen at the Nobel Peace Prize Institute in Oslo, Norway, and in the Norwegian royal family collection. His stainless steel sculpture Between Earth and Sky stands beside the historic Archibald Mill in Dundas, Minnesota, and his latest sculpture, Striving for Peace On Horizon’s Brim, is located next to the Flaten Art Barn at St. Olaf College.
Paul Krause has been creating long-form documentaries for the past twenty years. These include: “Harvest – A Community’s History Captured in Bronze” “Genesis: The Artistry of Fred Somers” “Rain on Mars” and “Valley Grove – A Living Tapestry” All have been widely broadcast on Twin Cities Public Television.
