October 1983. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 16 × 25 × 15 in (41 × 64 × 38 cm).
Corporate Collection: Luck Stone Corp. - Richmond, VA
Big Go-Round (1983) was John Van Alstine's second major public commission and his first corporate installation, created for the headquarters of Luck Stone Corporation in Richmond, Virginia. Standing approximately sixteen feet high, the sculpture combines massive granite with fabricated steel in a sweeping circular composition that marked a pivotal shift in the artist's work—from the tightly structured "Nature of Stone" sculptures of the 1970s toward a more fluid, lyrical vocabulary inspired by landscape, motion, and organic growth.
Commissioned by one of the nation's leading producers of crushed stone, Big Go-Round celebrates both the material from which it is made and the dynamic forces that shape the earth. Rather than depicting industry directly, the sculpture transforms stone and steel into an image of balance, movement, and renewal. The project proved to be an important milestone, leading to a long series of large-scale public commissions that would define Van Alstine's career over the following four decades.
MORE INFO: Big Go-Round chapter in AMERICAN MONUMENTS
October 1983. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 16 × 25 × 15 in (41 × 64 × 38 cm).
Corporate Collection: Luck Stone Corp. - Richmond, VA
Big Go-Round (1983) was John Van Alstine's second major public commission and his first corporate installation, created for the headquarters of Luck Stone Corporation in Richmond, Virginia. Standing approximately sixteen feet high, the sculpture combines massive granite with fabricated steel in a sweeping circular composition that marked a pivotal shift in the artist's work—from the tightly structured "Nature of Stone" sculptures of the 1970s toward a more fluid, lyrical vocabulary inspired by landscape, motion, and organic growth.
Commissioned by one of the nation's leading producers of crushed stone, Big Go-Round celebrates both the material from which it is made and the dynamic forces that shape the earth. Rather than depicting industry directly, the sculpture transforms stone and steel into an image of balance, movement, and renewal. The project proved to be an important milestone, leading to a long series of large-scale public commissions that would define Van Alstine's career over the following four decades.
MORE INFO: Big Go-Round chapter in AMERICAN MONUMENTS
