Found Art
This object in the Panama Canal Museum Collection was created “from materials found on Amador beach in the PCZ” (21.5″x6″) by artist John R. Gough. 
What does this art piece look like to you? Can you identify any of the materials or pieces used to make it? Please share your knowledge of this artwork or its artist, John R. Gough, in the comments section.
0 Comments
Nina Brown Kosik
Ask Gough:
john gough
Nina
Mimi Stratford Collins
Very clever! 🙂 I wonder how many of those buckles are from old swimsuits? 😀 …and if John was a basketball player!
John R. Gough III
I can remember going out on the Causeway with my grandfather collecting copper and brass scraps. Then we would find nice pieces of drift wood. He would go back to his shop at his house in Ancon (Fish Bowl) and make these pieces of art. As a kid I never saw it as art, but enjoyed spending time with my grandfather collecting and putting it all together. I’m not sure about he made or even where they are today. But this piece I have never seen. He was not a sports fan and it does look like a basketball players. I know he would not alter any of pieces of metal and he spent hours finding ways for them to form into an image. He said that was what made the art. He possessed many talents and was a truly remarkable man.
Mimi Stratford Collins
Thank you for sharing your memories, John. You may have collected some of the objects in this piece! The causeway was wonderful for artists; my mom did a mosaic of the causeway, contrasting rainy and dry seasons. 🙂
The Color of Lila
The “basketball” looks like the brass US disk insignia from a US Army enlisted uniform. The left hand of the figure looks like a furniture upholstery tack.