Nancy Holt
Preparatory drawing for East-West Locators (ca. 1972)
Graphite pencil on paper
16 3/4 x 13 3/4 in. (42.5 x 34.9 cm)
© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York
Nancy Holt
Preparatory drawing for East-West Locators (ca. 1972)
Graphite pencil on paper
16 3/4 x 13 3/4 in. (42.5 x 34.9 cm)
© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York
This drawing depicts East-West Locators, first presented at the John Weber Gallery at 420 West Broadway in SoHo, New York City. In the drawing, Holt describes the Locators as “fixtures” and notes that she is “buying land so I can do permanent ones in different configurations outdoors.” Although in 1972 she realized Missoula Ranch Locators and developed an idea for an outdoor Locator work for at the intersection of West 12th Street and Greenwich Avenue in New York City, she did not purchase land until she identified the site for Sun Tunnels (1973–1976).
In 1972, Nancy Holt made East-West Locators for a group exhibition titled Five Artists at the John Weber Gallery in New York City. A pair of Locators sit on the east–west axis near the windows of the exhibition space. The exhibition also included Tour of the John Weber Gallery, an audio work that describes East-West Locators.
In this 1972 drawing, Nancy Holt develops an idea for an outdoor Locator work for a site she referred to as the “Village Triangle,” at the intersection of West 12th Street and Greenwich Avenue in New York City. She indicates that the three Locators are made of two-inch galvanized steel pipe and should be installed 40 feet apart, set in concrete in the ground. This site-specific sculpture remains unrealized.
