DE PAUL, Christina
(b. 1959 - Pittsburgh, PA) is a sculptor who works with metal, often in large scale installations which engage the surrounding architecture. Progressive commissioned De Paul in 1999 to create a sculptural installation for this space, which she completed in 2001. SOLITUDE FOR THE IMAGINATION is composed of anodized aluminum "twigs" hanging from stainless steel cable, along with a 20' chair fabricated out of aluminum and a small shelf, also aluminum.

De Paul discusses her inspiration for activating the corner of this stairwell: "The French philosopher Gaston Bachelard, in his book 'Poetics of Space,' speaks of a corner as a haven that insures us immobility; a sort of half-box, part walls, part door. Being in one's own corner brings a peace that allows the imagination to escape its ordinary bounds. This installation is a reverie from childhood. I was sometimes sent to the corner as a school child. But instead of suffering shame in front of my classmates, I found in the corner a solace and a refuge. Indeed on occasion I purposely misbehaved so as to experience the comfort and make believe world of my corner; there, I felt as though I was sitting in a magical chair in an enchanted corner. I believe we all have psychological and physical corners in our lives to which we escape and permit our imaginations to fly."

De Paul earned her BFA at Carnegie Mellon University, PA, and her MFA from the Tyler School of Art. She served as Director of the Meyers School of Art at the University of Akron and is currently the Dean of the Corcoran College of Art and Design. Her work was included in the "Urban Evidence" exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1996, and she has exhibited her work extensively in Ohio as well as throughout the US. 2000.093