Thomas Walker Luckey (January 6, 1940 – August 19, 2012) was an American architect and sculptor, best known for inventing abstract playgrounds called Luckey Climbers.[3] Luckey also created furniture, merry-go-rounds, and interiors.
Tom Luckey | |
|---|---|
 Luckey Climber at Westfield Fox Valley | |
| Born | Thomas Walker Luckey January 6, 1940 |
| Died | August 19, 2012 (aged 72) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Yale School of Architecture[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Architect, sculptor |
| Known for | Luckey Climbers |
| Spouse | Ettie[2] |
| Children | Spencer, Kit, Walker, Owen |
| Parent | General Robert Luckey[2] |
| Website | www |
Life and career edit
After graduating from the Yale School of Architecture in the late 1960s,[1] Luckey began remodeling friends' houses[3] and doing experimental projects, including one described as transforming:
... part of a Vermont house into a "spooky space landscape," as one critic described it. Randomly placed steps, ramps, and terraces ascended to the ceiling, and surfaces were sheathed in woolly orange carpet. Elsewhere in the house, a cylindrical rotating room replicated the spatial transmutations of LSD with a bed that became the back of a sofa, a table that morphed into a seating platform that became a desk, and so on.
— Alastair Gordon, Spaced Out: Radical Environments of the Psychedelic Sixties[4]
In addition to interiors and furniture, he also designed merry-go-rounds; one, inspired by square dances, moves riders from one seat to another as they go around.[2]
A mutual friend introduced Luckey to Agnes Gund, who insisted he contact the Boston Children's Museum.[2] After he persuaded officials to let him build his first Luckey Climber, the structure turned out to be one of the museum's most popular exhibits, and has now been replaced with a new version.[3]
In 2005, Luckey fell out of a second-story bathroom window and landed on his head. He fractured his cervical vertebra and was paralyzed from the neck down.[1][2]
Luckey died on August 19, 2012, at Yale–New Haven Hospital due to complications from pneumonia. He was 72.[5][6]
Luckey Climbers edit
Luckey Climbers are multi-story climbing structures crossed with mazes and jungle gyms. In appearance, they have been compared to "a Calder mobile fashioned from Monet's lily pads".[3] They have been installed in locations across North America that include:
Luckey (documentary) edit
Filmmaker Laura Longsworth made a 2008 documentary, Luckey.[15] The film appeared at a number of festivals, including SxSW[16] and the Independent Film Festival of Boston,[17] and garnered the Special Jury Award for Artistic Portrait at the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival[18] and Best Documentary Feature at the Indie Memphis Film Festival.[19] The film has also been shown on the Sundance Channel.[20]
References edit
- ^ a b c Varley, Robert (31 May 2006). "Tom Luckey: Not your traditional architect; Climbing new heights". New Haven Register. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Leavenworth, Jesse (26 September 2007). "Art Come Alive: Imaginative Works Of Tom Luckey Aren't Complete Until Inhabited By Humans". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on 27 November 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Jermanok, Stephen (18 March 2007). "Ready. Set. Climb". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
- ^ Gordon, Alastair (1 April 2008). "Spaced-Out Spaces". Interior Design. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ Cory, Christopher T. (September 7, 2012). "Thomas W. Luckey, architect/sculptor of inventive recreation environments for children; service at Yale Sept.8". The Shoreline Times. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ^ "Thomas W. Luckey". The Martha's Vineyard Times. September 5, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Hoover, Bob (17 November 1989). "The climber links earth, sky for kids". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
- ^ Weinstein, Dina (18 August 2011). "Young at Art expands". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
- ^ DePalma, Anthony (18 November 2003). "In Mexico City, A State-of-the-Art Children's Museum". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 June 2012. – with sound and light system by Remo Saraceni.
- ^ Ford, Mary Ann (25 November 2004). "The New Discovery Kids test out museum set to open Saturday". The Pantagraph. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
- ^ "A New Twist". Naperville Sun. 8 April 1999. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
- ^ Berman, Eric (25 December 2010). "Rebuilding of Columbus' Commons Nears Finish". WIBC (FM). Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ Price, Betsy (31 January 2010). "Delaware Children's Museum expected to open on schedule". USA Today. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ Murschel, Michael J. (28 June 2006). "Christ Community opens interactive kids playground". The Beacon News. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ Luckey at IMDb
- ^ jim (12 March 2009). "Emerging Visions: Introducing Luckey". sxsw.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
- ^ Baltrusis, Sam (31 March 2009). "Luckey filmmaker Laura Longsworth". Loaded Gun Boston. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
- ^ "Luckey by Laura Longsworth". Fanlight Productions. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ^ Herrington, Chris (11 October 2009). "Indie Memphis Film Fest: Award Winners/Encore Screenings". Memphis Flyer. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
- ^ "Luckey". Sundance Channel listings. Archived from the original on 2011-12-23.
External links edit
- Official website
- Tom Luckey at IMDb
- "A Tour of Luckey Climbers". The Boston Globe. 18 March 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2012. (photo gallery)