LVA • Press Release
Louisville Visual Art officially added some color to Louisville’s night sky Thursday, unveiling the newest piece of art installation at their Portland-based studio and gallery space Funded by a $250,000 grant from the Rounsavall Family Foundation, the SPARK Light Sculpture will be visible to drivers entering the city eastbound on I-64.
SPARK stands for Student + Professional Art Resources + Knowledge. Of course, it will light up like a spark, too. The sculpture includes bright metal elements and clear rods that light up like neon tubes. The work will also have a number of images created and submitted by locals, to be applied at a small scale to resemble space dust painted onto the wall around the main “SPARK” shape using a stencil process.
“I hope SPARK becomes a metaphor for this neighborhood, and Louisville as a whole,” said LVA Executive Director Angela Hagan, “a spark of imagination in our arts education; a spark helping ignite an artist’s career; a spark of light as a beacon of welcome in the neighborhood.”
Haddad | Drugan, a Seattle-based art team, designed the sculpture, which is now mounted across two exterior walls at LVA’s building on Lytle street. The three-dimensional steel center alone is more than 10 feet in diameter, and the sculpture as a whole extends beyond the building itself.
As part of their effort to invest into the Portland neighborhood, they sought local collaborators and didn’t have to go far. The artists and metal fabricators at Rockerbuilt, whose studio sits just across Lytle Street from LVA, jumped at the chance.
“We were so happy when LVA came to us with this project. It was an easy decision to partner with them,” said Rockerbuilt co-owner Andy Cook. “We want Portland to stand out, and to use our skills to literally shine a light on this neighborhood is an awesome feeling.”
The muralist collective Often Seen Rarely Spoken painted the artwork on the wall behind the SPARK sculpture, adding to their high-profile works around the city and the country.
For people driving into Louisville from the city’s west end at night, this sculpture will be one of the first things they see: a vibrant landmark indicative of the city it represents.
"Louisville's art scene is among the most unique in the country,” said Deputy Mayor David James. “What LVA is doing for the arts, and for a historically underserved community like Portland, is truly making Louisville stand out like the wonderful place it is.”
Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Lindy Casebier, a former Executive Director of LVA, was on hand and joined in the ceremonial lighting.
“LVA has played an integral role in the arts for our region and the Commonwealth since 1909,” said Casebier. “The iconic image of SPARK now shines as a beacon of what LVA means to this community and beyond for the next exciting chapter!”