Mark di Suvero
Aurora, by di Suvero, at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden
Birth name	Marco Polo di Suvero
Born	1933 (1933) Shanghai, China
Nationality	American
Field	Sculpture
Training	University of California, Berkeley

Marco Polo "Mark" di Suvero is an American abstract expressionist sculptor.

Life[link]

He was born Marco Polo Levi in Shanghai, China in 1933 to Italian expatriates. He immigrated to San Francisco, California in 1942 with his family. From 1953 to 1957, he attended the University of California, Berkeley to study Philosophy. He later moved to New York City where surrounded by an explosion of Abstract Expressionism he focused all his attention on sculpture. While working in construction, he was critically injured in a freight elevator accident, was paraplegic on a wheelchair for years and was told he would never walk again.

While in rehabilitation, he learned to walk again and then to work with an arc welder. His early works were large outdoor pieces that incorporated railroad ties, tires, scrap metal and structural steel. This exploration has transformed over time into a focus on I-beams and heavy gauge metal. Many of the pieces contain sections that are allowed to swing and rotate giving the overall forms a considerable degree of motion. He prides himself on his hands-on approach to the fabrication and installation of his work. di Suvero pioneered the use of a crane as a sculptor's working tool.

di Suvero was a founding member of the Park Place Gallery ^[1] and ConStruct, both artist-owned galleries, the former was the first SoHo Contemporary art gallery and the latter promoted and organized large-scale sculpture exhibitions throughout the United States. Other founding members include John Raymond Henry, Kenneth Snelson, Lyman Kipp and Charles Ginnever.

His distinctive, large bold pieces can be found all over the world. He continues to be the subject of multiple exhibitions and his commitment to emerging artists is undeniable through the Athena Foundation and the Socrates Sculpture Park. di Suvero has received the Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award from the International Sculpture Center and, in 2005, the 11th Annual Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities for his commitment to aspiring artists.

di Suvero currently lives in New York City with his second wife and daughter. He has three working studios, since 1981 in Long Island City, a former brickyard on the edge of the East River in Long Island ,an open air fabrication facility in Petaluma California, which he developed in partnership with his first wife from 1974 to 1988 as the third studio on a river barge in Chalon-sur-Saône, France, since 1972.

He most recently published a book, titled Dreambook, a compilation of pictures of sculptures, poems, and ideas. The vibrant colors in it are reflected in the bright colors he always wears.

Education/Distinctions[link]

• 1933 Born Shanghai, China
• 1942 Immigrated to USA
• 1953-54 San Francisco City College
• 1954-55 University of California, Santa Barbara
• 1957 University of California, Berkeley, B.A. Philosophy
• 1972 Chalon Sur Saone's barge studio
• 1975 Develops Petaluma's studio
• 1977 Starts Athena Foundation
• 1985 Establishes Socrates Sculpture Park
• 2000 International Sculpture Center Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2005 Heinz Award for Arts and Humanities
• 2010 National Medal of Arts

Sculptures in public collections and public spaces[link]

United States[link]

California[link]

• Prison Dream, 1961, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
• Spud, 1967, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles
• Teha, 1971, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles
• Crochet, 1974, Gersh, Phillip & Beatrice, Los Angeles
• Homage to Charlie Parker, 1975, Oakland Museum, Oakland
• Pre-Natal Memories, 1976, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
• Ol' One Tooth, 1978, Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs
• Sea Change, 1978, South Beach Park, Pier 40, San Francisco
• Isis, 1978, North Harbor Drive & Laurel Street, San Diego
• Miwok, 1981, Center for Clinical Sciences at Stanford University, Palo Alto
• Ferro, 1982, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco
• Shoshone, 1982, 444 S. Flower, Los Angeles
• Yi!, 1983–86, Runnymede Sculpture Farm, Woodside
• For Veronica, 1987, di Rosa Winery, Napa
• Whale's Cry, 1987, Clos Pegase Winery, Calistoga
• Gandy dancer's Dream, 1987–88, Getty Center, Los Angeles
• Symbiosis, 1989, Runnymede Sculpture Farm, Woodside
• The Sieve of Eratosthenes, 1999, Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, Palo Alto
• Pax Jerusalem, 1999, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco^[2]
• Voxel 2000, 2000, Venice Beach

Colorado[link]

• Lao Tzu, 1991, Denver Art Museum, Denver
• Sai Chen Lan 1992, Denver Art Museum, Denver

Connecticut[link]

• Alpha, 1968, Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven
• Borealis, 1988, Greenwich Plaza, Greenwich

District of Columbia[link]

• The A Train, 1965, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington
• Are Years What? (for Marianne Moore), 1967, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington
• Homage to Martin Luther King, 1968, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington
• Aurora, 1993, National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, Washington

Florida[link]

• Bojangles, 1966–67, Martin Z. Margulies Sculpture Park, Florida International University, Miami
• Untitled, 1967, Federal Reserve Bank - Miami Branch, Miami
• Untitled, 1977, Martin Z. Margulies Sculpture Park, Florida International University, Miami
• Gnarly, 2008, Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Miami
• Oolam-pali, 2008, Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Miami

Hawaii[link]

• Gualala, 1977, Honolulu Museum of Art
• Shadowdance, 1984, Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu

Illinois[link]

• No Title for Sure, 1968, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
• Prairie Chimes, 1969, Governors State University, University Park
• Yes! For Lady Day, 1969, Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park, University Park
• Choopy, 2007, Merchandise Mart, Chicago

Indiana[link]

Snowplow

• Snowplow, 1968, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis
• Han, 1979, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne
• Keepers of the Fire, 1980, Century Center, South Bend
• Helmholtz, 1985, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne

Iowa[link]

• Untitled, 1971, University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City
• Shadowframe, 1973, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines
• T8, 1985, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines

Kentucky[link]

• Untitled, 1972, University of Kentucky Art Museum, Lexington
• Pollock's Indians, 1976, Speed Art Museum, Louisville

Maine[link]

• Untitled (Hand), 1959, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick

Maryland[link]

• Sister Lu, 1979, Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore
• Under Sky/One Family, 1980, The City of Baltimore, Baltimore

Massachusetts[link]

• Nantucket
• NJT, 1960, MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge
• Untitled, 1972, Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton
• Sunflowers for Vincent, 1983, DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln
• Huru, 1984, Arts on the Point Sculpture Park, Boston
• Aesop's Fables, II, 2005, MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge
• Sunflowers for Vincent, 2011, University of Massachusetts-Boston, Boston

Michigan[link]

• Tom, 1959, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit
• Motu Viget, 1977, Gerald R Ford Federal Building, Grand Rapids
• Pablo's Legacy, 1980, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit
• For Mother Teresa, 1998, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills
• Scarlatti, 2000, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids
• For Ben Webster, 2001, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids
• Orion, 2007, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor

Minnesota[link]

• Stuyvesant's Eye, 1965, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
• Inner Search, 1980, Norwest Operations Center, Minneapolis
• Arikidea, 1982, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
• Molecule, 1983, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
• Gorky's Pillow, 1987, Franconia Sculpture Park, Franconia

Missouri[link]

• Praise for Elohim Adomnai, 1966, Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis
• Bornibus, 1973, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis
• Beppe, 1978–95, University of Missouri–St. Louis (on loan from Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis)
• Tumbleweed, 1985–87, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis
• Rumi, 1991, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City
• Old Buddy (for Rosko), 1993–95, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis
• Destino, 2003, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis

Nebraska[link]

• Old Glory, 1986, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

New Hampshire[link]

• X-Delta, 1970, Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, Hanover
• Origins, 2001–2004, Currier Museum of Art, Manchester

New York[link]

• Hankchampion, 1960, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
• Ladderpiece, 1962, Museum of Modern Art, New York
• New York Dawn (for Lorca), 1965, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
• One O'Klock, 1968–69, Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor
• Mother Peace, 1970, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
• For Roebling, 1971, Museum of Modern Art, New York
• For Gonzalez, 1973, Museum of Modern Art, New York
• Mon Père, Mon Père, 1975, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
• Jive, 1977, Pratt Institute Sculpture Park, Brooklyn
• Mahatma, 1978–79, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
• Exclamation, 1980–81, Museum of Modern Art, New York
• Mozart's Birthday, 1989, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
• For Chris, 1991, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
• Caramba, 1994, Riggio, Leonard, Bridgehampton
• For Euler, 1997, Salem Art Works, Salem
• Cubo Arcane, 1997, Museum of Modern Art, New York
• Joie de Vivre, 1998, Zuccotti Park, Manhattan
• Pyramidian, 1998, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
• Chonk On, 2002, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
• Frogs Legs, 2002, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
• Jambalaya, 2002–06, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
• Beethoven's Quartet, 2003, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
• Double Tetrahedron, 2004, Salem Art Works, Salem

North Carolina[link]

• To Be, 1996, ]]Weatherspoon Art Museum]], Greensboro

Ohio[link]

• Tock, 1971, Weston, Harris & Alice, Cincinnati
• Atman, 1979, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati
• Eagle Wheel, 1979, Akron Museum of Art, Akron
• Blubber, 1980, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo
• For Kepler, 1995, Miami University Art Museum, Oxford

Pennsylvania[link]

• Victor's Lament, 1970, Muhlenberg College, Allentown
• Iroquois, 1999, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia

Rhode Island[link]

• Untitled, 1969, Museum of Art, Providence

Tennessee[link]

• Swizzle, Chattanooga State Technical Community College, Chattanooga
• Tumbleweed, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

Texas[link]

• Ave, 1973, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas
• First European Variable Sculpture, 1973, Janie C. Lee Gallery, Houston
• In the Bushes, 1975, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas
• Bygones, 1976, Menil Collection, Houston
• Pranath Yama, 1978, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
• Untitled, 1980, Buhsnami Sculpture Garden, Burton
• For F.B. Yeats, 1987, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas
• Eviva Amore, 2001, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas
• Ulalu, 2001, Bayfront Arts and Science Park, Corpus Christi
• Proverb, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Hall, Dallas
• Ad Astra, 2005, NorthPark Center Mall, Dallas
• Clock Knot, 2008, University of Texas, Austin

Washington[link]

• Hand, 1962, Restricted Owner, Seattle
• Bunyon's Chess, 1965, Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle
• Charles, Merrill, Robin, Bing, 1967, Restricted Owner, Seattle
• For Handel, 1975, Western Washington University, Bellingham
• Scissors, 1976, Restricted Owner, Bellevue
• Mindseye, 1978, Western Washington University, Bellingham
• The Answer, Jon and Mary Shirley, Medina
• Schubert Sonata, 1992, Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle

Wisconsin[link]

• Poland, 1968, Lynden Sculpture Garden, Milwaukee
• Lover, 1973, Lynden Sculpture Garden, Milwaukee
• The Calling, 1982, Bluff Park, Milwaukee

International[link]

Australia[link]

• Ik ook, 1972, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Canada[link]

• Flower Power, 1967, Concord CityPlace, Toronto
• Sticky Wicket, 1978, Art Gallery of York University, Toronto

France[link]

• Etoile Polaire, 1973, Museum of Grenoble, Grenoble
• Extase, 1991, Technopôle Brest-Iroise site, Brest
• Etoile du Jour, 1991, Quai André-Citroën, Paris
• Vivaldi, 1993, La Ville de Valence, Valence
• Place of the Invalids, 1997, La ville Chalon-sur-Saône

Germany[link]

New Star

• L'Allume, 1992, Bonn
• Spring Rain, 1992, Technoseum, Mannheim
• New Star, 1992, Viersen sculpture collection
• Racine du Naos, 1996, Skulpturen Park Köln, Cologne
• Galileo, 1996, DaimlerChrysler Collection, Potsdamer Platz, Berlin

Netherlands[link]

• K-piece, 1972, Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo

Spain[link]

• Homage to Brancusi, 1962, Museu d´Art Contemporani de Barcelona - MACBA, Barcelona

Sweden[link]

• Blue Arch for Matisse, 1962, Moderna Museet, Stockholm

United Kingdom[link]

Nelly

• Nelly, 1986, Yorkshire Sculpture Park - YSP, Wakefield, West Yorkshire
• Tyne Anew, 1999, Albert Edward Dock, North Shields

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mark di Suvero

• BIOGRAPHY for Mark Di Suvero
• The Heinz Awards, Mark di Suvero profile
• ISC Lifetime Achievement Award
• International Sculpture Center
• Storm King Art Center
• Mark di Suvero and di Suvero family papers at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art
• Mark Di Suvero biography page at LA Louver gallery

Paula Cooper (born August 25, 1969^[1] in Gary, Indiana, United States) was sentenced to death by electrocution on July 11, 1986 for the murder of 78-year-old Ruth Pelke. Because Cooper was only 15 at the time of the murder, her sentence attracted an international uproar, including a condemnation from Pope John Paul II. In 1989, her sentence was commuted to 60 years in prison.^[2]

Sentencing and fallout[link]

Cooper's public defender advised her to plead guilty. At sentencing, Lake County prosecutor James McNew portrayed Cooper as a social misfit beyond any hope of rehabilitation and asked for the death penalty. The defense presented evidence that Cooper was a chronic runaway who had been physically abused and forced to watch the rape of her mother. The defense also stated that Cooper's mother had attempted to kill her at one point. Cooper was found guilty, and Judge James Kimbrough imposed the death penalty.^[3]

Cooper was sent to Death Row at Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis. Her case was taken up by attorney Monica Foster, who organized a campaign that had strong public support, especially in Europe. The campaign presented an appeal signed by two million people to the Indiana Supreme Court. Pope John Paul II made a personal appeal to Indiana Governor Robert Orr in September 1987.^[4] A separate appeal to the United Nations received one million signatures.^[5]

Cooper's case was profiled on 60 Minutes and various European television programs. She was front-page news in her hometown of Gary for a scandal in which several prison guards had sex with her in her cell; pregnancy tests were performed, which came out negative.^[3]

Judge Kimbrough died, and the appeals process was slowed as a replacement was chosen. In 1987, the Indiana legislature passed a bill raising the minimum age for a defendant in a death penalty case from 10 years old to 16 years old. Although the change was a reaction to Cooper's case, the legislature made it clear that the change did not affect Cooper's death sentence. In 1988, a Supreme Court decision, Thompson v. Oklahoma, barred the death penalty for defendants under the age of 16 at the time of the crime. The Indiana Supreme Court considered both of these developments, and, on July 3, 1989, the court heard arguments and reduced Cooper's sentence to life in prison.^[2] A New York Times editorial that month called the court's decision "brave" and said that the law on which her death sentence was based was "medieval" (it allowed execution of children as young as 10).^[6]

Aftermath[link]

Cooper earned a GED and took college correspondence courses while in prison.^[7] As of 2011, she is projected to be released in 2013.^[8] Although she was sentenced to 60 years, Indiana law dictates that offenders earn one day off from their sentence for each day served with good behavior.

Pelke's grandson Bill Pelke initially favored the death penalty for Cooper but joined the movement opposing it in 1987. He wrote about his forgiveness of Cooper in a 2003 book Journey of Hope.^[9]

References[link]

1. ^ "Prosecution page". http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/row/cooperp.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-26. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Woman's Execution for Murder at 15 Is Barred". Associated Press. 1989-07-13. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Death Sentence At 16 Rekindles Debate On Justice For Juveniles". New York Times. 1986-11-02. p. A26. 
4. ^ "Pope Urges Indiana Not to Execute Woman". New York Times. 1987-09-27. p. 13A. 
5. ^ "Paula Cooper Case Records". Indiana Historical Society. http://www.indianahistory.org/library/manuscripts/collection_guides/m0565.html. Retrieved 2007-05-26. 
6. ^ "Topics of The Times; A Murderous Child". New York Times. 1989-07-17. p. 16A. 
7. ^ Penn, Mary Sue (May 1995). "Leaven of Forgiveness". Sojourner's Magazine. http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=soj9505&article=950526. Retrieved 2007-05-26. 
8. ^ "Indiana Offender Database Search". http://www.in.gov/apps/indcorrection/ofs/?offnum=864800&search2.x=30&search2.y=16. Retrieved 2008-01-06. 
9. ^ "Amazon.com description". http://www.amazon.com/dp/1413419917/. Retrieved 2007-05-26. 

External links[link]

• Offender Data for Paula Cooper #864800 from the Indiana Department of Correction web site