

Client: Joslyn Art Museum - Sculpture Garden
Location: Omaha, NE, United States
Completion date: 2009
Artwork budget: $375,000
Project Team
Artist
Matthew Placzek
Placzek Studios
Industry Resource
Charles Saul
Charles Saul Engineering
Overview
Children weave their way through the zany and inviting entrance of the Joslyn Art Museum’s Sculpture Garden titled “Noodles and Doodles”. A blanket of recycled colored rubber lies under the brightly colored stainless steel “ribbon” arches.
Goals
This piece is not only at the entrance of the Sculpture Garden, but also intended as an interactive children's area. To create the hands-on addition, the ribbons arch high in the air to provide space for children to weave between without vertical access, as there are no horizontal edges to climb. The range of bright colors on the ribbons, as well as the ground, provides an interesting and interactive approach.
Process
As a collaboration with designer Mark Bourne, Matthew Placzek was commissioned to realize, construct and install this 20-foot-high painted aluminum ribbon sculpture. Placzek worked closely with Charles Saul Engineering to design the 6 aluminum ribbons, and create the drawings for the foundation.