The Indiana Arts Commission has commissioned a Bedford limestone sculptor to create the 2013 Governor’s Arts Awards which will be presented this fall during a special awards program at the Carmel Center for the Performing Arts.
Growing up in southern Indiana, William Galloway was captivated by the natural elements around him. He discovered his fascination with art and his aptitude for math, an unusual combination. His interest in art led to studies at Indiana University, where he also focused on philosophy and religion. At that time, the lack of available instruction in stone sculpture techniques prompted him to explore the indigenous stone carving industry.
Galloway began working with Indiana limestone in the 1980s, apprenticing under the renowned carvers Henry Morris and Clarence Hayes at the Bybee Stone Co. in Ellettsville. He achieved the position of Master Carver at Bybee and led projects including the carving of window tracery for the National Cathedral and statuary for the Iowa State Capitol.
Now working independently, Galloway maintains a reputation as one of the best sculptors in the Indiana stone belt. He founded Angelo Stone Co. in 1994, and began receiving commissions from architects, individuals and stone carving companies.
“Stone carving is the dark horse of traditional Indiana art,” Galloway said. “I was thrilled to be presented with the opportunity to offer a design proposal to the Governor’s Arts Awards selection committee for this year’s award. I am honored to have my proposal selected to represent this important award.”
Inspired by Indiana’s limestone tradition of making artistically beautiful pieces that travel throughout the world, Galloway’s proposed award piece is structurally based on the spires that he carved for the National Cathedral. Using the same techniques and materials used in the Cathedral’s upper spires, Galloway will carve the heavy limestone into thin dancer-like figures, while maintaining the stone’s strong central axis, producing a visually impressive award.
Galloway was selected from a field of traditional artists from around the state invited to submit proposals to create the awards.
“This will mark 40 years since the inception of the Governor’s Arts Awards, and it seems fitting that one of Indiana’s oldest traditional art forms should represent this year’s awards,” said IAC Executive Director Lewis C. Ricci.
In 2011, Cicero glass artist Ben Johnson crafted the awards presented to opera singer Sylvia McNair, concert harpist and educator Susann McDonald, arts advocate, volunteer and patron June Edwards, educator, actor and writer Mark Fauser, concert pianist and educator Alexander Toradze, and the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
For more information about the Governor’s Arts Awards, visit the IAC at www.in.gov/arts/2332.htm.
Examples of Galloway’s work can be found at www.gallowaystonecarving.com.