(untitled)

According to artist Kent Bloomer:

The studio examined several possible locations for ornamentation at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau. Of all the potential sites, the atrium seemed a prominent and ideal location for embellishment. Within the lobby, we considered multiple locations but found that running a sculptural frieze below the first balcony level was the most successful. Imbuing a sense of intricacy to the structure serves to enliven the architecture of the lobby as well as to pay respect to the significance and majesty of the courthouse. The content of our relief sculpture is universal: a foliated chain that marks and encloses the principal space of assembly and orientation. The intricate rhythm of the sculptural band adds a sense of order and human scale to the large volume of the lobby.