Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Manka
Hi stephen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in Washington, D.C. but spent my teen years in Cleveland, OH. I remember being so excited by the move to a new place. Even excited by a rust belt Cleveland circa 1985. A punchline of filth and fire. A medical text book of urban ailment. A place with much to heal but much to celebrate.
For college, I had a naive beginning as an undergrad studying architecture and languages at Miami University in Oxford, OH. This fed my desire to walk my eyeballs through unique cities, wondering what were the forces that shaped unique places such as Barcelona, Prague, Paris, and New Orleans. Wanting to understand history, geography, poetic phenomena, collective decisions, life celebrations, and urban patterns that bind community. I would sketch the architecture in pen and ink, and watercolors, delighting in the stone work, tiled patterns, lofty roof lines and jagged towers that punctuated the skylines.
Public spaces became my focus at Kent State University receiving my Masters in Architecture. I came to see Public Art as the equivalent to body piercing or acupuncture at an urban scale. Pinning places with mysterious, challenging concepts that binds people to that place. The range of possible solutions were wide open.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. Finally at the age of 53, my urban art of developing unique concepts and the ability to make things is finally converging. Each project gets better, more thoughtful, sometimes more confrontational, and hopefully with more vibration to it. Countless missteps and dumb decisions no doubt helped me become a better problem solver, always scramble to make corrections. Getting myself out of the trouble I created.
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Each project presents its own new challenges that I get to work my way out of with a resulting sculpture.
Challenges of forging relationships with honesty and generosity. And not being too emotionally brittle and more forgiving of others and myself. Learning to be patient in the process. Not rushing, not getting injured, and learning how to enjoying the process. Realizing each project opportunity is unique and will not be replicated.
I still feel I have much room for improvement.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I create large scale urban sculptures for public spaces. This might mean a concept that is confrontational, or humorous. Something mysterious or simply beautiful. Usually its a combination of these and other impactful qualities. In the end I look at my work as creating instruments thru which people to can love and contemplate their public places and hopefully foster connection to each other.
I like large metal structures and lighting them at night with programmable color. I want to promote interaction with the installation. Something to walk thru, sit on or gather around.
Not many people decide to go down the road I find myself on. Its very challenging and absorbing. But very rewarding.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I’m open to ideas.
Contact Info:
- Email: mankadesignstudio@gmail.com
- Instagram: manka_design
