Aug. 25--Bronze totems sculpted by Herb Alpert are going on display Sept. 17 on the steps of the Field Museum and will be there for the next year.
Alpert, the 1970s-era jazz musician whose name is perhaps best known when accompanied by " the Tijuana Brass," is also an abstract artist. Eight of his works, which range from 13 to 18 feet tall, will be installed on the South Steps through Sept. 2016. The "Spirit Totems," Alpert says, are loosely inspired by traditional totems he saw while visiting the Pacific Northwest in 2000. They are sculpted in bronze and covered in a black patina and have been described as having the look of frozen smoke.
The totems will take their place opposite the 55-foot "Story of Big Beaver" on permanent display in front of the Field to the north, created by traditional British Columbian carver Norman Tait and installed in 1982. Field visitors also know the pair of cedar totem poles inside in the museum's main Stanley Field Hall near the entrance of the Hall of North American Indians.
Alpert will be at the Field for the unveiling, a rare sculptor who has nine Grammy Awards and 14 platinum albums to his name. More about how they were created at herbalpertpresents.com. More about the Field's Native American collections at fieldmuseum.org.
