NEWS
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Set, 2022
Cornell Complex sculptures in place for opening
by The Joplin Globe
They’re light and airy minimalist dance figures intentionally designed with beckoning gestures as if inviting people into the new Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex, which opens Saturday.
The set of three sculptures gives notice that art at the Cornell Complex isn’t limited to its interior space. These sculptures and two others — one a memorial to those who lost their lives in Joplin’s 2011 tornado — are placed around the outdoor space of the complex at Seventh Street and Joplin Avenue.
“It’s important that we have incorporated several works of sculpture on the outside of the Cornell Complex,” said Sharon Beshore, a major donor to the complex and president of Connect2Culture, which spearheaded development of it. “Architecture and art belong together.”
“Outdoor sculpture can create a feeling of accessibility,” Beshore said. “As a form of public art, sculptures can be enjoyed by many as they come and go during their daily lives, driving or walking past. We hope that the sculptures will be a welcoming symbol that can invite people into the complex.”
The three sculptural images of ballet dancers, recently installed by Lake Oswego, Oregon, sculptor Harold Linke, are at the complex’s front entrance on Seventh Street. Another, originally located at the former home of Spiva Center for the Arts, which has relocated to the Cornell Complex, has been installed near the complex’s west entrance on Wall Avenue. The sculpture designed as a tornado memorial has been placed on the east side of the Leggett & Platt Green at the rear of the complex. The latter two were created by Joplin sculptor Jorge Leyva.
The sculptures at the front of the complex were commissioned with funds specifically designated for them. The funding was donated by Beshore and her husband, Lance, along with Harry M. Cornell Jr., the lead donor in construction of the complex who died before the complex was completed. Also donating to the sculptures were the children and grandchildren of Frank Ford Jr. and Helen Ford, family friends of Cornell. Ford was an executive at Carthage’s Leggett & Platt Inc., of which Cornell was the former president and CEO.
Contemporary sculptures
Beshore was drawn to the design of the sculptures placed at the front of the complex because of their gracefulness and playfulness while spotlighting the performance arts, she said.
“These sculptures are solid white, contemporary in appearance, and will be an excellent complement to the white facade of the building,” she said.
Linke was commissioned to create the pieces in his figurative style of hollow pieces that use dance movement or gestures as metaphors for communication. To emphasize their intent to project communication, Linke keeps his designs minimal, stripped of detail, texture and color.
“I want gesture to be the important thing,” he said, noting that dance is the purest form of communication. “When you’re a human, your body is your main communication with the world.”
The theme of the three pieces, titled EnerJoy, is energy as it applies to performance, he said.
One of the sculptural figures is designed in an en pointe ballet position. One arm of the figure is aimed skyward while the other flows outward, as if pointing to the Cornell Complex as a place to go for performances, Linke said.
He said that another of the figures is in a ballet pose that represents a dancer’s spirit and energy in performances, and a third one is in a deep curtsy, projecting the energy the audience returns to performers.
“It’s what the performance is all about,” he said. “The joy and energy and your appreciation for these performers.”
The pieces weigh only 40 pounds each, belying their strength. They’re constructed of carbon fiber, the same material used in construction of airplanes, Linke said.
“Carbon fiber is stronger than steel, and it’s lighter than steel,” he said, noting that the material can withstand all types of weather and considerable wind.
Working with such materials came naturally to Linke considering his background as a civil engineer. He turned to sculpting 30 years ago after deciding to pursue a new professional direction. Sculpting seemed like a natural progression from engineering, considering that both require knowledge of building materials and creating in 3D, he said.
“It uses all of my skills in one form or another,” he said of sculpting.
Linke has more than 1,000 sculptures in private and public collections around the world, and he has garnered top awards in juried art shows in Texas, South Dakota, Colorado, and Wyoming. He is a member of the National Sculptors’ Guild.
“My goal is to put important art in important places and that’s what this is,” he said of the Cornell Complex. “This is an incredible place. It’s a beacon.”
Locally designed pieces
The complex sculptures created by Leyva are in diverging styles, though both are constructed of steel. One, Reeds in Red With Silver, is tall red reeds intermingled with houses, an homage to the idea of home and community as a sense of identity and the role nature plays in that. The sculptural memorial to those who died in the tornado is a monument that is simple in design.
Reeds in Red With Silver was originally installed outside Spiva’s building at 222 W. Third St. after the tornado. According to Leyva, the Beshores purchased the sculpture in 2013 to be part of Spiva’s permanent art collection in honor of the 10-year anniversary of the term of Jo Mueller, Spiva’s director at that time. Mueller was instrumental in development of the Cornell Complex. She retired in 2015, and she died last year.
Before the sculpture was moved to the Cornell Complex, it was given a fresh coat of paint and a permanent base was created, Leyva said. The piece will feature a memorial plate that honors Mueller.
“I think the work is moving because it became an identity for Spiva and Jo Mueller,” Leyva said. “The art is allowing Jo to live on in her connection to Spiva.”
The memorial sculpture was commissioned by the Active Lifestyle Events board, which manages the Joplin Memorial Run, an event to honor those who died in the tornado and the resilience of the community in its aftermath. Each year, the run is scheduled near the tornado anniversary date of May 22.
Several years ago, the Active Lifestyle Events board decided that it wanted some type of permanent marker to honor the 161 people who lost their lives in the tornado, said Audie Dennis, president of the board and founder of the run. The board began setting aside a portion of proceeds from the memorial run to do it, he said.
As part of the tornado anniversary observance and the memorial run, feather flags bearing the 161 names are erected, and they mark the start and the finish of the run. The initial years of the run, the flags and the run’s start and finish line were where the Cornell Complex now stands. In most recent years, the flags and the start and finish mark have been moved to Cunningham Park, which was considered ground zero when the tornado entered the city.
The board decided it wanted a memorial designed to represent the feather flags, Dennis said.
The 17-foot-tall, stainless steel memorial sculpture that Leyva designed is in the shape of a feather flag. One portion of the sculpture stands upright and bears the inscriptions “JMR 161. May 22, 2011” along one side and “Run. Remember. Rebuild.” on the opposite side. At the bottom of the sculpture the shape of a feather flag is attached horizontally, and it holds the names of those who died in the tornado.
“Our community has adopted the event and has come to associate the banners with the event,” Dennis said. “So, Jorge’s design is the perfect way to recognize the importance of the banners with this event while at the same time creating a beautiful piece of art for our community to enjoy.”
Said Leyva, “It’s artistic, yet it’s also functional as a memorial. It will be a way to draw people to be part of the art center while also recognizing those who died.”
Leyva’s sculptures similar to Reeds in Red With Silver are familiar fixtures in town, located in such places as Keller Williams Realty at 619 S. Florida Ave., the Joplin Public Library and on the grounds of his studio in the Royal Heights neighborhood.
Having been a professional artist for more than 30 years, Leyva initially built a name as a painter with his pieces going to private, corporate and museum collections worldwide, including his native Peru. He has represented the state in creating original ornaments for the White House Christmas tree, and his work has been exhibited at the Missouri Capitol.
In recent years, he has built a reputation as a sculptor with pieces installed as public art or for private collections in Springfield, Chicago, Colorado, Kansas, Tennessee, New Mexico and California.
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Jul 27, 2021
Chicago Sculpture Exhibit 2021
HOME SCHOOL, is my most recent public sculpture showing at 2751 N Inner LSD, Inner Lincoln Park @ the Diversey Driving range, Chicago, IL.
This sculpture had been in the works long before the terrible COVID-19 world pandemic. At the time I was not sure how to finish it really, since I had no much of a story to tell. It was not until early 2021 that it finally found its purpose and significance, as if the time had paused while the foundation started to find its structure during the pandemic. I first started the piece when a group of teachers from Kansas called to ask if homeschool children could stop by my studio to visit. It was an amazing experience to learn all about homeschooling and these kid’s hunger for knowledge about outdoor sculptures. I learned about the rock-solid foundation that their parents offered them at home, emphasizing that at times their home could become chaotic or lonely depending in their daily struggles. Books and reading became most important, because they had limited access to the internet, unless it was part of their schooling. They so looked forward to field trips and days of learning outside the house. But in total they all seemed happy to be home schooled, never did they regret of felt that they missed anything by being educated this way. For over a year on and off during the 2020 pandemic all parents in America experienced the way these children lived their schools’ days. And to me it gave me a reason to finish this piece in celebration of Home School.
CSE’s 20th Anniversary Celebration Event : http://www.chicagosculptureexhibit.org/news-2/events/
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May, 2019
Chicago Sculpture Exhibit 2019
Chicago is once again host to two of Leyva’s sculptures this year.
"Deconstructive Apple" is located at, 1307 N. State Parkway
“Falling Man” is located at, 3401 N. Elaine Place
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May, 2019
Powder Coated Steel
by David & Stacey O’Reilly
My art has been strongly influenced by nature and our social condition throughout most of my art career as a sculptor and a painter. With the tornado devastation of my hometown, Joplin, Missouri, in 2011, my art and creative philosophy was dramatically changed. Nature and identity became my new approach to creativity. Social concerns were no longer pivotal in the way I thought about my work. The public’s response to the aftermath of the tornado, and the importance placed on who we are as a community, transformed my work. I became aware that our sense of identity was too tightly connected to the loss of our possessions. As communities, we idolized our physical homes and placed too much importance in “things.” As nature and man-made objects come together, they grow in unison and become a renewed community. I hope that in time my pieces become symbols of strength and tenacity in a community or a family. And to me, I hope they continue to be about the spirit and heart of the people who work hard at renewing their identities.
Location: Southeast corner of Kimbrough Ave. & Walnut St.
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Jun 10, 2018
Marta Churchwell: Joplin's own Jorge Leyva laying down new sculpture in Chicago
When Jorge Leyva was a 12-year-old boy living in his native country of Peru, he used to spend his days watching his uncle do metalwork in the shipyards.
That was time well spent. The welding and metalworking techniques he learned laid the groundwork for becoming a sculptor with a growing reputation. Now a Joplin-based artist, his bright red metal sculptures are scattered across town — at the Joplin Public Library, Spiva Center for the Arts, Keller Williams Realty offices,and CFI trucking company. They’re also on a couple of residential grounds.
As of Memorial Day weekend, Chicago is the site of one of his pieces.
Levya was among about 50 artists nationwide whose sculptural designs were selected for installation in parks and other locations in Chicago. His piece, “Weighing on the Scale of Nature,” was installed at Gladstone Park, a small neighborhood park at the intersection of six streets, giving it high traffic visibility.
“It’s going to add to the environment,” Jorge says of the location. “It’s going to add to how people look at things there. How cool is that?”
Leyva’s sculpture and the others accepted into the project will remain in their present locations for a year when businesses and individuals will have the opportunity to purchase and move them to permanent sites. It’s Chicago’s way of not only promoting public art but also giving exposure to the nation’s up and coming sculptors.
“The recognition is wonderful because it tells me I’m working in the right direction,” Jorge says.
His accepted sculpture is a 20-foot-tall piece in his signature style — metal contemporary design that blends nature and homes.
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Jun 1, 2018
Public sculpture installed on Northwest Side
by KEVIN GROSS
A new sculpture was installed at the plaza bounded by Central and Foster avenues and Northwest Highway on May 25.
The red 30-foot long, 19-foot tall sculpture is titled "Weighing on the Scales of Nature," and features metal pillars and a cluster of red houses that hang in the air.
"The piece relates to how our identities are tied to our belongings such as houses, yet we still depend so much on nature to give us places where we are allowed to exist," sculpture artist Jorge Leyva said.
Leyva, who is from Joplin, Mo., said that his artistic perspective was heavily influenced by an EF5-rated tornado that destroyed much of the city on May 22, 2011, killing 158, injuring about 1,150 and financially ranking as the costliest tornado in U.S. history.
"After the tornado, suddenly social and political issues seemed not as important to me. We lost belongings, identity, people had to rebuild," Leyva said. "But in a strange way it was a rebirth, of sorts, for those lucky to make it through. It reminded me that things are impermanent."
The sculpture will be on display for a year as part of the Chicago Sculpture Exhibit. It is one of the nonprofit organization’s 56 sculptures scattered in public sites through downtown, north and northwest neighborhoods each spring.
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Feb 4, 2018
Marta Churchwell: Jorge Leyva to be honored by Missouri Arts Council
Jorge Leyva, Joplin’s most widely known sculptor and painter, will be honored Wednesday in the state Capitol rotunda for his artistic contributions. Leyva joins five other local arts leaders and organizations honored by the Missouri Arts Council since 1983. Globe | Marta Churchwell
Once again, Joplin is finding a place at the Missouri Arts Council state awards ceremony at Jefferson City.
The artwork of Jorge Leyva, the community’s most widely known sculptor and painter, was selected for the signature image of the 2018 Missouri Arts Awards poster. The work also appears on the invitation and the programs of the awards ceremony, scheduled for Wednesday in the state Capitol rotunda.
Leyva joins five other local arts leaders and organizations, including the city of Joplin, that have been honored since the MAC recognitions were established in 1983. The awards recognize people, organizations and communities that have made lasting contributions to the cultural and artistic climate of the state.
Each year, awards posters, invitations and programs feature signature artwork that is selected by a state awards nominating committee. The winning artwork represents an artist who has built both creative and civic stature.
“This year, we selected Jorge Leyva for his significant body of work in painting and sculpture,” said Michael Donovan, MAC executive director. “His impact is seen throughout the region, both in his remarkable work and his involvement with the Joplin Regional Artists (Coalition). The artwork was chosen for its gorgeous and serene image of movement and color.”
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Oct 9, 2017
Jorge Leyva: Joplin’s World-Class Artist
It’s a unique sight to see in Joplin: the expansive green lawn in front of Jorge Leyva’s home dotted with a handful of large metal sculptures. Some of them are brightly colored, while others stand gray and raw, awaiting the time when they, too, will be painted into life.
Like flowers in a garden, these exquisite sculptures bloom in their own time, in their own way. “I believe in beauty and in beautifying the place where I exist,” says Jorge.
And he doesn’t want to keep this beauty to himself. He wants others to see, feel, and experience the art themselves, which is why he’s opened his sculpture garden to the public – for free.
There aren’t many parks or other public spaces in town where people can go to see artistic pieces like fountains and sculptures. But that is beginning to change, and Jorge is playing a big part of the public art movement in Joplin.
His mission is to educate his town about “the importance of having something visual where people can participate and feel alive.” He recently dedicated a piece that he created for the Joplin Public Library called “Revering the Phoenix Effect,” which represents how Joplin rose from the dust after the tornado.
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Sep 29, 2016
Our View: Welcome to Jorge Leyva's garden
If Jorge Levya’s garden gate is open, the public is welcome to come inside. It’s not any ordinary garden, and it’s not intended to be a secret garden either.
Levya wants you to visit.
The Joplin artist and sculptor has created a sculpture garden that includes five or six works in Levya’s front yard at 1305 E. Vandalia St. in Joplin.
It’s a labor of love by a talent who believes sculpture as art is lacking in the Joplin area. And he’s right. For all the many wonderful art venues and murals Joplin has, sculptures are far and few between, although there are efforts, including a new installation soon to be finished in Mercy Park.
If you have ever walked the outside trail at Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas, you soon understand how captivating sculptures can be. Leyva plans to change the front yard view from time to time, cycling through hundreds of pieces to be on display or for sale.
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Sep 26, 2016
Jorge Leyva Studio in Joplin to open new feature — an outdoor sculpture garden
Jorge Leyva, a sculptor and painter in Joplin, is preparing to showcase his latest works in a new way — by essentially transforming his front yard into a sculpture garden that he will invite everyone to see.
"I love when people are able to walk around the works in grass," he said. "I think it attracts a lot of camaraderie, a lot of community."
The sculptures, five or six in total for now, will be on concrete pads in the front yard at 1305 E. Vandalia St., Leyva's work studio and home. The public will be invited to walk through his yard — as long as his front gates are open — and view the artwork in a respectful, responsible manner.
Leyva said he felt compelled to create such a space for his works because although public art has taken hold in Joplin in recent years, he believes that sculptures as a public art form are largely lacking in the area. He noted that big cities often boast large sculpture gardens where residents can gather and talk about the arts and culture.
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Sep 26, 2016
Jorge Leyva Studio
Sometimes I’m surprised to learn about “big city” type businesses or attractions that exist right here in our little neck of the woods.
Other times, I’m simply blown away.
This was the case last week when I walked through the doors of artist Jorge Leyva’s studio. My eyes instinctively lifted upward, absorbing the vibrant colors of the enormous paintings hung on the soaring walls.
Was I still in Joplin?
Certainly not, because the feast for the eyes that surrounded me was more likely to be viewed at a gallery in New York or Los Angeles.
Right?
Luckily for us, this talented artist chooses to live and work in our city. And, even luckier for us, he welcomes visitors into his studio so they can see his work.
Jorge Leyva Studio
Contemporary artist Jorge Leyva invites visitors to see his finished work as well as to witness his work in progress.
Metal sculptures and mural-sized paintings fill this full-time studio. From figurative paintings with metaphors for life, to the cultural influences of a rich and colorful background, his works are universal.
Call to schedule an appointment to visit the studio.
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Jun 24, 2017
A New Sculpture at the Joplin Library Draws Attention
JOPLIN, Mo. - The artist who created the piece is saying "Thank You" to those who helped fund the project in a unique way.
Joplin artist, Jorge Leva created the "Revering the Phoenix Effect" sculpture as a way to honor the city's rebirth following the 2011 tornado.
Leyva has created other works of art in Joplin, including murals dedicated to remembering the 2011 tornado.
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Jul 22, 2014
Jorge Leyva Studio by Christine
Sometimes I’m surprised to learn about “big city” type businesses or attractions that exist right here in our little neck of the woods.
Other times, I’m simply blown away.
This was the case last week when I walked through the doors of artist Jorge Leyva’s studio. My eyes instinctively lifted upward, absorbing the vibrant colors of the enormous paintings hung on the soaring walls.
Was I still in Joplin?
Certainly not, because the feast for the eyes that surrounded me was more likely to be viewed at a gallery in New York or Los Angeles.
Right?
Luckily for us, this talented artist chooses to live and work in our city. And, even luckier for us, he welcomes visitors into his studio so they can see his work.
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May 23, 2014
J O P L I N I T E OF THE WEEK
Jorge Leyva is a renowned painter, sculptor, and instigator of great art happenings. Originally from Peru, he currently resides in Joplin and has work in collections all over the world. He is a connector, a man who believes in doing whatever can be done to bring artists together and promote the arts in the community and the world at large.
I’ve posted a thing or two about Jorge in the past, and if you follow 9art, you’ve probably already seen these pictures. But you know, that was BEFORE ‘Joplinite of the week’… and if anyone is both kind enough and has a big enough personality to be featured, it’s THIS guy…
The above shot is probably my favorite. I wanted something that conveyed his artistry, of course, but more than that, his sweet, goofy, and passionate personality. So I set up this shot in his studio… the ‘bear scene’ tapestry he had hanging was very appreciated for its’ tongue-in-cheek nature. I brought in the painting (which Jorge did, of course). Then I spied the monster truck in the hallway.
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Oct 28, 2013
Sitting at the Feet of Peruvian Paintings
Jorge Leyva met with me three times during the past few months. Our first conversation happened in Joplin Avenue, my home office. Their new blender occasionally drowned our voices in the rest of the room’s white noise. We handled the second part while touring Jorge’s August exhibit at Spiva Center for the Arts. In the third, I followed Jorge around while he busied himself preparing for this invite-only show that wrapped up an October art symposium devoted to stone-sculpting friends Abraham Mohler and Bill Snow, among a dozen others.
Jorge’s personality summons one word: jolly. His gallery has room enough for Warhol-sized canvases of Tonka trucks and toilet bowls and soldier crabs, high enough ceilings to allow for huge metal sculptures, but it retains the shape of a Peruvian villa nested in Joplin’s attempt at hill country – the shell of his past surrounding a vibrant core, the three-dimensional reflection of this life he has created. Mark asked Jorge why he had a remote-controlled 4×4 monster truck in his gallery. Jorge replied, “Cause I like it.” Jorge walked around the gallery in white ankle socks, grey cargo pants, and his iconic black t-shirt. “This guy,” he drummed his finger at me, “this guy’s too serious. I don’t know if he has a goofy side.” He was a gracious host with many guests, a calm eagle feeding noisy chicks like me. I later found him in front on that yellow leather couch. With his nest painting. Before the tapestry of black bears. Foot on a red RV monster truck. King Herod among his sculptors.
I wandered around the gallery while they finished pictures. Chinese script hidden in the nest paintings high above reminded me of our first conversation in the coffee shop:
“If you stop the experimental, you might as well not write anyways. It’s an art form. That’s exactly the stuff that I do,” Jorge said. “Language is one of my favorite things. Language—”
“Are you bilingual?”
“Spanish, which is my native language. I love language because there’s primitivism there that you cannot find in anything else. Language can get… your emotions can be awakened in a manner that nothing else can do. You know what I mean? It’s a living thing.”
“The words are organisms.”
“Oh absolutely,” he said. “I mean – and I like when people like you use a tool that is kind of fickle in a way. It’s like… my God.”
“Like doing art with a frog,” I said.
“Exactly! The amazing part is when something works and the horrible, horrible thing is when somebody rejects you.”
The coffee shop blender came on and drowned out our conversation.
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Oct 10, 2011
Art Lounge visits Jorge Leyva's Studio
My name is Makenzi and last week we went to visit Jorge Leyva’s art studio.
It was a great experience to visit a local artist. We all had the privilege to walk though and talk with Jorge.
Towards the end of our visit we all sat down in his studio and did different sketches. We came together when we all had finished sketching and Jorge looked at all of our work.
He told each person what he thought of their piece or pieces. I drew a candle surrounded by darkness, to show that no matter how much darkness there maybe in the world the light will always win.
The main concept was to say that God will always stomp out that darkness. Jorge told me that by my drawing he could tell I had a lot of hope in life and that I seemed like someone who wanted to change the world.
All which is true. I really enjoyed going to his studio and seeing his art. He is a really cool and funny guy and I’m glad I had the privilege to go.
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Jul 3, 2010
Local artists looking to form regional organization
Jorge Leyva keeps a small collection of work by his contemporaries in the back of his studio. The short hallway between the office and his break room is decorated with paintings, pottery, sculptures and etchings from area artists Leyva admires.
“It’s somebody else’s art in my studio,” said the Joplin artist. “I’m honoring the creativity of other artists I consider my colleagues. It has nothing to do with how much they cost or how big they are. I invite them to come to my studio and live in the same place where I produce my own work.”
