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view it just as much as the appearance of the object itself. As such, art must grow organically from the site, incorporating the different elements of the architecture aesthetically as well as culturally. In his own words, Kraft is “inspired by the site in public art and by close examination of form, color, and light in general. Works are made from scratch—little preconceived notions about the final outcomes. one decision leading to another, always looking ahead as to how all the media (the aluminum, the neon, and the surroundings) work together as a whole."
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Kraft's combination of rolled aluminum tubing and neon functions well for an outdoor setting, for he is able to use the aluminum to protect the neon's wiring from the elements, whether these pieces are attached to buildings or are freestanding. Some critics have questioned whether neon, a material
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towards making art lies in his belief that a piece of art must work synergistically with its site; art and architecture must function together in harmony. He believes that an artist must consider the site the same way in which he views the art, for every place he puts an object affects how others
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others the craft of neon. While many artists resist sharing their specific (and often secret) techniques to others, Kraft has always enjoyed teaching eager students the skills and perspectives that he has gained over the years. Since 1992 Kraft has been a member of the faculty of the
Smithsonian
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directly exposed him to the sacred animals which the Sans had worshipped. The most powerful to him was the elephant. He then proceeded to sculpt, in light, the spirit of the
African elephant-half size- in a light blue-silvery neon. During this creative process, the spirit of the African
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which may be the earliest known marks of all. The experiences that he had within the caves has led his artistic career to investigate modern and ancient symbols as well as paint and draw images combined with the same type of flickering light- dots and hand stencils.
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Krafts career then dove into an 8-year inquiry into the universal urge to connect through mark making. It started in 2009 with a series called
Unintentional Drawings and progressed to the omnipresent
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installations, and in various international art exhibitions. He has twice been featured as an artist at the
International Sculpture Conference and has been a member of the faculty of the
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Institution Studio Arts
Program since 1992. His work has been published in over 25 books, magazine articles, and newspaper articles. His work can be found in the
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Kraft is currently “one of only a handful of light artists in the world who bends his own glass and is respected for his ability to precisely manipulate the
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131:(born Craig Allan Kraft; born on December 7, 1949) is an American sculptor. Over the course of his career, Kraft has gained national recognition for his
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Kraft rendered sculptures incorporating details in neon. Since 2000, the main focus of Kraft's art has been privately commissioned pieces, such as
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from the canvas, made all the more captivating by the strategically placed neon backlighting that appears to serve as the portal for the
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Murray, Barbara. "Art Beyond the
Smithsonian: Unique Galleries and Museums Thrive in D.C.” Art Business News, July 2005.
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on buildings with neon, and that when drawing in space with light one needs to be able to work much larger. Many of his
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work. The colored lights added a certain volume, experience, and mood to the work that Kraft found previously lacking.
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in 1974. It was not until two years after he finished his master's degree that Kraft began developing his skills as a
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After spending a nearly a decade learning to use neon in the service of art, Kraft began to spend some of his time
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another one of Kraft's renowned public works which was commissioned by the city of
Washington, D.C., for the
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in general. While some believe that his greatest influences are "the illuminated works of Cork
Marcheschi,
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elephant evolved into the
Damaged spirit of the African elephant, visually illustrating the horrific
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works, establishing him as one of the leading neon sculptors of today. In his earlier works, such as
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Library. This
Sculpture is 21' x 14' x 7' and made of rolled painted aluminum, neon, and steel.
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This urge to mark inspired him to travel to 3 continents and visit 27 ancient cave sites in
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from up to 40,000 BC. He was particularly drawn to what are referred to as "signs" or
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to view, first hand, the first drawings, paintings, and etchings made by early
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789:(1994), Granted by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the
749:(1999), Granted by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the
727:(2009), Granted by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities for the
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http://www.sculpture.org/portfolio/sculptorPage.php?sculptor_id=1000204
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for inspiration. The philosophy of the school was to treat neon as a
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traditionally associated with nighttime viewing, functions well for
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Kraft, Craig. Interview by Holly Hunter. WTTG Fox 5 News. May 2008.
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1080:"The Damaged Spirit of the African Elephant at Craig Kraft Studio"
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771:(1997), Granted by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities,
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Kraft, Craig. Interview by Jacqueline Temkin. October 22, 2009.
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In the beginning of his career, Kraft worked with modeling the
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Sculpture: A Publication of the International Sculpture Center
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University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Engineering alumni
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Institution Studio Arts Program and has offered private neon
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Ross Putman. "Craig Kraft: Neon Artist.” Available at
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169:Kraft's sculptures have been featured in over 120
166:pieces made from rolled aluminum and neon tubing.
173:throughout the United States, including fifteen
520:, Kraft responded that he wanted to be able to
508:When asked why he began to work in large-scale
500:of elephants tusks occurring around the world.
417:and light to capture his own artistic vision."
386:Many of these early works feature sections of
762:(1998), Award from Convergence Art Festival,
228:Craig Kraft was born on December 7, 1949, in
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882:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_rP-HlVDaA
778:Western Carolina University Sculpture Award
740:(2007), Show Award from Juror Ramon Osuna,
1029:"Vivace | Washington Project for the Arts"
196:Craig Kraft is known for working from his
67:American School of Neon in Minneapolis, MN
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1015:"Lightweb | Downtown Silver Spring"
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375:medium rather than merely a medium for
827:"Craig Kraft - Smithsonian Associates"
705:Damaged spirit of the African Elephant
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958:Jenkins, Mark (November 16, 2018).
246:Environmental Education and Science
982:"The oldest Cave art in the world"
960:"In the galleries by Mark Jenkins"
322:Kraft's work is best described as
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769:Projects Grant for Visual Artists
572:, appear just as bold during the
224:Early life and education/training
326:in style with references to the
244:in 1971, followed by an M.A. in
1100:http://www.craigkraftstudio.com
980:Richards, Fiona (Spring 2017).
804:National Endowment for the Arts
791:National Endowment for the Arts
751:National Endowment for the Arts
725:Public Art Building Communities
528:pieces appear to do just this.
238:University of Wisconsin-Madison
544:was commissioned by the local
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240:, Kraft received his B.S. in
16:American sculptor (born 1949)
1053:Wolff, P.L. (July 9, 2010).
909:"Commissions: Craig Kraft.”
893:Mondello, Bob. "Kraftwork."
546:Montgomery County Government
274:Atlantic Center for the Arts
650:(2007), private collection
479:In 2017 he traveled to the
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831:smithsonianassociates.org
252:. In 1976 Kraft moved to
191:Museum of Neon Art (MONA)
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207:The firehouse, formerly
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410:segment of the work."
390:of models attached to
236:. As a student at the
144:Light Figure Fragment,
895:Washington City Paper
595:Light Figure Fragment
587:Seated/Unseated Woman
576:as during the night.
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140:Seated/Unseated Woman
669:Connective Ascension
647:Lightwinds with Echo
444:on the walls of the
278:New Smyrna Beach, FL
187:permanent collection
148:Connective Ascension
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933:"Mid city artists"
564:viewed during the
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377:commercial signage
209:Engine House No. 7
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800:Visual Arts Grant
787:Visual Arts Grant
747:Visual Arts Grant
719:Awards and grants
619:Silver Spring, MD
538:Silver Spring, MD
336:Stephen Antonakos
282:Stephen Antonakos
215:Washington, D.C.
160:Silver Spring, MD
150:, and monumental
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35:Craig Allan Kraft
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652:Washington, D.C.
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260:, and paint the
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158:in Downtown
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117:Shaw Library
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84:Notable work
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1135:1949 births
1038:January 14,
943:October 27,
836:January 13,
760:Masterworks
663:Concord, NC
603:Falling Man
355:Early works
183:Smithsonian
162:, that are
75:Sculpture,
56:Nationality
1124:Categories
1110:Neon Light
814:References
636:Crossroads
562:public art
526:public art
510:public art
504:Public art
450:Clarksdale
408:bas-relief
381:figurative
373:sculptural
340:Dan Flavin
294:philosophy
288:Philosophy
179:public art
177:, fifteen
152:public art
105:Crossroads
41:1949-12-07
709:Anacostia
548:in 2003.
461:Indonesia
312:workshops
213:Anacostia
198:firehouse
97:Untitled
64:Education
1064:June 13,
1059:InTowner
780:(1995),
694:(2010),
683:(2009),
680:Anacoeti
672:(2009),
661:(2007),
639:(2006),
628:(2005),
625:Untitled
617:(2004),
614:Lightweb
606:(1995),
542:Lightweb
534:elevator
530:Lightweb
498:poaching
442:graffiti
324:abstract
307:teaching
301:Teaching
234:sciences
230:Ames, IA
171:exhibits
164:abstract
156:Lightweb
107:(2006),
99:(2005),
91:(2004),
89:Lightweb
59:American
49:Ames, IA
707:(2018)
574:daytime
566:daytime
550:Vivace,
485:Namibia
473:symbols
400:figures
330:and to
280:, with
242:zoology
189:of the
691:Vivace
598:(1992)
590:(1989)
493:safari
465:Africa
421:Career
415:figure
392:canvas
361:figure
332:nature
328:figure
262:figure
201:studio
114:Vivace
985:(PDF)
963:(PDF)
350:Works
136:light
1066:2015
1040:2020
945:2009
838:2020
522:draw
489:Sans
463:and
365:clay
342:and
266:clay
258:cast
142:and
133:neon
77:Neon
31:Born
512:by
483:of
448:in
363:in
276:in
264:in
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