Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Koh Varilla.
Anna, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My husband, Jeff, and I met at SAIC in the sculpture department. After graduation, I taught portrait and figure sculpture at Lill Street Studio. In 1986 I received a phone call to create the Alexander Graham Bell sculpture and awards for the Illinois Bell Company. The schedule was very tight so my husband worked the night shift and I worked the day shift to complete the commission on time. It was from that moment when Jeff and I realized that we could work together as a sculptor team. Soon after, we decided to independently open our own sculpture business working on secular and sacred art commissions as well as teaching.
Jeffrey and I are a husband and wife sculptor team that has been working on public monuments for about thirty years. Stylistically, our work reflects a passion for classic Realism”. We have produced religious and secular works for many locations around the country and overseas. Our goal as artists is to incorporate the artistry learned from the great masters of the past with the visions and aspirations of our society today. We believe that an important role of art is to communicate with the public. As professional artists, we closely work with our clients. We believe that a work of public art is a great responsibility and that it should harmonize with the environment, clearly communicate ideas to the viewer, and should reflect the sincerity of the artist. We are also Fellows at the National Sculpture Society.
My husband, Jeffrey H. Varilla, was born on August 27, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois. He majored in art history at the University of Iowa and after two years transferred to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he received his BFA in painting in 1973. After graduating, he briefly returned to the Art Institute to study sculpture. It was in the sculpture department where he met me and we married in Korea in 1984.
I was born on December 8, 1957 in Seoul, South Korea. When I was twelve years old, I was chosen along with one hundred twenty students from all over South Korea to study at Ye Won Fine Art School. I later enrolled in the Hong Il Art University where I received a BFA in sculpture in 1980. In 1982 I enrolled in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and graduated with another BFA in 1984.
The monuments Jeff and I created together have been seen in various regions of the United States and also in South Korea and England. The Dr. Martin Luther King Monument in Austin, Texas, Soldier Field Veterans Monument in Chicago, the Vice President Humphrey Monument in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Tribute to Jack Nicklaus in Dublin, Ohio, and the Mayor Hudnut Monument in Indianapolis are a few examples of important works we created over the years. In year 2014, when Pope Francis visited Seoul, Korea, our Korean Pieta, which was part of the celebration, was dedicated by Cardinal Yum. Currently, Jeff and I have been working on the Col. John Neilson monument for New Brunswick, New Jersey. It’s scheduled for the unveiling dedication on July 4th weekend. Our website is www.kohvarillaguild.com
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our career as sculptors has been an up and down experience, especially when the Recession began in 2007-2008. Unfortunately, we happened to have bought our studio building at that time. So many people in the art and architecture business were impacted by the Recession. Now we are in the process of reinventing ourselves and are having thoughts about making our studio a neighborhood community art center. We are also encouraging some young artists to have a shared space in our studio. They could perhaps learn from us, not only through instruction, but also through the example of viewing our commissioned work in progress. We remember how challenging it was to develop our skills and to find studio space after graduating from college. This can help revitalize our neighborhood and we have the support of the North Park community.
Koh-Varilla Guild – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
As stated before, Jeff and I have been creating secular and sacred sculpture monuments for about thirty years. We are very proud to have contributed so much to various communities throughout this country, in South Korea, and even in England. It been a great experience to have met so many interesting people Such as Professor Stephen Hawking, the great golfer Jack Nicklaus, Presidents Obama and Clinton, and other politicians. It’s gratifying to know that our sculpture monuments are not just decorations, but are symbols of community aspirations. We feel that we can offer a unique contribution to the art scene today. We believe in the Grand Tradition of secular and sacred figurative art and we want to revive and continue this tradition.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moments in our career are when we created the Martin Luther King monument at the University of Texas in Austin, and the “Tribute to Freedom” Veterans Memorial and water wall at Soldier Field in Chicago. Other proud moments were the unveiling of our sculpture of the late Mayor Hudnut III in downtown Indianapolis and the dedication of our Korean Pieta sculpture during Pope Francis’ visit to South Korea.
Contact Info:
- Address: Koh-Varilla Guild
5518 N. Kedzie ave
Chicago IL 60625 - Website: www.kohvarillaguild.com
- Phone: 7736048201
- Email: anna@kohvarillaguild.com
- Facebook: KOH-VARILLA GUILD
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