Pothole Positives

CMU School of Art Professor Kim Beck cast these glass sculptures in the negative spaces of Pittsburgh potholes. While the potholes themselves are jarring, Beck’s Pothole Positives are recast as gems — shiny objects that elevate the lowly pothole to something of beauty. The casts record a specific moment in time and place, one moment in the evolution of the pothole. They are also a way trying to hold on to a particular moment in time and place, trying to find a stable point when even the road is eroding, shifting and changing. The Pothole Positives range in size from 6-13” diameter.

Pothole Positives were supported by the Pittsburgh Glass Center and Microgrant #2019-037 from the Frank-Ratchye Fund for Art @ the Frontier. The sculptures were presented in the group exhibition “Don’t Touch My Circles” at Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco. More images of the project can be found in this archive.