New as a permanent fixture on the plaza of Thalia Mara Hall is a steel sculpture by New York artist Jack Howard-Potter entitled “Dancer 12.” The sculpture, 12’ x 7’ x 5’ weighing 625 lbs., commemorates the 12th time the International Ballet Competition will be held in Jackson, Mississippi. This commissioned public art is sponsored by Downtown Jackson Partners. The Dancer 12 Statue was designed to fit in V&S Amboy’s galvanizing kettle. The statue was made specifically for the hot-dip galvanizing process, keeping the size, warping and draining all in mind for an outstanding galvanizing and powder coating finish.
Howard-Potter uses his knowledge of human anatomy and skills as a metal worker to create large scale figurative sculptures. The goal is to take steel, a rigid hard material, and give it a sense of movement and fluidity. His sculpture, Gendron, is coated in a hard red powder coating finish. The artist likes to use bright colors to make his work stand out from the landscape. V&S Amboy has been working with Jack Howard-Potter for years and he loves the look, durability and corrosion performance of the hot-dip galvanizing.
"Galvanizing is crucial to every large-scale sculpture I make, and I could not display these sculptures outside without V&S, hot-dip galvanizing every piece of my sculptures ensures that the underlying steel will remain corrosion free and protect them to last well beyond my lifetime!" - Jack Howard-Potter