In Deborah Butterfield's hands, debris from landfills and demolition
sites, such as rusty wires, crushed heating ducts, broken twigs, and
bark are infused with an extraordinary lifelike quality. With horses as
her only subject, she uses gestures such as the tilt of a head or the
angle of a leg to convey and define a specific energy at a precise
moment. During the 1970s Butterfield created numerous horses out of
sticks and mud, bringing the animals' environment into art galleries.
In Woodrow (1988) (a piece done for the Garden and named after her
father-in-law), the "sticks" are made of bronze, making it possible for
this horse to survive outdoors. When producing this work, Butterfield
discovered that the strength of the bronze enabled her to make the
piece without an armature-a discovery that opened up new formal
possibilities.
Walla Walla Foundry, Washington
commissioned for the
Minneapolis Sculpture
Garden, 1988
(gift of Edson
and Harriet Spencer
88.375)