Spirit of Space
Bob Emser

Steel and Aluminum, 2007
7' 6" high, 7' wide,
2' 6" deep

Located on the Terre Haute Arts Corridor at the Swope Art Museum, 25 South 7th Street.

Bob Emser lives and works in Eureka, Illinois.

Art Spaces gratefully acknowledges:

• Duke Energy Foundation

• Sheldon Swope Art Museum Collection Fund

• Alliance of the Swope Art Museum

• Dr. James and Beverly Cristee

• Lucien and Alane Meis

Spirit of Space is part of the permanent collection of the Swope Art Museum.

Located in the heart of downtown Terre Haute, Bob Emser's Spirit of Space is anchored in front of the Swope Art Museum along the Terre Haute Arts Corridor.

The artist's work was inspired by his interest in aviation, which began long ago through a fascination with the mechanical engineering world of his father and a model airplane hobby they shared.

He has retained an interest in structure which informs much of his work and there is interplay between a final "surface" and the appearance of the structure that supports it. The structure becomes, in a sense, an integral part of the visible art.

Spirit of Space is made of stainless steel and painted aluminum, and like many of Emser's works, is a reference to the pioneering spirit of aviation and nautical history. His sculptures are also metaphors for his personal experiences.