George Trakas

George Trakas is a sculptor who was born in Quebec City in 1944 and has lived in New York City since 1963. Many of his projects are site-specific installations, and he describes himself as an environmental sculptor. He often recycles local materials and incorporates them into his work.[1][2]

George Trakas
Born1944 (age 78–79)
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
NationalityCanadian and American
EducationNew York University, B.S., 1969
Known forEnvironmental Sculptor
Spouse
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(m. 1971; div. 1979)​

Notable recent examples of his work include a waterfront nature walk at the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Brooklyn, New York; another waterfront installation adjacent to the Dia:Beacon museum in Beacon, New York; and public art in the New York City Subway at the Atlantic Avenue – Barclays Center station.[3][4]

Trakas taught sculpture at Yale University for 13 years and has also taught at other schools.[5] He graduated from Sir George Williams University in Montreal and then went on to earn a bachelor's degree in art history at New York University in 1969.[1] He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1982,[6] a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1989, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Medal for Sculpture in 1996.[7] Emory University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2011.[5] He also won the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists award (2017).[8]

George Trakas married Susan Rothenberg, a painter, in 1971. Their daughter Maggie was born in 1972. They divorced in 1979 but remained close until Rothenberg's death in 2020.[9]

List of works

The following table contains a partial list of works by George Trakas.[10]

TitleLocationDescriptionYearReferences
Pont ÉpéeThiers, FranceSet of walkways and bridges on the Durolle river next to the "Creux-de-l'enfer"1985[11]
Beacon PointBeacon, New YorkAngling deck, boardwalk, & restored bulkhead in Long Dock Park on a 25-acre peninsula adjacent to Dia:Beacon museum2007[3]
The pathway of loveSantomato, PistoiaA path made of iron and wood that crosses a romantic forest alongside a stream1982[12]
Shoreline Nature WalkwayBrooklyn, New YorkNature walk adjacent to the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant2007[13]
Hook (Archean Reach), Line (Sea House), and Sinker (Mined Swell)Brooklyn, New YorkPublic sculpture inside the Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center station of the New York City Subway2004[4]
ReconnectionsBelmullet, IrelandFootbridge across a canal in County Mayo. On the North Mayo Sculpture Trail.1993[14][15]
Self PassageHumlebæk, DenmarkSite-specific sculpture leading to a waterside platform, in the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art's sculpture park.1989[15][16]
Berth HavenSeattle, WashingtonA cedar and steel lakeside deck on the premises of an NOAA facility. Rests on foundations remaining from the site’s prior use as navy airfield.1983[17][18]
Route Source Atlanta, Georgia Site-specific sculpture in a wooded area of the Emory University campus 1979 [19][20]
  • The "pont Epée" in Thiers.
    The "pont Epée" in Thiers.
  • Newtown Creek Nature Walk: "Vessel" entrance
    Newtown Creek Nature Walk: "Vessel" entrance
  • Newtown Creek Nature Walk: Whale Creek, sewage plant in distance
    Newtown Creek Nature Walk: Whale Creek, sewage plant in distance
  • Newtown Creek Nature Walk: steps into the water
    Newtown Creek Nature Walk: steps into the water
  • Beacon Point, view of entire site, looking westward toward Newburgh, NY.
    Beacon Point, view of entire site, looking westward toward Newburgh, NY.
  • Beacon Point, looking northward, showing mouth of channel that runs through the piece.
    Beacon Point, looking northward, showing mouth of channel that runs through the piece.
  • Beacon Point, looking eastward, showing other end of the channel.
    Beacon Point, looking eastward, showing other end of the channel.
  • Line sculpture in the former control house of the Atlantic Avenue station.
    Line sculpture in the former control house of the Atlantic Avenue station.

References
  1. "Summit NYC 2011: George Trakas". Municipal Art Society.
  2. "George Trakas". New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  3. "George Trakas, Beacon Point". Dia Art Foundation. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  4. "Arts for Transit and Urban Design". Metropolitan Transportaition Authority. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  5. "Art History (newsletter)" (PDF). Emory University Department of Art History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  6. "George Trakas". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  7. "Award-winning installation artist George Trakas to discuss Hudson River environmental project, Wednesday, April 18, 2007". Vassar College. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  8. "George Trakas :: Foundation for Contemporary Arts". www.foundationforcontemporaryarts.org. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  9. Kennedy, Randy (21 May 2020). "Susan Rothenberg, Acclaimed Figurative Painter, Dies at 75". New York Times. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  10. Complete works
  11. France, Centre. "Diable, 30 ans ! - Que reste-t-il du Symposium national de sculpture monumentale métallique organisé en 1985 à Thiers ?". www.lamontagne.fr. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  12. "The path of love". Fattoria di Celle. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  13. "George Trakas at the Water's Edge: Newtown Creek". Urban Omnibus. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  14. "The North Mayo Sculpture Trail". The Western Business Directory. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  15. "Parc naturel régional du Pilat" (PDF) (in French). art 3. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  16. "The Sculpture Park". Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  17. "NOAA Western Service Center Art Walk" (PDF). City of Seattle. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  18. "Soundscapes". building beyond. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  19. "Environmental artist Trakas returns to Emory". Emory University. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  20. "George Trakas "Source Route"". Emory University. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
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