Phyllis Baker Hammond
Phyllis Baker Hammond’s career spanned over seven decades. She started her professional career sculpting in clay, in the 1950’s in Japan. In later years, she worked in bronze creating large scale angelic forms and the Will Award for the American Shakespeare Theatre Company. While in her 80’s, she began to work in sheet metal creating large abstract sculptures. In 2017, she was commissioned to create “Beyond the Edge,” a series of sculptures installed in Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza at the United Nations in New York City. Hammond is known for creating the “Redefining Space,” a 12 foot sculpture installed in Ube, Japan commemorating the bombing of Japan in WWII.
Hammond uses an improvisational method to create her colorful sculptures from sheets of metal that are later bent, hammered and then powder-coated in brightly colored paint. Her work has been a favorite among collectors across the nation and her collection has been shown in numerous galleries and universities.
In 2017, “Beyond the Edge” by Phyllis Baker Hammond was installed at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, a park directly north of the United Nations headquarters, which serves as the gateway to the United Nations.
“Phyllis Hammond has created five new sculptures for Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, entitled Tempo, Alien, Flying, Gateway, and Sign of Freedom. Exhibited together under the title Beyond the Edge, the steel and aluminum sculptures feature narrow stem-like bases topped by whimsical, kinetic elements that rotate in the wind. Hammond uses an improvisational method to create her colorful, large-scale sculptures. The metal cutouts are based on playful, looping doodles on paper that she scans and modifies using a computer program. Once the drawings have been refined digitally, the designs are cut from sheets of metal using a water jet machine. After the metal shapes are hammered, bent and welded into curved shapes, they are powder-coated with brightly colored paint.” - Friends of Dag Hammarskjold Plaza
