Artwork copyright Jean Whitesavage and Nick Lyle. Photo courtesy of the artists.

Artwork copyright Jean Whitesavage and Nick Lyle. Photo courtesy of the artists (detail).

Artwork copyright Jean Whitesavage and Nick Lyle. Photo courtesy of the artists (detail).

Yellow Bells, 2009

Jean Whitesavage and Nick Lyle
Jean Whitesavage (American (born 1960)) - Nick Lyle (American (born 1958))

Location: City of Connell, Connell

About the Artwork

Artist team Jean Whitesavage and Nick Lyle created Yellow Bells as part of six large-scale, forged-steel sculptures. They placed the sculptures on a walking path in Connell, Central Washington. Each sculpture represents a different native prairie flower or local crop. They celebrate Connell's heritage of farming and close relationship to the land. Impressed by the expansive landscape, the artists noted, "it's big sculpture for big country."

The yellow bells flowering plant is a member of the lily family and is native to Washington State, as well as most of the West Coast. They are less than 8 inches tall and have one or two 3/4-inch, bell-shaped flowers. They flower after the snow has melted, from March to June.

Check out the grades K-2 lesson plan for this artwork, linked as a PDF under "Lesson Plans and Documents".

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with City of Connell.

About the Artist

Jean Whitesavage and Nick Lyle are an artist team who create hand-forged metal sculptures and installations for public and private spaces.
Whitesavage earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia, and a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.
Lyle earned a Bachelor of Arts from Williams College, Massachusetts, and studied glassblowing and metalwork at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.