Ancient Way Sculpture Trail Ribbon Cutting Gala - Please Join Us on July 22nd at 5:00 pm

The Ancient Way Sculpture Trail is built and ready to fill with more sculptures! We will be having a community event on Saturday, July 22 from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.. We will meet at the Ancient Way Cafe at 5:00 and walk up towards the trail. We have great events planned for the evening! From 5:00 - 6:00 we will have an Armored Fighting League contest for your viewing pleasure. These guys are the real deal - they are in full armor with swords, axes, etc and have skirmishes within a closed area. If you have not seen this, it is unique and great fun to watch!

From 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. we will serve a light dinner while we enjoy the music of JASON and MELISSA. This awesome duo has been grooving their sound for over a year here now - you will like them very much.

At 7:30 we will walk the sculpture trail, which takes about 30 minutes and currently features five different artists. Over 50 slots are available for artists that wish to contribute their magic to this amazing trail. Most of the sculptures as of now are from John Gleason, and they must be seen! Below is John's bio. See you on the 22nd!

John L Gleason

John L. Gleason is a nationally known sculptor whose

vibrant spirit and generous nature extends to his work. He does not shy from issues

in life or in his art. John believes that the function of art is to encourage thought in

the artist as well as in the viewer.

As the artist, he finds it important to search out challenges for creativity and

composition. He expects his work to be fresh and fascinating to each new viewer. In

our chaotic world, his sculptural work in copper and other metals evokes a feeling of

comfort.

For the art spectator, John thinks art should describe the concerns, passions, and

intentions of our culture—from pleasure to artistic freedoms to social awareness. “I

have developed my skills with metals, my intrigue for contemporary composition,

and my passion for changing the Earth’s elements into art. Art is not just something

I want to do, it is something I MUST do…I have been pulled in art’s direction since I

was small. Today I find that while my energy for creating is obsessive, it is also

centered…my art is fulfilling…I hope you will find it satisfying, too.” Through the

process of heating established metal compounds, John creates diverse sculptures

with 20th century technology such as solder, oxygen acetylene torches, and MIG

welding. John works in copper as well as other tactile materials such as canvas,

ceramics and glass.

Among other exhibitions his work has been featured in solo and group shows by the

Apollo Group and Chandler Arizona Center for the Arts. Recently he has fulfilled

commissions by clients in New York City, Virginia, Texas, California, and Arizona for

large scale artwork. He has many pieces in the permanent collections of Western

International University and BMO Harris Bank. Survivor, a collaboration with Jacque

Keller and now at home in Oklahoma, won 1st place award for the NEA's Call of the

Wild show. He holds many awards for Best Collection, Viewers Choice, Collaborative

Best of Shows, and First Place Awards.

John’s artwork is collected by public, corporate, and private art patrons and can be

seen in collections across the nation. His work is currently represented by his

company Quan’tum Art, Inc. in Old Town Scottsdale. (Arizona)