Client: United Methodist Family Services

Overview

This sculpture by Orlosky Studio is the primary campus entry sign for United Methodist Family Services (UMFS) in Richmond, VA. The vibrant and colorful artwork uses the personal characteristics of staff and clients as symbolic pillars which give strength and hold up the foundation that supports the organization’s mission. The X-like form of the pillars represents all the different programs of UMFS that reach out into the community. When viewed from straight on the pillars appear to come together and form one plane symbolizing all of the programs and people involved in the organization working together to achieve the same mission.

Goals

The goal was to create a welcome sign for UMFS that uniquely represents and showcases the organization.

Process

To create the content of the sculpture we engaged directly with a large swath of UMFS participants and staff. For the engagement process, participants were led through a guided mindfulness meditation workshop and submitted responses to the prompt “What is an adjective you would use to describe your uniqueness?” Over 150 staff and clients completed the workshop and submissions, which comprise the text of the sculpture.

The descriptive words were laser-cut into acrylic and painted to match the brand colors of UMFS. The metalwork was fabricated out of stainless steel and LED lights were placed into the channels to light the pillars at night.