MILWAUKEE Let your Imagination Soar: A Conversation with Sculptor Bruce Niemi

Let Your Imagination Soar:

A Conversation with Sculptor Bruce Niemi

By Ryan Albrechtson

“In 1960, my dad was an ornamental iron artist,” said sculptor Bruce Niemi. “He started doing abstract sculptures when I was five years old. I was taken to art shows… I grew up at art shows. At 12, my dad taught me how to weld and I made my first sculpture. I still have it.”

Bruce Niemi, who graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1981 with a BFA in Sculpting, has been creating sculptures for over 50 years. To date, he has 56 permanent public sculptures across the United States and Europe.

Niemi’s art work is all one of a kind. “The sculptures I create are characterized by their uplifting positive dynamic,” said Niemi. “My faith in God, the power and beauty of nature, and the energy and balance of dance are all driving forces behind my art. My purpose is to stimulate the mind of the viewer as well as creating a sculpture that complements and has harmony with the environment that it shares. Let your imagination soar.”

Genesis series| Bronze, patina

While he works with a variety of materials, many of which are recycled, stainless steel and bronze are his primary metals of choice. “I do all of my own fabrication, and I love the process from start to finish,” said Niemi.

Niemi’s studio is right on his own property. When searching for a home, he and his wife looked for a place with a pole barn for his studio, and a good size of land to display his work. Their property sits on 15 acres, which he describes as a “playground for his sculptures.”

His work, which often features recycled materials, has taken many forms. At first, Niemi experimented with recycled augers to create his sculptures (a spiral shaped piece of metal used to drill holes). He would cut them at different angles and put them together. He also incorporates stone, ball bearings, and other recycled pieces. One of the most unique recycled materials he uses is bronze slag, which is the overflow of bronze after being poured at a foundry. “When it overflows it creates a beautiful pile of excess stuff,” said Niemi. “I take that excess and incorporate it into segments of my sculptures.”

While Niemi’s work can be found all over the country, some of his pieces can be found as locally as the Historic Third Ward. Niemi’s work is featured at the Lily Pad West Gallery, where it was the first piece sold when the gallery opened.

“I’m inspired by Earth,” said Niemi. “I see so many things most people wouldn’t see. I look down at a beach and I see driftwood, these beautiful entwined things. I see nature, and it inspires some of my most important stuff.”

You can see some of Niemi’s art, and the work many other great artists, at the Lily Pad West Gallery. Click here to check it out!

Learn more about Bruce Niemi and his sculptures in our video interview!

Pictured: Genesis series | stainless steel, bronze, patina

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