High School Sculpture in the City 

High School Sculpture In The City Challenge

Sculpture Artist Ancizar Marin

The law firm of Mathis, Marifian and Richter Ltd. has sponsored Art on the Square’s High School Sculpture in the City program for 11 years now. “Our firm is very proud of this program and how it has evolved over the years. It has given us an opportunity to give to the students, their schools and our community,” Pat Mathis said. Numerous sculptures have been added to the City of Belleville’s collection or the schools because of this sponsorship and the students of Belleville West, East, and Althoff have been given the unique experience of creating sculpture under the direction of a contemporary sculptor. Belleville West students were the recipients of this year’s opportunity.

Born in Colombia, Marin first received formal art training in the 1980s at the ‘Bellas Artes’ Institute in Manizales, Colombia. Later, South American travel exposed him to the rich melting pot of cultural influences that further informed his approaches to color and texture. Marin works now in South Florida, where his work has been featured in design magazines, gallery shows, and prestigious art fairs, and private commissions continue to proliferate.

Ancizar Marin’s climber sculptures and installations, for which he is best known, composed of fiberglass and resin, and finished to a high gloss with car paint in a dazzling array of hues, continue to delight all who encounter them scaling walls, rappelling down windows, leaning against columns, and perching on lintels.

My intention is to capture the attention of other humans to stimulate a dialogue of love, admiration, knowledge and feelings for art. My dreams are very clear and my most important wish is that my work will bring the same joy and happiness they bring to me. And that other people will love my pieces as much as I do.”

He plans to teach the students a motorcycle paint technique often used on sculptures in the Italian Island of Murano. They created a wall installation of 26 Birds under Marin’s guidance named Journey. Journey is inspired in humanity, some of us are more expressive than others, some more colorful than others and some are more adventurous than others. Each bird signifies a human being.

On Opening Night of Art on the Square, Marin and some participating students will unveil the piece that he is donating to Belleville West. This work will be on view throughout the duration of Art on the Square by the Courthouse Plaza.