Sunrise Serenade (1989), Starr Kempf

Sunrise Serenade is a 50-foot-tall steel bird fabricated by Starr Kempf, who was a local Colorado Springs artist. The artist started using steel in the 1970s to create his kinetic wind sculptures that were designed to exhibit graceful movement and interaction with the landscape. Sunrise Serenade is the only Kempf sculpture on the Ent Center grounds that is not kinetic. However, its aerodynamic design, poise, and stature exemplify movement and flight.  Kempf’s sculptures came to be exhibited at the Ent Center for the Arts thanks to the combined efforts of GOCA's AWOL program and the artist’s grandson, Josh Kempf. 

Starr Kempf is well known for his monumental steel sculptures. Born in 1917, Kempf grew up on an Ohio farm, where he learned blacksmithing and carpentry from his family. Kempf attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and after graduating, served in the United States Air Force during World War II. In 1948, he purchased the property of his family’s future home in Cheyenne Canyon. Here Starr designed and built a house, art studio and a large sculpture garden to exhibit his pieces. The sculptures gained local and national attention and tourists come to view the spectacles. 

Audio by Perci Eaves, for the Galleries of Contemporary Art at UCCS, 2023.