James Peniston

James Peniston (1973- ) is an American sculptor whose monumental bronze works include "Gregor Mendel" (1998)cite web |url=http://www.jepsculpture.com/mendel.shtml |title=James Peniston Sculpture: Work: "Gregor Mendel", 1998|accessdate=2007-11-08] and "Keys To Community" (2007).cite web |url=http://www.fpaa.org/child/KeysToCommunity.html |title="Keys To Community", Fairmount Park Art Association|accessdate=2007-11-08]

"Keys," a nine-foot bronze bust that portrays Benjamin Franklin turning to greet a visitor, sits at the front of Girard Fountain Park in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The sculpture was commissioned in 2003 by the city's arts agency and was unveiled and dedicated on Oct. 5, 2007.cite web |url=http://phillyist.com/2007/10/05/first_friday_fu_9.php|title="First Friday Fun," 'Phillyist, October 5, 2007 |accessdate=2007-11-08] It replaced "Penny Franklin," an acrylic sculpture by Reginald E. Beauchamp that was covered with 80,000 pennies collected from local schoolchilden, and which had deteriorated and been removed. [http://blogs.phillynews.com/inquirer/sceneonroad/2007/10/big_heads.html "Big Heads," Scene on the Road] , blog post by The Philadelphia Inquirer photographer Tom Gralish, October 22, 2007. Retrieved October 29, 2007.] Peniston won the commission with a proposal that echoed the spirit of the older work. Over two years, the sculptor visited two dozen Philadelphia elementary schools, where he talked about Franklin's activities as a community-builder. He also asked the students to bring in a spare key to be worked into the sculpture, and ultimately collected more than 1,000 keys. "The keys, worked into the statue's surface, are meant to represent the role of community organizers, donors and volunteers in making projects around the city possible," wrote one local newspaper.cite web |url=http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm?newsid=18897552&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=619086&rfi=6|title="Ben Franklin Is Busted," "Philadelphia Bulletin," October 9, 2007 |accessdate=2007-11-08] Even more students became involved through a penny drive mounted by the Philadelphia Fire Department, which collected some 1.8 million pennies in 500 local schools to help fund the casting. The firefighters also added their own touch to the sculpture: When the molten bronze was poured for the work, they cast in brass nameplates representing fallen colleagues from four centuries of service.

"Mendel", a seven-foot bronze statue that portrays pioneering geneticist Gregor Mendel holding a peapod, was commissioned by Villanova University, installed in 1998, and stands in the courtyard at the front of the university's [http://www.villanova.edu/artsci/biology/facilities.htm Mendel Science Center] .cite web |url=http://www.uwishunu.com/2007/10/03/artist-spotlight-james-peniston/|title=Interview: "Artist Spotlight: James Peniston," uwishunu.com, October 3, 2007|accessdate=2007-11-08]

External links

Geolinks-US-hoodscale|39.952414|-75.146301 ("Keys To Community")
*Artist's own site: [http://www.jepsculpture.com James Peniston Sculpture]
* [http://www.philart.net/artist.php?id=312 Peniston's entry] at Philadelphia Public [e-mail].
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegrumpymonk/sets/72157602259982149/ Photos of the installation of "Keys To Community," October 3, 2007] , Flickr.com.

References