Public Art
As part of my practice as a sculptor, I work on large-scale permanent public art commissions. Recent commission sites have included Nashville, TN; San Antonio, TX; Everett, MA; and a work-in-progress for the subway in Boston, MA. In my public projects, I explore relationships between natural and man-made worlds, and am fascinated by the interplay of light and material. I believe that public art should create a sense of place which invites the viewer to enter in and experience each environment in a physical way. It is vital to me to build artworks that are in harmony with their surroundings and enhance peoples’ lives.
[scroll down for selected works: click-through slide shows; click to enlarge grid images and reviews]
Floating Garden
2019, Pioneer Building, 1760 Revere Beach Parkway, Everett, MA
Floating Garden, the first permanent piece in the "luminous garden" series, was designed and built specifically for the Pioneer building’s grand 32’ tall atrium. This environment of glowing forms is made of 6" translucent cast resin shapes based on acorn caps, amber colored LEDs, and a sinuous network of copper tubing and electrical wires. Read More
Materials: Cast resin, LEDs, copper tubing, wires, cables
Dimensions: 16' H x 5' W x 8'6" L
Read Review [opens in new browser window]:
Radcliffe Magazine
Sound Wave
2013, Music City Center, Nashville, TN
with Bartek Konieczny
Sound Wave, a site-specific sculpture, is inspired by a musical staff of five lines and the undulating shape of a sound wave. It was commissioned for a large new convention facility in downtown Nashville, across the street from the Country Music Hall of Fame. Read More
Materials: Aluminum pipe, LEDs, computer controller, plexiglas, steel cable
Dimensions: 20' H x 40' W x 120' L
"By weaving the imagined strands of a sound wave in and around the familiar five-bar musical staff used in music notation, and positioning musical "notes" in the form of LED lights, Galston was able to visually join the concept of sound waves to the fluid motion of melody. … " — Essay by Susan W. Knowles
Read Reviews [opens in a new browser window]:
MCC Book | Nashville Arts | Carlisle Mosquito
Prairie Grass
2014, Northwest Service Center, San Antonio, TX
with Bartek Konieczny
Prairie Grass is a walk-through, kinetic environmental sculpture based on the form and movement of wild grasses. It was commissioned by the City of San Antonio and is sited at the entrance to a new public works facility. Read More
Materials: Stainless steel, galvanized and powder-coated steel, stone, lighting
Dimensions: 18' H x 16' W x 20' L
Serpentine Fence
2010, Jamaica Plain, MA
with Bartek Konieczny
This sculptural fence separates tennis courts from a sitting area of a Boston neighborhood park. Using an ordinary material, chain link, I created a unique serpentine design with billowing curves. The sculpture alters continually throughout the day as the sun shifts and with special lighting at night. Read More
Materials: Purple chain link, stainless steel, lights
Dimensions: 8' H x 15' 6" W x 126' L
"The colorful fence and a new landscape of curved granite walls and paving designs create harmony." — Berkshire Fine Arts
Read Reviews [opens in a new browser window]:
Landscape Architecture Magazine | Berkshire Fine Arts | Design Award | MacDowell Newsletter | Jamaica Plain Gazette 1 | Jamaica Plain Gazette 2
Color Walk
2005, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ
The dynamic design for Color Walk captures movements of wind, light and shifting clouds. People walking through the passageway become part of the environment, as their shadows mingle with patterns of color and light. Read More
Materials: Hand-painted and silk-screened glass
Two railings, each 3' 6" H x 80' L
"The downtown campus of the new Mesa Arts Center provides a perfect focal point for art that interprets the regions natural and human scenes." — Valley Guide
Read Reviews [opens in new browser window]:
Arizona Republic | East Valley Tribune | Valley Guide | Mayer of Munich Book
Thunderbird Bridge
1999, Phoenix, AZ
I was hired by the Phoenix Arts Commission as the artist on a team designing a vehicular bridge on the Piestewa Peak Parkway, a new eight lane freeway. The site was Thunderbird Road, located several miles north of downtown Phoenix. My role was to develop a concept to beautify the bridge and mitigate its impact on the neighborhood. My design includes a flowing shape with serpentine terraced walls, a textured rocklike surface, brightly colored serpentine railings, and a special lighting system. Read More
Materials: Concrete, metal railings, lighting, earth contours, crushed granite, plants
Dimensions of bridge and landscape: 300' W x 1000' L
Beth Galston, in partnership with BRW, Inc., has shaped the world of our daily commute to and from work in a way that may go unnoticed by some but can be appreciated by all. — Phoenix Arts Commission Milestones
Read Reviews [opens in new browser window]:
Phoenix Milestones | Phoenix Arts Commission
Tree/House
1994, Socrates Sculpture Park, NYC
Built on-site at Socrates Sculpture Park, this sculpture creates an architectural enclosure in which to view and experience nature. Tree/House is a place to dream and imagine, where one can be up in the air at the level of the treetops, viewing the New York skyline from a new perspective. Read More
Materials: Expanded metal, steel tubing, 4 birch trees
Dimensions: 18' H x 18' W x 18' L
. . . Beth Galston's treehouse incorporating birch saplings recalls the forests that once grew along the shores . . . — New York Times
Read Reviews [opens in new browser window]:
New York Times | Socrates Catalog | Socrates, 25th Anniversary Book | Socrates, 30th Anniversary Book | Scholastic Art
Translucent Fence
1995, Orange, CT
Weaving through the trees in front of a house, this sculptural fence provides privacy, while filtering light and allowing a view of the vegetation. It is part of an integrated design for a home, which also includes a mailbox, pathway and patio of stone and metal tiles. The concept is to create harmony between the built forms and the landscape. Read More
Materials: Perforated stainless steel
Dimensions: 6' H x 5' W x 36' L
