James Sanborn
Encyclopedia
Jim Sanborn is an American sculptor. He is best known for creating the encrypted Kryptos
sculpture at CIA
headquarters in Langley, Virginia
.
, and his mother was a concert pianist and photo researcher. He grew up in Alexandria
and Arlington, Virginia, attending JEB Stuart High School in Fairfax
, and then attended Randolph-Macon College
, receiving a degree in paleontology
, fine arts, and social anthropology
in 1968, followed by a Master of Fine Arts
degree in sculpture from the Pratt Institute
in 1971. He taught at Montgomery College
in Rockville, Maryland
, and then for nine years was the artist-in-residence at Glen Echo Park.
, the Central Intelligence Agency
, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Themes in his work have included "making the invisible visible", with many sculptures focusing on topics such as magnetism, the coriolis effect
, secret messages, and mysteries of atomic reactions.
and its use of Newton's laws of motion
that govern the motion of an object in an inertial frame of reference
. He has also worked on pieces that implemented the Earth's magnetic field
using lodestone
s. Other sculptures have featured the science of cryptography
. One of Sanborn's most famous cryptographic works, entitled Kryptos, is featured in Dan Brown
's new novel The Lost Symbol.
The sculpture has been both a puzzle
and a mystery for those who hope to crack the cyphered messages contained within the sculpture's 2,000 alphabetic letters. In the 20 years since Kryptos was erected, three of the four sections have been confirmed to have been solved. No one has yet been able to solve the remaining 97-character message. He has also said that should he pass away before the sculpture's code is cracked, there will be a "sort of historic record" left to verify the claim.
and uranium
.
His next exhibit Terrestrial Physics
, is scheduled to be displayed in June 2010 as part of Denver, Colorado
's Biennial of the Americas. It will include a sculpture that is able to generate a 1 million volt
potential difference. Utilizing a recreated Van de Graaff generator
, Sanborn will have created a fully functional particle accelerator capable of creating nuclear fission
.
located at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland
is one such piece. A recreation of a portion of Atlantic coastline, the waves experienced here are transferred in "real time" from a monitoring station at Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Sanborn designed Indian run park located adjacent to the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Beltsville, Maryland
with inspiration from the Iroquois Nations that inhabited the area nearly 900 years ago. On this site, hundreds of artifacts by the Iroquois have been discovered, and it is estimated that thousands still remain. The artist himself has also "seeded" 10,000 arrowheads within the grounds, allowing visitors the possibility to take a piece of this work of art with them. The park, named after the original Indian Run river that once existed here, includes a waterfall and walkway resembling the snaking waterway. Also, located within the park is a bronze cylindrical sculpture written in Onondaga language
and "transcribed from the ancient oral tradition of the five Iroquois nations." At night it is illuminated with a pinpoint light that emits its text upon the surrounding environment.
1983 Kawasaki International Sculpture Symposium, Kawasaki Japan.
1984 Virginia Commission On The Arts Fellowship.
1986 National Endowment For The Arts Fellowship.
1987 Kaoshiung Taiwan International Sculpture Symposium, Kaoshiung Taiwan.
1988 Awards In The Visual Arts Grant.
1988 Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant.
1990 Art Matters Inc. Grant.
1991 Virginia Museum Fellowship.
1992 Virginia Commission On the Arts Grant.
1992 Pollock-Krasner Foundation
Grant.
1994 Virginia Commission on The Arts Grant.
1997 Sirius Project Residency, Cork Ireland.
Kryptos
Kryptos is an encrypted sculpture by American artist Jim Sanborn located on the grounds of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia. Since its dedication on November 3, 1990, there has been much speculation about the meaning of the encrypted messages it bears...
sculpture at CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
headquarters in Langley, Virginia
Langley, Virginia
Langley is an unincorporated community in the census-designated place of McLean in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States.The community was essentially absorbed into McLean many years ago, although there is still a Langley High School...
.
Biography
Sanborn's father was the head of exhibitions at the Library of CongressLibrary of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, and his mother was a concert pianist and photo researcher. He grew up in Alexandria
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
and Arlington, Virginia, attending JEB Stuart High School in Fairfax
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
, and then attended Randolph-Macon College
Randolph-Macon College
Randolph–Macon College is a private, co-educational liberal arts college located in Ashland, Virginia, United States, near the capital city of Richmond. Founded in 1830, the school has an enrollment of over 1,200 students...
, receiving a degree in paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, fine arts, and social anthropology
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
in 1968, followed by a Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
degree in sculpture from the Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
in 1971. He taught at Montgomery College
Montgomery College
Montgomery College is a public, open access community college located in Montgomery County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. in the United States. The college has three campuses, the largest of which is in Rockville; the other campuses are in Takoma Park/Silver Spring and Germantown...
in Rockville, Maryland
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
, and then for nine years was the artist-in-residence at Glen Echo Park.
Art
His artwork has been displayed at High Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. He has created sculptural works for the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
. Themes in his work have included "making the invisible visible", with many sculptures focusing on topics such as magnetism, the coriolis effect
Coriolis effect
In physics, the Coriolis effect is a deflection of moving objects when they are viewed in a rotating reference frame. In a reference frame with clockwise rotation, the deflection is to the left of the motion of the object; in one with counter-clockwise rotation, the deflection is to the right...
, secret messages, and mysteries of atomic reactions.
Sculptures
While in England studying archaeology, Sanborn endeavored to create a structure out of stone to gain a better insight on Romanesque sculptures. From this he has created many works of art that deal with invisible forces. These include the coriolis effectCoriolis effect
In physics, the Coriolis effect is a deflection of moving objects when they are viewed in a rotating reference frame. In a reference frame with clockwise rotation, the deflection is to the left of the motion of the object; in one with counter-clockwise rotation, the deflection is to the right...
and its use of Newton's laws of motion
Newton's laws of motion
Newton's laws of motion are three physical laws that form the basis for classical mechanics. They describe the relationship between the forces acting on a body and its motion due to those forces...
that govern the motion of an object in an inertial frame of reference
Inertial frame of reference
In physics, an inertial frame of reference is a frame of reference that describes time homogeneously and space homogeneously, isotropically, and in a time-independent manner.All inertial frames are in a state of constant, rectilinear motion with respect to one another; they are not...
. He has also worked on pieces that implemented the Earth's magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
using lodestone
Lodestone
A lodestone or loadstone is a naturally magnetized piece of the mineral magnetite. They are naturally occurring magnets, that attract pieces of iron. Ancient people first discovered the property of magnetism in lodestone...
s. Other sculptures have featured the science of cryptography
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
. One of Sanborn's most famous cryptographic works, entitled Kryptos, is featured in Dan Brown
Dan Brown
Dan Brown is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for the 2003 bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Brown's novels, which are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour time period, feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories...
's new novel The Lost Symbol.
Kryptos
Kryptos is the first cryptographic sculpture made by Sanborn. It was presented to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Langley, Virginia, USA on November 3, 1990.The sculpture has been both a puzzle
Puzzle
A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...
and a mystery for those who hope to crack the cyphered messages contained within the sculpture's 2,000 alphabetic letters. In the 20 years since Kryptos was erected, three of the four sections have been confirmed to have been solved. No one has yet been able to solve the remaining 97-character message. He has also said that should he pass away before the sculpture's code is cracked, there will be a "sort of historic record" left to verify the claim.
Lux
Lux was built in 2001 at the Old Post Office Building in Fort Myers, Florida. Both cylinders are made of Bronze and they stand as high as 8' with a diameter of 5'.Exhibits
Sanborn has also created works of art that reach into the realms of atomic energy and experimental physics. In Atomic Time: Pure Science and Seduction, he presented a "life-size re-creation of a hypothetical atomic lab." The exhibit featured the sculpture Critical Assembly, a three-dimensional representation of the components of an atomic bomb. The sculpture included a disassembled sphere that had been designed to hold the nuclear payload of plutoniumPlutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
and uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
.
His next exhibit Terrestrial Physics
Terrestrial Physics
Terrestrial Physics is a sculpture by American artist Jim Sanborn which includes a full-scale working particle accelerator. It will be displayed publicly in June 2010 as part of Denver's Biennial of the Americas.-Sculpture:...
, is scheduled to be displayed in June 2010 as part of Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
's Biennial of the Americas. It will include a sculpture that is able to generate a 1 million volt
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
potential difference. Utilizing a recreated Van de Graaff generator
Van de Graaff generator
A Van de Graaff generator is an electrostatic generator which uses a moving belt to accumulate very high voltages on a hollow metal globe on the top of the stand. It was invented in 1929 by American physicist Robert J. Van de Graaff. The potential differences achieved in modern Van de Graaff...
, Sanborn will have created a fully functional particle accelerator capable of creating nuclear fission
Nuclear fission
In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, nuclear fission is a nuclear reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts , often producing free neutrons and photons , and releasing a tremendous amount of energy...
.
Large-scale outdoor projects
In addition to designing intricate sculptures and exhibits, Sanborn has also turned some of his large-scale outdoor art into an interactive experience. CoastlineCoastline (sculpture)
Coastline is an outdoor sculpture by American artist Jim Sanborn installed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration complex in Silver Spring, Maryland....
located at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
is one such piece. A recreation of a portion of Atlantic coastline, the waves experienced here are transferred in "real time" from a monitoring station at Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Sanborn designed Indian run park located adjacent to the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Beltsville, Maryland
Beltsville, Maryland
Beltsville is a census-designated place in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,691 at the 2000 census. Beltsville includes the unincorporated community of Vansville.-Geography:...
with inspiration from the Iroquois Nations that inhabited the area nearly 900 years ago. On this site, hundreds of artifacts by the Iroquois have been discovered, and it is estimated that thousands still remain. The artist himself has also "seeded" 10,000 arrowheads within the grounds, allowing visitors the possibility to take a piece of this work of art with them. The park, named after the original Indian Run river that once existed here, includes a waterfall and walkway resembling the snaking waterway. Also, located within the park is a bronze cylindrical sculpture written in Onondaga language
Onondaga language
Onondaga Nation Language is the language of the Onondaga First Nation, one of the original five constituent tribes of the League of the Iroquois ....
and "transcribed from the ancient oral tradition of the five Iroquois nations." At night it is illuminated with a pinpoint light that emits its text upon the surrounding environment.
Literature
Sanborn has written a book titled In Atomic Time: Pure Science and Sculpture. The book includes images detailing his exhibit Atomic Time: Pure Science and Seduction inspired by the Manhattan Project.Selected works
- KryptosKryptosKryptos is an encrypted sculpture by American artist Jim Sanborn located on the grounds of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia. Since its dedication on November 3, 1990, there has been much speculation about the meaning of the encrypted messages it bears...
, CIA, 1990. Embedded with four ciphers, it was intended as a challenge to the employees at the CIA. As of 2010, only three of the four messages have been deciphered. - CoastlineCoastline (sculpture)Coastline is an outdoor sculpture by American artist Jim Sanborn installed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration complex in Silver Spring, Maryland....
, 1993, an outdoor wave pool sculpture at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationNational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
complex in Silver Spring, MarylandSilver Spring, MarylandSilver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
. - Cyrillic ProjectorCyrillic ProjectorThe Cyrillic Projector is a sculpture created by American artist Jim Sanborn in the early 1990s, and was purchased by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1997...
, a sculpture installed at the University of North Carolina at CharlotteUniversity of North Carolina at CharlotteThe University of North Carolina at Charlotte , also known as UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte, is a public research university located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
in 1997. - A,AA,AThe A,A is a sculpture by artist Jim Sanborn, located on the campus of the University of Houston.-Artist:Jim Sanborn was born in 1945 in Washington, D.C. He grew up in Alexandria, Virginia and attended JEB Stuart High School in Fairfax, Virginia where he studied archaeology and Romanesque cathedrals...
, University of HoustonUniversity of HoustonThe University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, erected in front of the M.D. Anderson LibraryUniversity of Houston LibrariesThe University of Houston Libraries is an academic library system of the University of Houston serving students, faculty, and the general public. The main general collection library of the system is the M.D. Anderson Library. The system has three other branches—all of them existing on-campus at...
in 2004. - LinguaLingua (Sculpture)The Lingua is a sculpture by American artist Jim Sanborn located at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.-Sculpture:Lingua is composed of Two 16' tall cylinders, with text waterjet cut in Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Ethiopian, French, Spanish, Latin, Greek, and Iroquois. It is said to contain...
located at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. It is said to contain historical text ranging from as far back as 1400 BC. - Critical AssemblyCritical Assembly (Sculpture)Critical Assembly is a sculpture by American artist Jim Sanborn which was displayed at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. in 2003...
, 2003, modeled the first atomic bombs and key experiments of the Manhattan ProjectManhattan ProjectThe Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
, which ran at the Corcoran Gallery of ArtCorcoran Gallery of ArtThe Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
. - RadianceRadianceRadiance and spectral radiance are radiometric measures that describe the amount of radiation such as light or radiant heat that passes through or is emitted from a particular area, and falls within a given solid angle in a specified direction. They are used to characterize both emission from...
, 2003, Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, erected in front of the Center for Energy StudiesLouisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
. - Terrestrial PhysicsTerrestrial PhysicsTerrestrial Physics is a sculpture by American artist Jim Sanborn which includes a full-scale working particle accelerator. It will be displayed publicly in June 2010 as part of Denver's Biennial of the Americas.-Sculpture:...
, 2009, which includes a full-scale working particle accelerator. It will premier in June 2010 as part of Biennial of the Americas.
Awards and grants
1982 National Endowment For The Arts Fellowship1983 Kawasaki International Sculpture Symposium, Kawasaki Japan.
1984 Virginia Commission On The Arts Fellowship.
1986 National Endowment For The Arts Fellowship.
1987 Kaoshiung Taiwan International Sculpture Symposium, Kaoshiung Taiwan.
1988 Awards In The Visual Arts Grant.
1988 Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant.
1990 Art Matters Inc. Grant.
1991 Virginia Museum Fellowship.
1992 Virginia Commission On the Arts Grant.
1992 Pollock-Krasner Foundation
Pollock-Krasner Foundation
The Pollock-Krasner Foundation was established in 1985 for the purpose of providing financial assistance to individual working artists of established ability. It was established at the bequest of Lee Krasner, who was an American abstract expressionist painter and the widow of fellow painter Jackson...
Grant.
1994 Virginia Commission on The Arts Grant.
1997 Sirius Project Residency, Cork Ireland.