December 14, 2011
Editor’s Note: In June 2010, Omaha by Design and the Omaha Public Art Commission launched www.publicartomaha.org, which celebrates the important role public art plays in the civic life of the city. Below is the 14th in a series of installments on the art and artists featured on the site.
Work – Union Pacific Jade Twist
Artist – Lee Lubbers
Owner – University of Nebraska Medical Center
Completed – 1978
Medium – Steel
Dimensions – 9’ x 17” x 17”
Description – Abstract geometric, steel discs and tubes
Location –UNMC campus in a courtyard near Wittson Hall (near 42nd and Emile)
Train enthusiasts are sure to appreciate this particular work of art at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Mike Albert in memory of Lucyle Albert. The vertical material is a hammered railroad train axle, and the base is a train wheel. Union Pacific allowed artist Lee Lubbers to use its machine shop to “squish” the train axle in its hydraulic presses. Millions of tons of pressure was applied to flatten and then twist the specially hardened steel axle into the oval shapes.
Send us your photo next to “Union Pacific Jade Twist” or any other work featured on www.publicartomaha.org and we’ll publish it on www.omahabydesign.org. If you include this sign in your photo, we’ll send you a Public Art Omaha button or magnet (Midwest Photo Pro, Kayla Meyer and Sarah Tracey did). Email your photos to info@omahabydesign.org. Be sure to include the name or names of the people in the photo and the date it was taken. Questions? Call 402.554.4010.
If you’re interested in preserving or expanding Omaha’s public art for future generations, please consider donating a work of art or contributing to the Preserve Omaha Public Art Fund. For more information, visit http://www.publicartomaha.org/pages/get_involved/donate.