Page 19 - HIWT Winter 2013 World of Welding

hiwt@welding.org HOBART INSTITUTE OF WELDING TECHNOLOGY

INDUSTRIAL ART

By Marty Baker
Editor

Several pieces of metal sculpture and fine art have been brought to our attention recently by Samantha Dalkilic-Miestowski
(“Sam”) owner of The Steeple Gallery, Ltd. in St. John, Indiana, 45 miles south of Chicago. The gallery opened in 1999.

Sam is a Ball State graduate in Fine Arts, majoring in sculpture. She subsequently studied in southern France and assisted in
opening art galleries in several European countries. Sam encourages visitors to come and “experience the delicacy of emotions
orchestrated by the colors, images, and visions of the artists.”

Sam says, “The Steeple Gallery specializes in original steel-themed fine art, paintings, and sculpture, showcasing artists, metal
artists, and fine artists who choose to use steel as subject matter or as a medium.”
Sam’s major in college was sculpture.

“I loved welding for my upper level sculpture classes,” she continues. “I grew up in the 1970’s and ’80’s in ‘The Region’[of
Chicago], with a father as a vendor to the steel mills. I had friends whose dads worked in the mills. I was surrounded by
the industrial landscape of the steel mills, with proximity to Chicago architecture, including the monumental outdoor steel
sculptures of the famous Picasso in Daley Plaza and the renowned red sculpture by Calder. These things have shaped my
personal love for structural steel construction and monumental sculpture. All items, whether steel or bronze were made from
steel created locally. Buying local has been a huge campaign of The Steeple Gallery. I continue to promote industrial art in the
forefront to let people know it is a valuable art form and significant piece of our
national heritage.”

One of the artists represented by The Steeple Gallery is Richard De Pirro. Icon
pictured on the right is his creation. Richard used oxyacetylene welding with
copper, brass, and bronze for the mask. Areas are built up with melted stick rods
using shielded metal arc welding. Richard is a retired secondary school art teacher
who has been making sculpture and art for
over 60 years.

Sam also carries a few pieces that were
created by Brian Mikesell, welding instructor
at Kokomo Area Career Center. Brian
does this as a hobby and creatively makes
the motorcycles from scrap supplies. The
motorcycles are made of cold rolled steel
with copper coated filler wire for the handle
bars. (Continued on page 20)

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