Blurring the line between artistic and architectural with Vector Custom Fabricating
This week on The Fabricator Podcast, we speak with the creative geniuses behind Chicago-based Vector Custom Fabricating, including co-founder Steve Mueller and partner/fabricator Seth Goddard.
Mueller, along with Barry Hehemann and Mike Wilkie, started Vector in 1978 with a focus on blending artistic sculptures and architectural/structural metal fabrication. Mueller talks about the history of Vector and how it's become the longest-run public art fabrication outfit in the country. And Goddard talks about some of Vector's most notable projects, including Yoko Ono's Sky Landing instillation in Chicago's Jackson Park, Lucent by Wolfgang Buttress in the Hancock Center, the elliptical staircase at Water Tower Places, the stair railings in Wintrust's Grand Banking Hall, and more. They also talk about their numerous fabrication business partners, like Chicago Metal Rolled Products.
Jump to 10:20 for our conversation with the Steve and Seth from Vector.
At the top, the guys chat about some of their favorite big metal art sculptures, including Vector's The Bots, Rae Ripple's armadillo, John Lopez's The Revenant scrap metal piece, and the huge sasquatch from Augusta Missouri Metal Arts.
Email us at podcast@thefabricator.com with any comments, questions, or suggestions.
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ABOUT THE FABRICATOR PODCAST:
The Fabricator Podcast brings you conversations with people in manufacturing who make things out of metal. We speak with manufacturers, metal fabricators, welders, job shop owners, small business entrepreneurs, artists, marketers, educators, and more. Host Dan Davis also goes beyond discussing just manufacturing and the skilled trades, and chats about pop culture, current events, food, music, movies, comedy, and, of course, robots. The Fabricator Podcast is presented by the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association.
Host: Dan Davis
Producer/Editor: Gareth Sleger
Video Producer/Editor: Brandon Geier
Ad writer/spokesperson/social media: Sara Spring
Additional video editing: Dana Wiker
Graphics: Billy Kulpa
Marketing support: Elizabeth Gavin, Mary Diamond
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Additional support: Ed Youdell, Maurine Semevolos, Lincoln Brunner, Tim Heston, Josh Welton, Darla Welton, Rafael Guerrero, Amanda Carlson-Hicks, Callie Check, Rick Lehnhardt, Judy Steinbach.
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