Winner of the $3,500 Victor Jacoby Award for Innovation and Excellence in Art

World Class Wire Sculpture · Elizabeth Berrien

LOUISVILLE PEGASUS - The Winds of Wire

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A winged steed, unwearying of flight, sweeping through air swift as a gale of wind.

Wire Journal International - by Joseph Ofredi, associate editor

Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology, was as wise as he was beautiful. Tamed by the young rider Belerophon with his golden bridle, together they killed the dreaded Chimera and disposed of many enemies; but when the mortal Bellerophon tried to ride Pegasus up to Olympus to take his place with the gods, the horse threw off his rider.

Bellerophon, sadly, was left to wander alone, hated by the gods, until he devoured his own soul and died. Pegasus, however, found shelter in the heavenly stalls of Olympus, forever alert in bringing bolts of lightning to Zeus, the greatest of the gods. The steed remains the symbol of inspiration, freedom and joy.

Louisville, Kentucky, USA, site of the annual Kentucky Derby as well as this fall's Wire Expo 1992, is famous for its tradition of horses. When the city's commercial airport, Standifiend Field, opened its Landside terminal in 1985, former Airport Authority Board chairman James Thompson wanted to donate something to mark the occasion.

Thompson recalled buying a small wire-sculpture horse in Gump's, a unique California department store several years earlier. He decided to contact its artist about a much bigger project. "Louisville is horse country, and there's only one horse that can fly, so the idea of Pegasus really wasn't that hard to come by", he says.

Pegasus in storage, waiting while the terminal is renovated

Thompson commissioned artist Eliabeth Berrien of Eureka, Calif., to create the now acclaimed hanging sculpture for display in the airport.

"It's a life-sized horse with a wingspan of 17 feet", says the artist. "Even so, it only weighs about 25 pounds." The wire Pegasus took Berrien about six months to complete - "There were times when I was very glad to reach the end of the day," she remembers - and has been in place since the terminal opened, June 30, 1985.

"The wire I used was recycled, 3/32" aluminum rod," she explains, "and, as always, I didn't use any tools to shape it, only my bare hands." The artist has been creating with wire for 25 years and has made several hundred wire sculptures.

Berrien, whose specialty is animals and who has sculptures on display in various museums and galleries, modeled this creation after a two-year-old racehorse. She worked from about 30 photographs to capture the animal from all angles, and one photo was a particular help.

"The shot was taken at the horse's first race. Because he was young, he was startled at the popping flashbulbs at the finish line and jumped into the air!" says Berrian. "It was just what I needed."

Thompson, who is president of the Standiford Field Art Foundation, is pleased that the image of Pegasus has become the symbol of the Louisville airport. "I am very proud of it. It's attractive, and unique, so many people that come to our airport have their picture taken under it."

Want to order a Pegasus wire sculpture of your own, for home, office or garden? Prices start at $250.

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