Christmas in the Sky, rain and intense heat couldn’t stop the return of Quilt Kiosk at the corner of McNeil and Texas Streets downtown, but artist Bruce Allen laughingly admits that they could slow it down.
Quilt Kiosk post-accident
When an SUV crashed into the public art sculpture created by Barbara Abbott, Frances Drew, James Avant, Raymond Davis, Ruth Foster, Betsy Hamilton, Randolf Johnson, Charles Moore, Donna Moore, Sam Muse, Amy Schmidt, Judy Scott and Terri Stevenson, on June 8, 2020, there was concern that it was so damaged it would have to be removed.
SUV vs. sculpture. Both lost.
The Downtown Development Authority believed it could be saved and wrangled with the insurance company for two years for a settlement that would allow the hiring of a repair artist. When the Shreveport Regional Arts Council reached out to artist Bruce Allen, he willingly took on the job which included not only the reapplication of tiles and pottery but structural repairs.
Bruce Allen at work.
A year and half later, it is finished.
Quilt Kiosk, today.
Allen says having a template to follow was helpful, but he had to make several attempts to figure out the original artists’ techniques and to make the new tile application match the older sections. He figures that it took more than 40 hours just to install the pottery pieces, many of which were donated by people downtown.
Pottery attached to the mesh backing.
You can see a variety of gifted items that make up the new leg of Quilt Kiosk. When you take a look at the sculpture now, you see old bank mugs, plates, tiles, bits of pottery and a handlebar mustache from Bruce’s Dad. The challenges – the rain, the heat- have been worth it and Bruce says it turned out even better than he envisioned. We’re glad to have the kiosk back and hope that it will remain intact!
Original Repair Story from June 29, 2022
A downtown public art piece that was seriously damaged in a car crash on June 8, 2020, is coming back to life.
One of the two original Quilt Kiosks on opposing corners at Texas and McNeil Streets.
The works, by Barbara Abbott with assistance from Frances Drew, James Avant, Raymond Davis, Ruth Foster, Betsy Hamilton, Randolf Johnson, Charles Moore, Donna Moore, Sam Muse, Amy Schmidt, Judy Scott and Terri Stevenson, have had a hard life.
Named Quilt Kiosks because the tile gave the feeling of old piecemeal quilts, the sculptures on the SW and NE corners of Texas and McNeil Streets have suffered due to negligent drivers. The Kiosk on the SW corner was destroyed by a car more than a decade ago, and then in 2020, the other was hit and seriously damaged.
June 8, 2020 crash into the Kiosk. This was a one-car accident and we’re pretty sure the Kiosk wasn’t at fault.
There was initially desire to remove the work, but we advocated for it to remain as we negotiated with the insurance company.
Immediately after, the DDA filed a claim with the rental SUV driver’s insurance company and it has taken until now to reach a settlement. (Tenacity counts)! Our downtown art partner, Shreveport Regional Arts Council, hired noted local artist/sculptor Bruce Allen to repair the work. Allen has experience in a variety of mediums, including metal work and plaster.
The repair has already begun, exposing the beauty of the leg underneath that has been hidden by the structure that was destroyed. Go see this now, soon, it will be hidden from view again. Bruce has cleaned up the structure and is doing the metal work in his studio.
The remaining Quilt Kiosk today.
Allen will soon move to the site for the tile work and this is where we need your help. He is asking for donations of pieces of historic crockery or tile for the new leg of the work. The tile on the rest of the sculpture is a variety of colors and styles, but all were donated to the work as a way of keeping thoughts and memories alive. If you have a donation, you can get it to us at 416 Cotton Street, 8:30-5:00 M-F, or to the Shreveport Regional Arts Council at 801 Crockett Street, M-F- 8:30- 5 pm. It would be neat seeing your piece as a part of permanent downtown artwork!
