Fannie May Salter Salute
28′ x 12′ x 12′
Rough swan pine, and fabricated steel
2018
2018 Open Studio Fellow
Artist Statement
Fannie Salter Salute is an interactive sculpture comparing and contrasting many different variations of a tower. Drawing inspiration from peculiar memories related to homesteading on a small farm in upstate New York, I utilize materials and concepts reminiscent of the farmyard landscape in conversation with distinct surrounding environments or ideas. Fannie Salter Salute mocks a grain silo, a lighthouse, a water tower, an observatory, and a space probe all at once. The end result is strangely relatable yet still other worldly in its function. It begs for interaction offering contemplative spaces interior and on top. The viewer completes the sculpture while traversing up the staircase to the raised deck, allowing a full experience. The title alludes to the works layers of meaning. Fannie May Hudgins Salter was the last lighthouse keeper at Turkey Point in Maryland from 1935 to 1947. It was Fannie’s job to fill the lamps with oil and switch lenses multiple times a day. If the light went out at night, she awoke. These jobs no longer exist as lighthouses are now automated. The structure offers a similar nostalgia to that of stories like Fannie May’s.
Dane Winkler
Born: Troy, New York, USA, 1990
Resides: Greensboro, NC, USA
Education
MFA, University of Maryland, 2016
BFA, State University of New York – Plattsburgh, 2012