"Allochory" / Tempo Public Art 2019 / Jamie Spinello
​Creation of this public art piece was funded by the City of Austin, Art In Public Places, Tempo 2019 Program.

{Nov 8-Nov 30th }
Edward Rendon Park at the corner of Nash Hernandez Senior Rd and Chicon St.  East Austin Studio tour stop #456. 

'Allochory' is a 7ft tall abstract sculpture of a Red Yucca seedpod. Smaller abstract seedpods are nested within it, inviting the viewer to experience it from multiple angles.  When looking down into the center of the piece, the viewer will experience a kaleidoscope of light play and structural harmony reminiscent of a temple ceiling.

Fabricated in Aluminum and assembled and bent into shape at my studio. All joints are engineered with precision and cold connected together with bolts and rivets.

photo courtesy of Phillip Rogers

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​"Asclepius Ecclesia" / Tempo Public Art Sculpture 2018 / Jamie Spinello
Creation of this public art piece was funded by the City of Austin, Art In Public Places, Tempo 2018 Program.

photo courtesy of Phillip Rogers

Created for the City of Austin in 2018, my aluminum sculpture is an abstraction of a native central Texas plant, the Antelopehorns Milkweed, scientific name “Asclepias Asperula”. My love for the Antelopehorns milkweed started when I was driving home through the fields of prairie land that surrounds my neighborhood and noticed that areas of the field looked as if someone had placed random popcorn balls scattered throughout the field. Curious, I pulled over to investigate. As I approached these popcorn ball-like forms dotting the landscape I realized that they were plants, space-pod Buckminster Fuller looking plants that I had never seen before, clusters of flowers writhing in motion. 

​I have never encountered another plant before or since with such a wide spectrum of wildlife dependent upon it. Sadly, that field has since been turned into an apartment complex.  The scraping and replacement of native plants within the city of Austin is an ongoing issue we face as more condos and new developments move in on every inch of open land. We can help re-establish native habitats for native plants and insects by incorporating more native plants into our home gardens. ​

 "Asclepius Ecclesia", Aluminum and Stainless Steel, 4.5' x 4.5', 2018
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​Over the years I have collected many milkweeds from construction sites slated to be turned into parking lots and successfully transplanted them into my yard. I have also collected flowers and taken molds of them and then cast them in Sterling Silver or Bronze, incorporating them into my sculpture pieces and my jewelry designs. 

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​Links to native seed suppliers and Texas native plant organizations

Buy Antelopehorns Milkweed seeds: milkweed seeds
Native Plant Society of Austin:    https://npsot.org/wp/
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: https://www.wildflower.org/plants-main
Central Texas Seed Library, Austin, Tx  https://library.austintexas.libguides.com/seedsandgardening