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Southampton Press / Community / Community Story / 2340172

'Rainbow Heart' Installed at Southampton Arts Center

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Southampton Village Mayor Bill Manger, artist James Ding, and Southampton Arts Center Executive Director Christina Strassfield. COURTESY VILLAGE OF SOUTHAMPTON

Southampton Village Mayor Bill Manger, artist James Ding, and Southampton Arts Center Executive Director Christina Strassfield. COURTESY VILLAGE OF SOUTHAMPTON

authorStaff Writer on Feb 10, 2025

A second sculpture in the “Inspired By Love Series” by artist James Ding has been installed on the grounds of the Southampton Arts Center. “Rainbow Heart” makes its debut in time for Valentine’s Day.

The new sculpture is approximately 8 feet high by 8 feet wide and over 2 feet thick. It is made out of foam and fiberglass. The sculpture started out as 4 large foam blocks, glued together and was sculpted using a hot wire. After wrapping the heart in fiberglass, the rainbow colors were hand painted with no taping. Ding then mixed a clear coating with various colors of metal flake and sprayed it over the heart, giving it a sparkling finish.

“Southampton is a community of artists and those who appreciate art, and has been for centuries,” said Southampton Village Mayor William Manger. “What better way to give the village a Valentine [than] in the form of a colorful, fun sculpture that everyone can enjoy as they walk down Jobs Lane.”

As a boy, Ding painted the names of neighborhood children on their bicycles, in exchange he kept the leftover paint. In college, he took his first art class, a requirement. His first job was teaching industrial arts, also known as “shop.” There he learned welding, automotive, woodworking, silk screening and other various trade disciplines. During that time, he built equipment needed to start a T-shirt printing business and opened The T-shirt Factory in Southampton in the 1980s.

Ding’s “XOXO Hugs & Kisses Sculpture,” which debuted on Valentine’s Day 2024 at Southampton Arts Center, measures 30 feet long, and can now be seen on the grounds of Southampton Elementary School.

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