Harold Balazs is an American sculptor and artist whose work has been featured in exhibits and public art installations throughout the Inland Northwest. He is known for creating large, abstract metal sculptures, but also creates murals, jewelry, furniture and drawings. He currently lives in Mead, Washington and refers to the studio in his barn as Mead Art Works.[1]
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The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, WA owns a collection of his work, and celebrated his life and work with an exhibit in 2010.[2] His work was also exhibited at The Spirit Gallery of Fine Art in Coeur d' Alene, ID with works by Timothy C. Ely in a show titled "Illuminating the Subconscious" in 2010.[3]
He is a featured artist of Tinman Gallery in Spokane, WA.
Balazs has contributed a great deal to the downtown landscape of Spokane, with many of his sculptures featured prominently in Riverfront Park. Sculptures at Riverfront Park include the Rotary Fountain, Centennial Sculpture, and Untitled (aka "the lantern"). Other works can be found throughout Spokane, including Wildflowers of the Northwest, a sculpture titled Canoe at Lewis and Clarke High School, and the facade of Hennessy Funeral Home.
In Idaho, several metal sculptures are installed on college campuses. Works installed at North Idaho College include I Must Go Down to the Seas Again and Reflections. Works at the University of Idaho include the Hartung Theater Sculpture and Theophilus Tower.
Works in Seattle include "Seattle Project", which is located at the Henry M. Jackson Federal Office Building.
Several of his works have incorporated the phrase "Transcend the Bullshit". One sculpture that is untitled, but referred to as "the lantern" , has gained noteriety because you must climb to the top of the sculpture to view the hidden message, though climbing it is presumed to be risky or perhaps illegal.
Harold Balazs and Friends, With a Foreword by Tom Kundig was published by the University of Washington Press in 2010.[4]