Artist Talk: Dave Holbrook’s "Ripple Effect"
Friday, October 9, 2:00 - 3:00 pm, included with Paid Museum Admission. Through images and personal reflections, Holbrook shares his creative process behind bringing a large-scale public artwork from concept to installation, including the challenges and rewards of working in bronze and stone.
Oct 09, 2026, 2:00 PM
Cape Cod Museum of Art, 60 Hope Ln, Dennis, MA 02638, USA
About
Orleans sculptor Dave Holbrook discusses the inspiration, design, and fabrication of Ripple Effect, his monumental bronze and granite public sculpture installed at the corner of Main Street and Brewster Cross Road in downtown Orleans. The eight-foot-tall Ripple Effect features three oars that reference Orleans’ Indigenous history, maritime heritage, and the connections between past, present, and future.
Through images and personal reflections, Holbrook shares his creative process behind bringing a large-scale public artwork from concept to installation, including the challenges and rewards of working in bronze and stone.
“I believe that we are fundamentally unchanged in nature, regardless of adopting and adapting to a seemingly mandatory technological evolution. I use common forms, such as platonic solids, natural objects, and recognizable, everyday items to recall or recover their fundamental sufficiency, as well as to suggest their potential absurdity. In a restless world, there is no peace. It surpasses understanding.”
The discussion will also explore the broader role of public art in shaping community identity, creating meaningful public spaces, and fostering connections among residents and visitors.
Dave Holbrook is a self-taught sculptor working primarily in wood. His work has been featured in juried exhibitions including the Bristol Art Museum in Rhode Island, the Cape Cod Museum of Art, Cotuit Center for the Arts, and the Provincetown Art Association Museum. His permanent, public sculpture, “Ripple Effect” (bronze, granite), is installed on Main Street in Orleans, MA. Dave owned and ran a residential construction business on the Cape from the late 1970’s into the 2000s and subsequently served for 10 years as an editor at the Journal of Light Construction (JLC), the nation’s premier print and online resource for the homebuilding and remodeling industry. His cabinetwork and furniture are installed in many homes both locally and out of state. He currently resides in South Orleans, MA, with his wife, the artist Eve Aspinwall.
Image courtesy of the Orleans Pond Coalition.
Admission to the Museum is included with your ticket, allowing you to explore all seven galleries and current exhibitions before or after the program.