Alisa Looney - Interview
“This sculpture is about spirit and how it plays out,” says sculptor Alisa Looney about her piece, Core Energy. “This is about energy and the will to do things.” Alisa Looney, a graduate of Boise State University, has been a professional designer and fine artist since 1981 and presently owns Vision Design in Portland, Ore. where she lives with her husband, artist Wade Womack and their son Finn.
Looney says at the age of four, she began drawing and building with clay and sand on the banks of the Spokane River, in Northern Idaho. She fell in love with metal arts as a silver smith in her early years and began welding in 1998.
Core Energy, a collaboration with cast glass artist Teresa Krage of Denver, Colo., represents Looney’s dancing, with the colored focus point and the free form of the piece. “This is my interpretation of the energy of the human spirit,” she says. “It’s looking inward about what that spiraling energy means and how it drives you.” Looney says she started working on this piece and was finishing it in 2009, when her father was going through a clinical trial to treat Leukemia. Visiting with her father during chemotherapy treatments, Looney says they talked about this piece a lot. Her father lost his battle with cancer and Looney says that is why this piece is extremely special to her. “My dad loved this piece,” she says. “He taught me how to build things. That’s why this sculpture means so much. It’s about listening to your body and checking in. I hope people look at this piece and find the courage to trust their inner wisdom.” Looney says the power of inner strength is immeasurable. “The energy the body has is unreal. The body has the power to heal—emotionally if not physically.”
With Core Energy, which is made of steel and cast glass, Looney says she submitted this piece to Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center in the hopes of inspiring the viewer and having them express their feelings. She explains the dynamic energy moves from the center out, guiding our movement through the world and contributing to our state of health and vibrancy. “My intention is to capture the essence of spirit, moving through the body in a powerful and joyful way. It is my highest goal to create sculptures that bring joy, empowerment and connection to communities,” she says passionately. “I draw from years of experimental dance and movement, the place where I find my greatest moments of free expression.”
