Brown Arts

Jonathan Bonner | Gyre (1991)

Jonathan Bonner Gyre
Photo by Cameron Shaw

Jonathan Bonner

Gyre, 1991

  • Copper and granite
  • H. 90"
  • Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Chazan
  • Installed on the Goldberger Terrace, List Art Building, second floor

Jonathan Bonner’s Gyre, a gift of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Chazan sits in the Goldberger Terrace outside the second floor of the List Art Building. Atop an elemental granite base, the kinetic sculpture is activated and animated by the wind. Its site on the terrace places it in conversation with a wider view of Providence. Whimsical and contemplative, Gyre is balanced in both form and sensibility.

Bonner lives and works in Providence. Other pieces in the city include: Gaze (2010); XYZ (2007), Wolf School, East Providence; Mirth (2007) at the RISD Museum; and Facing (1999), outside the AS220 building. In addition to his local works, he has created numerous site-specific pieces for a variety of venues further afield, from Orlando to San Francisco. Whether in building lobbies or natural landscapes, his work reflects skill and creativity. He also makes smaller sculptures, works-on-paper, video, and one-syllable poems called “pooms.” Bonner’s art has been collected and exhibited in the U.S. and abroad.