recycled brewery parts, western red cedar, walnut, brass Grafton, WI 2008

A commission by the Milwaukee Brewing Company to create kinetic sculptural artwork for the Ale-House in Grafton, WI. Their “2nd Street Brewery” became an artist in residence Studio. The company’s brewers crafted malt into beer, as the series of kinetic Sculptures took shape from their historic stockpile of rusty gears, sprockets, flanges, piping, and sight glasses. The cast steel sprockets used in this piece are from the Pabst Brewery bottle conveyor. The Pabst Brewery was in operation from 1844-1997 in Milwaukee, WI. The old parts were given new life as they interwove with original handcrafted woodwork. The wooden gears are all made from domestic hardwoods, and nearly 3,000 teeth were Cut and Shaped by hand. The process of turning this historic brewery salvage into functional kinetic sculpture made it what it is today — a Relevant and Reverent Ode to the craft process and to Milwaukee’s rich brewing History.

Click here for sketches and process/installation photos