Public Art Rainbows Have Nothing to Hide

Rainbows are natural phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on droplets of moisture in the atmosphere. Michael Jones McKean, a former artist-in-residence at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts and now a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, has been conducting tests on rainbow creation for many years. In June 2011 McKean will install The Rainbow Project, a site-specific public art installation, at the Bemis Center in hopes of capturing the community’s imagination and engaging the center in wide-ranging conversations about art throughout Omaha, Nebraska.

The Rainbow Project will produce rainbows twice a day for 15 minutes using rainwater harvested from the roof of the Bemis Center and solar energy. The Project relies on a series of high-powered jet pumps and custom fountain nozzles to spray water into the air. The commercial irrigation equipment is timed in order to create a dense wall of water that mimics a rainstorm, creating all necessary conditions for rainbows to be formed. A customized rooftop downspout system will allow the harvested water to be recycled after it plays its part in the rainbow creation. The pumps are powered by a system of photovoltaic panels generating renewable electricity. A solar system will be used to generate the power necessary to spray the water. So, in the end, the rainbow is created using only rainwater and sunlight — just like real rainbows.

Depending on the angle of the sun, amount of sunlight, atmospheric conditions, and other factors, each rainbow will have different qualities and characteristics. McKean believes that visitors may be able to see rainbows from up to 1000 feet away and even walk through them.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Michael Jones McKean, a multi-media artist, strives to explore the complexity of human experience with the certainty of pure belief. McKean draws on a wide array of influences, including gardening, custom cars, set design and imaginary mythologies. Through his synthesis, McKean nudges his viewers into recognizing that they live in a bigger world, while simultaneously reminding them of their individuality.

McKean is the recipient of numerous awards, most recently a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship.  McKean has also been the recipient of numerous Artist-in-Residence grants at programs throughout the United States. Michael’s work has been shown extensively nationally and internationally. The artist’s work is represented by galleries in New York City, Berlin, Germany and Houston, Texas. He currently lives in Richmond, Virginia where he teaches in the Sculpture and Extended Media Department at Virginia Commonwealth University.

SOURCES: Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, inhabitat, Michael Jones McKean