Waterjet Panels Provide Art and Function

Husband and wife artists, Blake Conroy and Nicole Fall, turned to Peifer Waterjet to help make their vision a reality. In 2018, Nicole received a grant from the Gutierrez Memorial Fund for a community design program at the Brooklyn O’Malley Recreation Center in South Baltimore. Nicole, a teaching artist for over 30 years, worked with the youth at the Boys & Girls Club over the summer of 2019 to develop ideas for window grilles for the Center. The final concept was to highlight the actual students participating in various activities. The students were photographed playing sports and other outside activities. Those photos were given to Blake, who then drew them into the computer, using Adobe Illustrator and Rhino CAD programs. Peifer Waterjet took Blake’s CAD drawings and cut the 52″ X 78″ silhouette panels from 1/4 inch aluminum. Backer panels were cut to size from 1/8 inch flattened expanded metal. The silhouette panels were then blasted, primed and powder coated a bright yellow and the backers a gray-white for contrast. The 2-year project, was installed with help from the artists’ friends and staff of the Boys & Girls Club – bringing art and community together.