Art Sculpture Walk
Art Walk Albert Lea is excited to be accepting submissions for its first sculpture collection! Local artists will have the opportunity to have their pieces displayed on and around the various beautiful walking paths throughout our town to be enjoyed by the community. There are no specific visions for the sculptures, so we encourage you to get creative with your choice of weatherproof medium! Area artists of all skill levels are invited to submit draft ideas for their proposal. Artwork guidelines along with additional information on the project can be found here. We look forward to seeing your submissions!
How Do I Get Involved?
Meet the Artists
Charlie Graham
Founder of
"mORE THAN YOU KNOw Metal Art"
I came up with the name mORE THAN YOU KNOw and the symbol when I was 15 years old with vague dreams of having a hiking and camping brand. My goal has always been to get people to step outside of their everyday lives and see that there is so much that goes into making items. Think of the shirt you are wearing. several processes were involved to make it. A plant had to grow, be harvested, stored, shipped, processed into fabric, dyed, cut to shape, sewn, marketed, and finally sold. We will never fully experience what all went into it, but to just think about all the small parts making a big process helps me think that I’m not insignificant.
I have been working in a custom fabrication shop in Waldorf MN repairing agricultural equipment and custom projects for the last 9 years. I started without any experience or schooling, but despite that, I have worked up to a professional level of welding. Ever since I was in my teens I have liked making little gifts or functional everyday items from pieces of trees or metal. I intend to make my soul income from designing art and custom metal items like one-of-a-kind lamps, end tables, table frames, bed frames, etc in the next 3 to 5 years. I would like to primarily build 4’ to 60’ sculptures. I hope to build a 21’ DNA strand sphere in 2024.
Graceful Brokenness
The name of the sculpture is Graceful Brokenness.
This piece represents a person that is heavily burdened and blown backwards but still taking a step forward.
It is all 14 gauge stainless steel and weighs about 250-300 lbs. Each piece took 20 to 60 min to form, using a hammer, vice and anvil. The build spanned 5 months, taking place in my 3 season porch.
I started with an idea, then I worked on a drawing and came up with scale measurements. I went off of these as I worked. I had a plan. Despite the rough angles and indented pieces, I see a graceful curve in the arms and a ballet like pose in the finger. I also see pride in the chest, similar to a gymnast after sticking a landing. ‘Graceful Brokenness’ represents not an entire lifetime, but a chapter of life. As I was building the sculpture there were moments when others saw a mess, but I could see the finish before I started.
The sculpture has jagged edges, indents, points sticking out and seams that don’t meet up. Each piece is unique. As each section of life takes place, some are more rough or leave us with dents. As my life is formed and moves, I sometimes feel like I’m being hit by a hammer and shaped, then as that piece of life is welded in place and a new section is started, an image is formed. In my hardest days I complain and yell out, but I also hold onto God’s promises and trust that He knows what He’s doing and that He has a plan for me.
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…. your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” Psalms 139:13-16.
Graceful Brokenness is for sale: $16,000
Contact Charlie via email: morethanyouknow2014@gmail.com
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