Close Encounters at Safi Studio

On the inaugural Gallery Night of 2011 Safi Studios (in the LL of the Marshall Building) debuts Swingline 1: a single sculpture; a singular magic moment in time, right out of Close Encounters. It’s almost of the “third kind,” but not quite.

By day, Milwaukee native Sheila Jones is the Imaging Coordinator for Miller Coors, and for 3 ½ years has labored preparing their documents. Part of the prep is removing staples, or so says this lady. As the pile of staples grew over two years, she decided to save them in a box. The pile grew; the size of the boxes grew too. And thus was birthed her sculpture.

So what is a mountain of staples doing in swell little Safi Studio? Jones has no education in art and her sculpture is pure happenstance. Or is it pure luck? One of the owners of Safi, artist Tom Kovacich, also works at Miller Coors.

“I’d guess there are approximately 500,000 staples in Swingline 1,” Sheila says. “Once you pull them out of the documents, they still have hooks and curves, and so they hold each other together.”

Rather beautifully, I must say. When asked if she plans to expand her artistic output, say by moving on to play with paper clips and rubber bands, she says she’s decided to stick with staples.

Swingline 1 opens Winter Gallery Night, Jan. 21, at Safi Studios, located in suite LL8 of the Marshal Building. For more information and gallery hours, click here.