LEBANON, N.H., Dec. 8, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Manhole cover rubbings? Braille Jewelry? Recycled plumbing fitting candleholders? After seeing his work, you'll never walk the streets, punch an elevator button or use the restroom without thinking about his art. Kim Christiansen's pieces are truly ground breaking.
A pair of his Braille earrings has been placed into the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. His show of manhole cover rubbings in the lobby of the Securities and Exchange Commission building was discussed on television news along side of the work of Jackson Pollock.
Besides providing fine art, Christiansen has become an archivist of pieces of history that are slowly being lost. Because of increasing world prices for scrap metal, municipalities are experiencing thefts of manhole covers that used to lay unnoticed. He has images of one-of-a-kind lids that have been covered with pavement, never to be seen again.
Christiansen has been making his Braille Jewelry for 15 years and attends conferences all over the country to exhibit his work. He also takes his rubbings materials with him so he can capture his unique images. Two years ago while attending such a meeting in New Orleans, he collected a number and has made prints of one that he offers as a fundraiser for Katrina relief. Whenever Kim is working on the streets or sidewalks, people always stop to see what he is doing. He most loves it when kids stop, get on their knees and stare in amazement as his hand waves over his paper exposing strange designs that seem to appear like magic.
To discover more of that magic, go to his web site www.ChristiansenDesigns.com or call 802.738.3846.