Selected through a competitive invitational process to serve as the curator and art program manager for the Deborah Berke Partners designed headquarters for the Cummins Distribution Business Unit in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Completed in January 2017.

Rendering by Deborah Berke Partners of New York.

Kendall Buster (American, b. 1954)
Torque Moment Torque Momentum, 2016
Powder coated steel and shade cloth forms suspended from stainless steel aircraft cable
Installation area is approximately 32 x 36 feet

This lightweight, uplifting, and elegant site-responsive sculpture is designed to evoke the wonder of complex systems—from the micro level of the engine to the macro level of Cummins’ global distribution network. The work speaks to the core concepts of precision and the dynamic interconnectedness of parts to a whole.

In considering the language of the constructed engine, the design of the artwork has its genesis in the idea of the rotating circle. The template for the design was developed by beginning with circles and cylinder shapes, and then generating in the studio three-dimensional forms through a process not unlike machine lathing. The aim was to create unique sculptural parts that individually and in configuration suggest both the delicacy of mechanical engineering line drawings and the complex workings of the machine.

The black and white oil painting is Continuo, 2015, by Valerie Jaudon (American, b. 1945)

(This and remaining photos are by Hadley Fruits.)

Kendall Buster was born in Selma, Alabama. Before pursuing an education in art, she studied microbiology and earned a degree in Medical Technology. She went on to earn a B.F.A. from the Corcoran College of Art and Design, a M.F.A. in Sculpture from Yale University, and to participate in the Whitney Museum’s Independent Study Studio Program. She has become well known as an artist who can effectively combine her knowledge and love of art and science to create stunning site-specific installations. Buster has exhibited around the world and her permanent installations can be found in places such as the U.S. Embassy in Rabat, Morocco; the convention center in Washington D.C.; the San Francisco International Airport; Johns Hopkins and Princeton universities; and more. Currently, Buster lives in Richmond, Virginia, and teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Odili Donald Odita (American, b. 1966)
The Wisdom of Trees, 2016
Site-specific wall painting
Six paintings approximately 9 feet 8 inches high by 50 feet 6 inches long, found on levels three through eight in the social hubs of the building (levels 3 and 4 pictured here)

Inspired by a visit to the Miller House and Gardens in Columbus, Indiana, and by research into Cummins’ commitment to sustainability and the environment, Odita conceptualized The Wisdom of Trees specifically for the Cummins Distribution Headquarters. This is the artist's largest wall painting to date. 

Odili Donald Odita (American, b. 1966)
The Wisdom of Trees, 2016
Site-specific wall painting (level 4)

Inspired by a visit to the Miller House and Gardens in Columbus, Indiana, Odita writes that he is “spirited by the use of texture, color, and light…but also struck by the amount of water needed to maintain the gardens.” Sustainability is not just about our ability to reuse and create a smaller footprint. It is about our ability to adapt and survive. He continues, “I am using the symbol of the tree in my designs as a metaphor for adaptability and change. The patterns I will implement within each hub take on a zig-zag, and weaving movement. On the odd floors, this movement will take on the appearance of a ‘hearth’ or arch over the elevator hallway. As the pattern moves upward to the even floor, the design will expand out in an open, and upward embrace. It is my intention to have the overall design flow up through the building in an undulating expanse similar to the movement of trees. The design is to rise, and expand and connect the floors in patterns of variance and change.”   

Odili Donald Odita (American, b. 1966)
The Wisdom of Trees, 2016
Site-specific wall painting (levels 5 and 6)

Emily Kennerk (American, b. 1973)
Jennifer Riley (American, b. 1965)
Big Bright Steel Cummins Inc., 2016
Powder coated steel remnants and wall paint
Installation area is approximately 18 x 45 x 7 feet

The duo was commissioned to create an installation for this public-facing window on Market Street (Indianapolis's Main Street). The work is composed of a mural painting and brightly powder-coated steel remnants harvested from a Cummins manufacturing partner, Noblitt Fabricators of Columbus, Indiana. Instead of becoming scrap, the steel plates have been harvested, repurposed, and used as sculptural material by the artists in an installation that abstractly references Cummins’s global network and its commitment to sustainability, the environment, and its partners in manufacturing and distribution. 

Emily Kennerk (American, b. 1973)
Jennifer Riley (American, b. 1965)
Big Bright Steel Cummins Inc., 2016

Jonathan Borofsky (American, b. 1942)
Human Structures #3, 2005
48-color screenprint
42 ½ x 60 inches, edition of 35

Julian Opie (British, b. 1958)
Walking in London 1, 2013
A series of five lenticular acrylics presented in aluminum frames specified by the artist
Edition of 50

Julian Opie (British, b. 1958)
Walking in London 1, 2013
A series of five lenticular acrylics presented in aluminum frames specified by the artist
Edition of 50

Dorothy Stites Alig (American, b. 1959)
Consider Yourself, 2016
Ink and acrylic on panel, a series of 16 pieces
Installation area approximately 60 x 48 inches

Consider Yourself is an installation based on Carl Jung and ultimately the Myers Briggs test. Alig has imagined eight symbols to represent eight personality characteristics resulting in 16 panels representing 16 different psychological types. Installed outside of leadership training room, viewers may pick the panel they like best and using the key on the adjacent signage determine if their favorite panel matches their personality type. The artist hopes to encourage conversation and respect for our similarities and differences.

Zoe Keramea (Greek, b. 1955)
Sea Serpent, 2016
Hand-folded black paper and thread in five parts

Keramea explores enfolded surfaces using sculpture, printmaking, drawing, and ceramics. In Sea Serpent, she has created an innovative way for a recurring “C” shape to emerge and disappear into the wall.

Marco Querin (Italian-American, b. 1978)
Generation of Power, 2016
Wool and cotton
4 x 5 feet
Leading to the hallway into the conference center

Michael Milano (American, b. 1977)
pleats, 2015
Canvas, thread
32 x 52 inches 

Shawn Causey (American, b. 1969)
Mark Daniell (American, b. 1968)
Sweet Stripe, 2016
Nylon, wood, and hardware
40 x 166 x 10 inches

Pre-function area of the conference center.

Shawn Causey (American, b. 1969)
Mark Daniell (American, b. 1968)
Sweet Stripe, 2016
Nylon, wood, and hardware
40 x 166 x 10 inches
Pre-function area of conference center

The viewer activates the piece by moving past it. Each perspective reveals new color harmonies. The piece is comprised of 13,440 feet of string (2.5 miles). Each of the 3360 strings is hanging independently, weighted with its own fishing sinker concealed in the bottom compartment. The composition is made of 27 colors including the black background. The wood compartments are engineered to cantilever from the wall while supporting the weight, perfectly aligned top to bottom to achieve the optical effect.

Robert Indiana (American, b. 1928)
LOVE, c. 1973
Screenprint
38 1/8 x 38 1/8 inches with frame
Boardroom

Kysa Johnson (American, b. 1974)
Two original painting from her blow up series, 2014
High gloss paint and ink on board
20 x 16 inches each
Pre-function area of the conference center

Artworks by Jason Middlebrook, Paula Scher, and Buckminster Fuller are on one side of the hallway leading into the conference center. 

Jason Middlebrook (American, b. 1966)
White Out, 2014-15
Acrylic on maple
26 x 25 x 1 ½ inches

Paula Scher (American, b. 1948)
The Dark World, 2006
Hand-pulled screenprint
40 X 60 inches, edition of 25

Buckminster Fuller (American, 1895-1983)
1928 4D house, 1981
United States Patent Office file no. 1,793, submitted April 1, 1928

1933 Motor Vehicle-Dymaxion Car, 1981
United States Patent Office no. 2,101,057, filed October 18,1933, serial no. 694,068, granted December 7,1937

Screenprints, 30 x 40 inches each

Niko Luoma (Finland, b. 1970)
RAMIFICATION, 2012
Diasec / archival pigment print
67 x 55 1/8 inches
Edition of 5, with 2 Artist’s Proofs 

On the right:
Erwin Redl (Austrian-American, b. 1963)
CNC Palimpsest Print #5, 2014
1 from a series of 7 monoprints, hand-burnished on Fabriano archival paper with oil based ink
5 x 10 feet

Also seen are the two Fuller prints and the original pieces by Marco Querin and Zoe Keramea. 

Nancy Graves (American, 1939-1995)
VII. Sabine D Region of the Moon Lunar Orbiter Site IIP-6 Southwest Mare Tranquilitatis, 1972
VIII. Geologic Map of the Sinus Iridum Quadrangle of the Moon, 1972
Lithographs on Arches Cover white paper and Mylar with chine collé
25 ½ x 30 inches each

Alyson Shotz (American, b. 1964)
Fundamental Forces, 2010
Suite of 6 silver gelatin prints—2 installed here
16 x 24 inches each, edition of 10 

Jean-Pierre Hébert (French, b. 1939)
From 24 Views of the Metagon, 1998
Inkjet drawings on Somerset paper
19 x13 inches each, edition of 12

Dan Walsh (American, b. 1960)
From Folio C, 2015
Suite of five etchings
22 ¾ x 22 ¾ inches paper size, edition of 35

Ray Charles White (Canadian, b. 1961)
Dune Studies series, 2014
Carbon pigment prints
17 x 22 inches

Sandy Litchfield (American, b. 1966)
Ambri Caan, 2014 & Oscanofra, 2014
Gouache on paper
16 x 19 ½ inches and 16 x 22 inches

David Morrison (American, b. 1956)
Sycamore Series 2, 2003 and Stick Series No. 5, 2015
Colored pencil on paper
21 x 17 inches and 14 x 20 ½ inches

Karen Margolis (American, b. 1954)
Compendium, 2016; Yin Yang, 2014-15; Terrestrial, 2015
Watercolor, gouache, graphite, map fragments, thread on Abaca paper
14 x 11 inches each

Rebecca Riley (American, b. 1960)
Cloudburst 1, 2014, 15 x 18 inches
Cumulative Cloud 2, 2015, 12 x15 inches
Cumulative Cloud 5, 2015, 21 x 21 inches
Cumulative Cloud 4, 2015, 18 x 19 inches
Maps on paper

Greg Whitaker (American, b. 1965)
Pipeline Truck, 2016
Pipeliner, 2016
Archival Giclee prints
16 x 24 inches each