Sculpture by
Michael Alfano

Locations for
Viewing

Inquire About
Monuments & Public Art

mail@michaelalfano.com
(508) 435-4613
11 School St., Hopkinton, MA 01748

Monuments and
Other Public Art by Michael Alfano

This sculpture of the Loursso Family memorializes the enormous generosity of their foundation to Cape Cod organizations, ranging from the hospital, to youth groups, to human services. It is located at the Barnstable Historical Society's first permanent home, acquired thanks to the foundation, and is located very near the home where the Lorusso's lived. In 1971, Paul and Lila Lorusso established the Lyndon Paul Lorusso Charitable Foundation after their only son, Lyndon, died in an accident at age 17. In the design, Michael captures universal roles as well as relationships among family members. With the expressions, Michael coveys a glimpse into a different future, when the family will not be united in this same way, and also conveys the foundation's motto, "Looking forward while giving back". The monument includes a bench with space for others to sit, depicting the Lorusso's welcoming nature.

Installation required a crane to place the granite base and heavy, bronze sculpture. It's one of the last steps in the process of creating a work of public art, which took over five years in all.

Lorusso Family
2013, Life Size, in Bronze
Barnstable Historical Society, Barnstable, MA

Legendary sports advocate, especially for the Boston Marathon in the early 1900's, George V. Brown has his starter's pistol ready to send off the runners at the Common in his hometown of Hopkinton, MA. The Hopkinton Athletic Association awarded the sculpture commission to Michael, a modern-day town resident and marathoner. A maquette of the monument is at the Marathon Museum in Marathon, Greece.

George V. Brown--The Starter
2008, Life Size, in Bronze
Starting Line of Boston Marathon
Hopkinton, MA

This bronze plaque is featured on the balconies of the Park Union building in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood. As part of the building's renovation, the American Development Group commissioned Michael to create this bas relief sculpture of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch, which can be seen from the building at the Grand Army Plaza, the main entrance to Prospect Park. As a remarkable project and a stunning building, it was the subject of a New York Times Sunday edition article, which includes photos of the plaque.

Park Union Plaque
2013
Bronze, 18"x18"x1/2"
Brooklyn, NY

The sculpture of Brianna "Breezy" Titcomb welcomes soccer players at the entrance to the 10-acre Breezy Park, home fields for the Cold Spring Harbor and Huntington Youth Soccer Club. This depiction of Brianna in action is a memorial to her cheerful spirit and dedication, as well as a call to end the crime of drunk driving. Brianna, a cherished member of the club, was killed by a drunk driver at age 13, in 2005.

Brianna "Breezy" Titcomb
2012
Bronze, 5'x4'x3' (Life Size)
Huntington, NY

Journey
2008, Life Size, in Bronze
Zion Union Heritage Museum, Hyannis, MA

Journey, at the Zion Union Heritage Museum in Hyannis, MA, honors the contributions that African-Americans and Cape Verdeans have made to Cape Cod and the Islands for hundreds of years. In the sculpture, the figure holds the globe, his hands spanning the Atlantic, denoting the continental migration. His stride and stance reflect the continuing journeys that spanned the eras of the slave trade, abolitionism, and the civil rights movement. He has the world of his future in his hands. The sculpture was commissioned and given to the museum by the Lyndon Paul Lorusso Foundation.

Museum Board President Harold Tobey and Treasurer Donna Tobey with Journey. See Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick visiting Journey, with John Reed and Harold.

The Town of Norfolk, Massachusetts commissioned Michael to create a sculpture memorializing the events of September 11, 2001. On 9/11 in 2003, the bonded bronze and granite monument was dedicated at a ceremony on the town common. In 2011, on the 10th anniversary of the event, a bronze version replaced the original.

The sculpture's shape implies that of the World Trade Center. Thirteen figures atop the tower surround and support a globe, symbolizing that peace requires people from around the world to draw together. The sculpture rests on a five-sided base, representing the Pentagon, and the "93" on the firefighter's hat symbolizes the flight number of the hijacked plane that crashed in Pennsylvania.

In 2006, the town of Clifton, NJ permanently installed the 9/11 memorial at their Arts Center.

In 2011 and 2012, the town of Lenox, MA is displaying the 9/11 memorial.

Small-scale model available for purchase.

One World United for Peace
September 11th Memorial
Bronze and granite
78"x30"x30"

In the Holocaust Monument, the man points to a brighter future. The woman looks back in horror, portraying the lost past. Leading them, the child pulls the woman from the past to the future.

Holocaust Monument,  2001
Bronze, 84"x72"x72"
(120% Life Size)
Jericho Jewish Center, NY

Hands of God
6"x3.5"x3.5"
Resin

When designing a monument, Michael creates multiple maquettes to develop design ideas. This is one model for the Holocaust Monument. The reverse side includes a Star of David inscribed with the Hebrew for "Remember".

The Children's Holocaust Memorial was dedicated on November 12, 2006 to the 1,500,000 children who perished. It was inspired by a photograph from the Auschwitz Album and includes a contemporary girl who offers hope. Viewers can stand between her and the victims, linking the past and present to help internalize the commitment, "Never again."

Children's Holocaust Memorial
2006, 110% Life Size, in Bronze
Temple Emanuel, Great Neck, NY

Stand Up, Speak Out was created with the support of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Long Island Chapter, Students Against Drunk Driving, and the Nassau County Traffic Safety Board. It received national attention due to its original placement at the Nassau County Courthouse--defense lawyers successfully contested that its presence could unfairly bias jurors in drunk driving cases. The sculpture was then located at the Nassau University Medical Center. In 2010, the county moved the memorial to Eisenhower Park and rededicated it in a moving ceremony.

Stand Up, Speak Out, 1998
Cold Cast Copper
10'x7'x5' (120% Life Size)
Eisenhower Park, Nassau County, NY

On May 23, 2006, the Sculpture of Hope and the Garden of Awareness were dedicated. (The bronze figures were unveiled in December 2001 and displayed in Nold Hall until 2006.) This memorial was commissioned by the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Long Island Chapter. Framing the sculpture is a 75-foot long Wall of Remembrance, built with bricks bearing the names of victims. An area of the wall symbolically broken by a drunk-driven car is being repaired by two figures who represent every person determined to rebuild broken lives and transform the anguish into meaningful change.

Sculpture of Hope, 2006; Bronze, Over Life Size; Farmingdale State College, NY

This sculpture is near West Hills, NY, the beloved poet's birthplace. In it, Whitman sits on a tree stump, while a butterfly rests on his finger. From the full figure, Michael created a casting of the head that can be mounted on the wall.

Walt Whitman, 1996
Cast Stone
42"x36"x30" (3/4 Life Size)
East Meadow Library, NY

Ethics of Peace was created with a fellowship from the Newington Cropsey Academy. It aims to distill the issue of peace into a single, comprehensible image, converting complex verbiage into the wholly visual medium of sculpture.

In the title, ethics means the study of ideal conduct. To that end, the sculpture tries to provide a model for the ideal conduct that will help individuals live in peace, that is, live in harmony with other people and nations. But equally important is peace with oneself.

The central figure in the sculpture seeks inner peace by questioning, by living non-judgmentally, and by having the courage to make the hard changes necessary to attain the innocence of children. Since the problem of violence is man-made, the solution must also be man-made.

Ethics of Peace, 2000
Bronze on a granite base
36"x36"x36" (1/2 Life Size)
Georgetown University Schools of Medicine and Dentistry
Washington, DC

This portrait sculpture honors Mother Clelia Merloni, who founded the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy in 1894. Commissioned by the order, it was unveiled on July 1, 2007 at the Provincial House's beautiful memorial garden in Hamden, CT. Michael also created a maquette (small-scale model of the sculpture) for their provinces around the world. See photos of the ceremony.

Mother Clelia Merloni, 2007
Bronze, Life Size
Provincial House, Hamden, CT

In June 2007, a life-size sculpture of Daniel Weadock was unveiled at the International, a private club in Bolton, MA. Set on a golf course, next to a pond, it features Daniel, former owner of the club, and a grandchild feeding fish in the pond, while a fox watches. It was commissioned by Daniel's family and friends, who remember Daniel as extending a hand not just to wildlife, but to all of those around him. In the serene and beautiful setting, Daniel's family still surrounds him, represented by boulders positioned in the landscape.

Daniel Weadock, 2007
Bronze, Life Size
International Club, Bolton MA

Cubed is a sculptural puzzle in nine pieces, each in a different skin tone. It forms two faces: a male on one side and a female, inverted, on the other side. You can rearrange the sculpture to make interesting abstract designs, and even fun seating and tables. You can watch a video and learn more about Cubed
Inquire about display or purchase..

Tabletop maquette, white resin, 4.5"x4.5"x4"

Cubed
48"x48"x48"
Resin, Ltd. Ed. of 100

Gates of Transcendence is a face, ten times larger than life, split down the middle, representing two sides to every situation. It addresses the idea of transcendence in a number of ways, which the viewer can experience from multiple views.

When you face this monumental portrait, you tend to think about life as a whole and its big challenges. From behind the sculpture, you can look through the eyes, as if looking through someone else's eyes, to see a different perspective. Walking through the Gates of Transcendence is like taking a symbolic journey, breaking free from the habitual facades we all sometimes adopt, and into a clear new view of life.

Gates of Transcendence
72"x24"x24"
Resin or Bronze, Ltd. Ed. of 10
Inquire about display or purchase.

Peace Offering is a full-size bench suitable for outdoor or indoor use. While the dove conveys the hope for peace, its tail transforms into a hawk, representing hostility. The dove's wings become open hands, which might be ours, in an asking, a weighing, or an offering pose. Or they might belong to a larger force that welcomes two people to sit down and discuss their differences. This sculpture represents some of the many aspects of attaining peace. It is a expression of Michael's Soka Gakkai Buddhist practice, with the intention of contributing to peace and culture. Inquire about display or purchase.

Tabletop maquette 11"x6"x3"; Resin, Ltd. Ed. of 250; or Bronze, Ltd. Ed. of 25

Peace Offering (Functional Bench)
67"x33"x19"
Bronze, Ltd. Ed. of 25
Resin, Ltd. Ed. of 100

A regular aspect in my work is the use of negative space to draw attention to the intangible. In Wired, space between the profiles can allude to the many aspects of a person that aren’t obvious. Furthermore, it asks what connects those aspects through the seemingly empty medium. Each profile can also be seen as a different person, all of them similar but having a slightly different view. They form some whole, but what is the whole they form and what is it that connects them? One can see a “universal” head created by the totality of the profiles.

The light in the base of the sculpture illuminates the profiles at night, and with the overall shape similar to a light bulb, the sculpture represents the collective nature of a bright idea. When the faces are shaken, it illustrates an energy between each profile. The top is loose, almost looking like hair sticking up after someone’s received an electric jolt or looks like a person considered to be “wired.” The lone, rusted piece subtly commands attention, signifying change and decay. The title alludes to the many interpretations of the word, including the physical and environmental wiring within us as well as the ways we are connected in the electric and digital worlds.

Wired is constructed from 6' bent steel rods, welded onto a large reclaimed cable spool. The spool made the perfect base, fitting the theme of the sculpture and working perfectly with the design. The interior support for the rods is also made from an existing pipe, cut to fit. Salvaging and reusing the cable spool was not only rewarding but added an element from the electronic past to the sculpture.

Wired
72"x48"x48"
Stainless Steel
Inquire about display or purchase.

Michael made the first small metal dancer from a 55-gallon oil drum, transforming an industrial remnant into a graceful objet d'art. These dancers move with the wind or when touched. They come in stainless steel, in colors or uncoated, and small or large sizes. Each is unique as Michael shapes the steel based on its characteristics and the vision he has. Inquire about display or purchase.

Dancer
Stainless steel, Large about 72" high, Small about 36" high

Running Wheel is a fun, interactive, sculpture with an engaging design and multiple levels of interpretation. It depicts 26 realistic legs in a wheel formation, symbolizing the 26 miles of a marathon. Viewers can spin the sculpture so the legs appear to be running. The blur they create is similar to the sea of legs observed in a large road race, like the Boston Marathon. The sculpture represents the democratic nature of the sport of running, where nearly anyone can participate, not merely athletic elites. Running Wheel can also be seen as a metaphor for a marathoner's endless routine, or for the busy lives people lead.

Running Wheel
72"x40"x10"
Resin and Stainless Steel
Inquire about display or purchase.

Michael created Winged Foot for The Art of Running, a public art project associated with the start of the marathon in Hopkinton, MA, as a fundraiser for the Cultural Arts Alliance in the town, with support from the Hopkinton Athletic Association. Resin castings of the foot are decorated by selected artists, with themes that interpret the marathon. For more photos and information, see The Art of Running.

Unpainted faux bronze or white resin castings are available, as are small resin castings, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the project.

Landmarks, Winged Foot
Resin, 54"x54"x20" (Five times life size)
Painted by Maura Conron
Photo by Kathleen Culler
Inquire about display or purchase.

Sculpture by
Michael Alfano

Locations for
Viewing

Inquire About
Monuments & Public Art

mail@michaelalfano.com
(508) 435-4613
11 School St., Hopkinton, MA 01748