Art News

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art retains three scumak sculptures by Roxy Paine

KANSAS CITY, MO.- Artist Roxy Paine’s sculpture-making machine has been churning out sculptures, called Scumaks, in Bloch Lobby at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art since April. Three of the sculptures, donated by Paine and James Cohan Gallery, will be retained by the Museum. The more than 40 sculptures were winnowed down to five choices by Jan Schall, curator of modern & contemporary art. From those choices, the public, the Museum staff and volunteers, and the Museum’s Board of Trustees voted for their favorite. The public chose #20, staff and volunteers chose #1, and the Board of Trustees chose #24. “All of Roxy Paine’s work addresses the relationship between what occurs naturally and that which is technologically produced,” said Jan Schall, Sanders Sosland Curator, Modern & Contemporary Art. “The organic configurations that result from this sculpture-making machine