Making Magic with Metal

By Ray Hunter

Ericka Strecker of Kentucky is a remarkable artist who has been creating stunning works of art for over twenty years. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, she has been surrounded by art and creativity her whole life. Growing up, she was heavily inspired by the works of renowned artists, such as painter Alice Neel, ceramic artist Hans Coper, and sculptors Lee Bontecou and Martin Puryear.

“My father worked for the University of Kentucky Wood Energy Research Center in Quicksand, KY, and I grew up near Shakertown. My mother, Chris Strecker, immigrated to the US from Greece and was a well-known professional ceramic artist in Kentucky,” Erika shared. “My sister Zoé Strecker teaches ceramics at Transylvania University, and her husband Mike Frasca is also a wonderful sculptural ceramic artist. I am from a family of artists.”

Since 1994, Erika has been working as a sculptor and metalsmith with a focus on large-scale public art. She earned a BA from Kenyon College in Ohio, and her MFA from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and was part of the CORE Fellowship Program at Penland School in North Carolina.

“Iron, the basis of steel, is an ancient, common material. It showers down from the stratosphere in the form of meteors and comprises much of our earth’s core. I am captivated by the staggering diversity of complex and simple materials in our universe. Metal has played a crucial role throughout time. It records and responds to processes that it is subjected to. Just touch a piece of steel, and the molecules rearrange themselves. Metal has the ability to take many forms, from hand-forged flowing lines to structured mechanical parts. I relish these polarities and endeavor to point to them in my work,” Erika said.

In 2018, Strecker was granted a Great Meadows Foundation Artist Grant and was awarded the Al Smith Fellowship in 2007. She has been featured in a number of sculptures and metalworking publications, as well as on PBS. Her commissions come from a variety of sources, including individuals, governmental agencies, educational institutions, hospitals, contractors, municipalities, corporations, landscape architects, architects, engineers, and developers.

Medwedeff,

Examples of her public art projects include “Exuberance!” in the Kentucky Children’s Hospital atrium and “Nexus” at the State of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Building. She has two design patents and has showcased her work both domestically and worldwide.

“Exuberance!” is an art installation that features seven aluminum kites with polycarbonate tubes filled with colorful marbles that are suspended below the lobby skylights. “Exuberance!” was a collaborative project between Erika and John Medwedeff. It was won through an international competition and installed in the atrium of the lobby of the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital in Lexington in 2018. The sculptures were created to offset the frightened feelings of the patients and their families and to be a source of healing, inspiration, and joy.

“The kites project was to be a joyful, uplifting experience. The imagery resonates with kites and marbles, both universal expressions of play. We wanted it to provide a break and a moment of wonder,” Erika said. “With the glass opening in the three-story tall atrium space, the kites moving through the space, and the outside dynamic sky above, you really get the feeling that there is movement.”

Erika is an inspiring example of an artist who has followed her dreams and created a successful career on her own terms. Her artwork is vibrant and unique, and her passion for learning and growth is evident in all of her work. She has also been an advocate for the arts and has made significant contributions to the Lexington art community. As she continues to create and explore new ideas, Erika is sure to continue to inspire and delight viewers around the world.

“My goal is that my work is well crafted, encourages introspection, and perhaps even sparks a conversation.”

3 One of the giant kites used for “Exuberance!” in the process phase. Pictured left to right are Cynthia Ross, Megan Abbott, and Erika Strecker. “We asked folks to donate marbles if they liked, and many did,” Erika said. “People who had children in the NICU donated at times a number that correlated with the number of days their loved one had to stay in the facility. The largest kite is totally filled with all donated marbles.”

4 John Medwedeff surveying the “Exuberance!” kites before packaging them and sending them to the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital. John and Erika both earned their Masters of Fine Arts at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. John’s studio was established in 1988, and he has over 30 monumental public art installations.

5 “The Kites installation at UK is titled “Exuberance!” and was installed in 2018. It was an international call to artists, and we were selected out of hundreds of applicants,” Erika said. “Both John and I do all of our designs as site-specific works, so they resonate with the location where they will be installed and respond thematically to the needs or history of the space.”

6 “Most trips to the hospital are for something serious, which for a child can be quite daunting and frightening. The Kites are large, playful, bold, colorful, and joyful expressions. Our kites will take the children, their parents, and the hospital staff to a moment in time that is joyful.” - Erika and John.

7 Installation of “Exuberance!” at the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital. “The installation took about a week, and we had large scissor lifts inside the space,” Erika said. “We had to install engineered rigging points in the ceiling to facilitate the dynamic installation and worked with the UK facilities management team, the design architect, GBBN, and Turner Construction, the contractor building the space.”

8 “The kites project was to be a joyful, uplifting experience. The imagery resonates with kites and marbles, both universal expressions of play. We wanted it to provide a break and a moment of wonder,” Erika said. “With the glass opening in the three-story tall atrium space, the kites moving through the space, and the outside dynamic sky above, you really get the feeling that there is movement.”