In Oklahoma, the red earth and the expansive blue sky are the two natural components that let me know I am in Oklahoma and nowhere else. Through all of the State’s history, the red soil has played a crucial role in the development of place. It has been staked and claimed, worked and tilled, excavated and drilled. All the while, the big blue sky has served as the pure backdrop to these actions. In my proposal, I seek to bring these two natural elements together…to lift the red earth to the sky and to bring the blue sky down to the earth. In this proposal, the Oklahoma earth and the Oklahoma sky meet. The sculpture is composed of 53 stacked and welded layers of 6” high x 3/8” thick steel “rings.” These rings transform from a perfect circle at the base to a more organic form at the top and are composed of either arcs or straight lines. Conceptually, the red earth is represented by the circles and arcs, while the sky is represented by the straight sections. As the form lifts towards the sky and becomes more organic in its section, polished stainless steel panels are attached to various straight sections to create reflections of the blue Oklahoma sky and surrounding environment.