Conscious and Crossroads; details shared on final sculptures

Posted

The final two sculptures added to the scenery in Wayne include Crossroads, created by Jon Kamrath, and Conscience, by Travis Apel. 

Kamrath formed “Crossroads,” which resides at the corner of Third and Main Streets, of steel and aluminum.  

This sculpture explores the organic lines found regularly in geometric designs, according to the artist. 

“I find it fascinating to see the way nature eventually takes over and softens the edges of all human creation,” Kamrath said.  

“Crossroads” embraces this concept, celebrating the visual beauty of humankind’s relationship with nature.  

Additionally, “Conscious,” also made of steel and aluminum, sits at Second and Main Streets by Cruise and Associates.   

Apel, of Omaha, has received several grants and awards for his art throughout the years.  

Most recently, ArtistGrant.org gave Apel a grant in 2021.  

In 2020, he earned a People’s Choice Award for public sculpture at Art on the Campus in West Des Moines, Iowa.  

He also acted as a cohort member of the Alternate Currents Working Group and a 2019 Work In Progress Fellow, both through Amplify Arts.  

As a mid-career artist, Apel has developed artwork through Nebraska artist residencies at BarkerArt Hot Shops Art Center, Kimmel Harding Nelson Arts Center, El Museo Latino, Mary Our Queen Catholic School, and Mayflower Mobile Gallery.  

Apel is a 1994 Missouri Silver Scholarship recipient from Kansas City Art Institute. He has exhibited throughout the Midwest, New England, and has collections nationwide.