sculpture Archives - Art Business News

Remembering Paul Douglas Wegner

Art Business News — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 19:09:11 +0000

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Paul D. Wegner, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and accomplished artist who passed away on July 20, 2025, in his California home at the age of 74.

Paul was born in New York and raised in the state of Virginia where he was an exceptional athlete in wrestling and football at Washington Lee High School in Virginia. When a back injury ended his first choice career in athletics, he moved to California where he began studying sculpting as a sculptor’s apprentice.

A commission by the National Geographic Society lead Wegner to develop his trademark fragmentation style. His life-size sculptures have been commissioned by and placed in museum and state collections, including depictions of George and Marth Washington for the Mount Vernon Museum, An American Bald Eagle for the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington State, a bust of Admiral Rickover for the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland, among others.

The most notable expression of Wegner’s style was in his bronze depictions of classical jazz and blues musicians — each presenting both the motion and emotion of their performance. His music series features sculptures of notables such as Billie Holiday, Carlos Santana, Pete Fountain, Louis Armstrong, and John Lee Hooker. He was a two-time recipient of the Keeping the Blues Alive award presented by The Blues Foundation.

Paul is survived by his devoted wife of 53 years, Sarah. He also leaves behind his loving children, son Casey, daughter Kimberly, and daughter-in-law Laura, as well as his cherished grandchildren, Jacob, and Taylor, all of whom brought joy and pride to his life.

He will be greatly missed. And we know his legacy will live on through his artwork.

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Tim Cherry: Sculpting Wildlife’s Essential Grace

Shanan Campbell — Mon, 19 May 2025 15:57:29 +0000

Tim Cherry - Rapid Rabbit 3

In wildlife sculpture, Tim Cherry stands apart through his remarkable ability to distill the essence of animals into flowing, elegant forms. His distinctive approach transforms bronze into sculptures that capture the presence or tangible form of wildlife and reveal the vitality or intangible spirit they represent.

Growing up in the rugged Canadian Rockies in southeastern British Columbia, Cherry developed an intimate connection with wildlife that would shape his artistic journey. Escaping into the wilds was then and still is a spiritual experience,” he reflects. This deep reverence for nature infuses every piece he creates, resulting in works that pulse with life and celebrate the innate beauty of his subjects.

Tim Cherry - House Sitter

Tim Cherry - Against the Wind

Cherry’s artistic evolution took a decisive turn in 1988 when he met noted sculptor Dan Ostermiller in Canada. An invitation to Ostermiller’s Loveland, Colorado studio led Cherry to work alongside both Ostermiller and Fritz White, where he honed his sculptural process and stone carving techniques. It was through carving alabaster that Cherry began discovering the simplified shapes and graceful lines that would become his signature style.

“My sculptural approach involves the use of simplified shapes and lines to produce curvilinear forms,” Cherry explains. “Capturing the grace and elegance of my subjects is a primary goal.” This philosophy manifests in bronze sculptures that seem to defy their medium, appearing light and fluid despite their solid form. Each piece features highly polished surfaces that shimmer with reflective light, making them irresistibly tactile and drawing both the eye and hand of viewers.

Tim Cherry - Silent Shadow

Tim Cherry - Branch Bender

personality, movement, and behavior through refined, essential forms. His sculptures strike a delicate balance between realism and abstraction, conveying the vital characteristics of each creature while maintaining a sense of whimsy and joy. The results are pieces that feel both timeless and contemporary, speaking to viewers across generations.

“When you look at Tim’s sculptures, you see more than just a representation of wildlife – you see the essence of these creatures captured in bronze,” says Shanan Campbell, owner of Sorrel Sky Gallery. “His work reflects a deep understanding that comes only from countless hours observing animals in their natural habitat. Each piece tells a story of grace, movement, and the pure joy of wild creatures in their element. It’s this authentic connection to nature that makes his work so compelling and timeless.”

Tim Cherry - House Sitter

Cherry’s mastery has earned him membership in prestigious organizations including the National Sculpture Society, the National Sculptor’s Guild, and the Society of Animal Artists. His work resides nationally and internationally in select galleries and private collections, and he has been featured in leading magazines like Southwest Art, Wildlife Art, and Art of the West.

Through his masterful manipulation of bronze, Tim Cherry continues to create sculptures that celebrate the inherent beauty and dignity of wildlife. Each piece serves as a testament to the enduring connection between artist and subject, inviting viewers to experience the same sense of wonder and spiritual connection that Cherry finds in the natural world.

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World Renowned Opera Gallery Showcases Sculptor Masters at the Continuum in Miami Beach

Art Business News — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 22:10:43 +0000

Since 2021, the Continuum, South Florida’s premier resort-style oceanfront condominium residences located in Miami Beach, has formed a unique alliance with one of the world’s leading galleries to present hand-picked collections of work by today’s leaders in modern and contemporary art.

Beginning in December this year, in time for Miami Art Week. and running until the end of February 2024, Opera Gallery will showcase the gallery’s most coveted artists in a rotating exhibit of thirteen sculptures by individual contemporary masters from various nations, presenting the latest in artistic expressionism shown within the grounds of the Continuum property. Five artists represented by Opera Gallery, have been hand-picked for their notoriety and prominence within the fine art industry, for a series of installations – both inside the buildings and on the lawns. The sculptures present themes and characters from today’s pop culture, together with abstract designs using mixed media and metals that exemplify brilliance in engineered craftsmanship.

“We are delighted to continue our association with one of today’s most celebrated international galleries,” says Rishi Idnani, Managing Director at the Continuum. “This is the fourth year we are showcasing the very best the fine art world has to offer within the property, adding a world class collection of work by some of today’s most creative masterminds in modern day art. We pride ourselves on representing artistic excellence, and this continued collaboration with Opera Gallery enhances the aesthetic experience at the Continuum for our residents.”

The work by Valay Shende, an Indian sculptor, will be presented inside the Grand Lobby of the Continuum, featuring detailed characters created by stainless steel discs and mixed media that depict popular superhero characters, including Catwoman, Hulk and Spiderman, among other fictional figurines.

Totem by Xavier Mascaro courtesy of Opera Gallery

Considered as a major representative of the new generation of Iberian sculpture, the work of French artist, Xavier Mascaró, will be presented in the lobby at the Continuum, as well as on the lawns throughout the property. Over the past ten years, his installations and figurative sculptures of cast iron, copper and bronze have become iconic and are regularly exhibited in public spaces and galleries around the world. Mascaro’s giant heads and cross-legged figurines reflect his themes from Spanish art history, coupled with his exploration of universal myths and beliefs based on ancient civilizations.

Vitrina como Pretexto III by Manolo Valdes courtesy of Opera Gallery

Manolo Valdés is one of the most internationally established contemporary Spanish sculptors. In both paintings and sculptures, he inflates the figure’s size, abstracting form and minimizing detail, while incorporating roughly applied paint and unusual materials. The timelessness of the image as the axis of the visual experience is the determining factor in his creations. In his works, image and matter are fused in a body of work that wanders between Pop Art and material art, as a continuous search for reinvention. The abstract work of Manolo Valdés will be featured inside the buildings at the Continuum, as well as at select outdoor locations on the property’s grounds.

Expanding Gestures by Pieter Obels courtesy of Opera Gallery

Dutch sculptor, Pieter Obels, works with Corten steel, yet his works convey light and grace as he bends the steel into extraordinarily delicate and winding shapes. Obels aim is to create totally organic forms with an extreme yet somehow innate sense of plasticity. This sense of a natural rhythm makes his sculptures sit with a total oneness in any natural surroundings. Obels’ sculpture, entitled “Expanding Gestures,” will be featured within the grounds of the Continuum in 2024.

German artist Rotraut, began her early work focused on drawing and painting. Beginning in the 1990s, she shifted to sculpture as her primary medium, with many of her works known as monumental sculptures in bright, primary colors. Rotraut’s sculptures and paintings have been displayed frequently at Art Basel in both Switzerland in the U.S., and many of her works have been sold at auction, including the sculpture UNTITLED which sold for $225,000 at Sotheby’s in 2018. Rotraut’s impressive metallic green sculpture, also untitled, is currently exhibited outdoors at the Continuum, juxtaposed brightly against the foliage of the grounds with an elegance that inspires.

The rotating exhibit presented in partnership with Opera Gallery will be at the Continuum in Miami Beach from December 1st until February 29th, 2024.

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San Diego Art Enthusiast Turns Empty Lot to Temporary Sculpture Garden

Hannah Smith — Fri, 14 May 2021 00:07:49 +0000

San Diego art enthusiast Jim Bliesner recently turned an empty lot in City Heights, San Diego into a sculpture garden for locals to enjoy for free. The empty lot, which is slated for future mixed-use development by the City Heights Community Development Corporation (CHCDC), stands adjacent to the bridge on University and has been vacant for over two years. Bliesner, a City Heights resident, noticed the lot was sadly being used as a trash can more than anything else and became inspired to convert the space into an art project.

Artist: Vicente Rivera

“I decided that as an artist myself I outright to come up with a way to inhabit that space [and] bring people to the barren landscape.” Jim started painting local characters on large flat boards and hanging them on the fence near the vacant lot. Gradually, other local groups began to suggest other interim uses for the lot and small events began to pop up in the unused space. This is when Bliesner realized the vacant space would make a great platform for an art installation.

Typically, installations happen in museums where they decide on a concept and commission an artist to build it in a designated space. Bliesner thought “why couldn’t we do that?”

Artist: Remigia (Remy) Bermúdez

As a Plein air painter himself, Jim has also done other sculptures in City Heights with a focus on community engagement. Therefore, he decided this new installation should include other artists. “I [wanted] to see the local artists in City Heights emerge so I drafted an invite prioritizing [local artists] but included everyone. I was hoping for a cross-fertilization experience.”

Bliesner soon received a $2,000 fund from the Synergy Foundation and searched for artists to help him create the sculpture. He received interest from sixteen artists and gave them each $100 for materials to build the sculpture. The group of artists worked with a variety of materials including wood, chicken wire, old tires, scarves, and more. Artists include Edwin Lohr, Carlos Quezada, Marcus Montes, Tarrah Aroonsakool, Iain Gunn, Dianne Brunner, and Randy Lane, Vicente Rivera, Elida Chavez, Pete Evaristo, Melody De Los Cabos, and Mia Mercado a twelve-year-old emerging artist attending SCPA. Half of the artists are from City Heights and the other half from other cities.

Artist: Tarrah Aroonsakool

The sculpture is planted in an old tire and filled with three 60 pound bags of cement with two upright bricks. “The variety [is] electric. The characters emerged for each artist’s personal struggle and design. The art became the art.” says Jim.

Artists: Dianne Brunner & Randy Lane

The sculpture will remain present until the lot is needed for future events. It can be viewed by locals from the sidewalk or driveby, making it a free “event” where art enthusiasts can gather and take in the beauty of the sculpture.

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Meet the Artist: Grace Chadwick

Hannah Smith — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 21:49:27 +0000

Q: Introduce yourself – who are you and what do you do?

A: My name is Grace Chadwick. I’m a sculptor working mostly in fiberglass, plastic, photography, and metal. I was born in the San Francisco Bay area in 1967, and grew up near Portland, Oregon. I now live outside of Seattle, Washington, and have a shop in the Okanagan-Similkameen in BC, Canada and Fishhawk Lake, Oregon.

Q: What is your background?

A: I always had a camera in my hand as a kid, I did things backward and began as a stringer photographer for The Oregonian newspaper when I was in High School. Then, I headed to the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara and found that I am much better at teaching myself. I headed back to Portland after school to experiment with sculpting materials. Finally, when YouTube came out, a whole new world opened up for me. I learned how to plasma cut metal and weld without traditional instruction in a classroom. I would rent equipment, watch YouTube, purchase equipment, and lose all track of time, slowly becoming a night owl.

Q: How do you work?

A: In solitude. I work on several pieces at a time, especially with fiberglass as there is a long cure time for each layer. I also like to let my art “sit” before tackling it again. I am constantly trying to get the art out of my head and dreams and into the shop. I am obsessed with experimenting with transparency and light with new materials.

Q: Which type of art do you most identify with?

A: Contemporary art that forces me to think of the meaning behind it.

Q: What has been your favorite experience so far as an artist?

A: Just one?! My current art project, which is a permanent installation on a 145 ft wall outside in the new development on the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington. Also having the opportunity to install my “Flower Kisses” at the Spectrum Miami / Red Dot Miami entrance in Miami…the best learning experience.

Q: Who inspires you?

A: All artists that are true to themselves and make art the way they want to make it, to the core.

Q: What is the best advice you have received?

A: From my dad: “If something like the plumbing goes out, try and fix it yourself and if it still doesn’t work, you can THEN call the plumber.” I’m sure this is why I’ve always thought I could learn skills on my own without help.

Q: When you are not working, where can we find you?

A: Skydiving or scuba diving. Adventuring where it is not too touristy.

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Austin’s UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum Makes an Impact

Linda Mariano — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 23:42:25 +0000

The Museum as a Cultural Pivot Point

By Linda Mariano

In today’s world of art and art collections, it’s not unusual to find a private collection turned into a world class museum collection, but it is rare to find one that revolves around sculpture—and becomes a museum. At Austin’s UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum that’s exactly what you have. The UMLAUF exhibits the works of Charles Umlauf, the artists that influenced him, and other contemporary sculptors and artists in a fabulous natural setting. Beginning as his home and studio, then donated in 1985 to the city of Austin for public enjoyment, the UMLAUF has become a vital component of Texas’ vibrant visual arts community.

We recently spoke with Executive Director, Sarah Story, about her appointment to the UMLAUF and her vision for the museum’s future. Since starting her position in April 2018, Story has expanded the exhibitions, programs, and led the institution through a rebranding which increased museum attendance by 35% in the past year alone. Her enthusiastic demeanor and love and appreciation of art comes naturally, having been raised in a family of artists and receiving her BFA in painting and Masters in Art Administration. You might say she was groomed for her new role from an early age. After several positions at other museums, including the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, University of Mississippi Museum and Historic Houses, and Rowan Oak, Home of William Faulkner, she says she’s “excited about leading the museum to operate efficiently in order to have the most impact possible in exhibitions, programs, and events for the community.”

The Michael Ray Charles Exhibition

And that brings us to the newest exhibition at the UMLAUF by internationally-renowned artist Michael Ray Charles. “Not only does Michael Ray make powerful, important art, but he has been collecting historical pop culture sculptural objects for years that inflect his art,” the UMLAUF’s curator, Katie Robinson Edwards, said. “Visitors will have a chance to see his current work in the context of the objects and themes that have inspired him.”

The exhibition, Michael Ray Charles, consists of three groups of images that inflect one another: a series of new drawings Charles created specifically for the UMLAUF show, his complete 2018 Flatbed Press print portfolio (featuring a poem written in response to the prints by poet and professor Meta DuEwa Jones), and historical objects lent from Charles’ personal research collection. Viewers will see that Charles uses his amassed collection of cultural objects to inspire his thought-provoking images of commentary on the social, cultural, and visual stereotypes and biases of black people in today’s world. It’s a reflection of the past, a statement of the present, and a hope and revelation for changing the future.

Dr. Cherise Smith, the Chair and Associate Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies and Executive Director of the Galleries at Black Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote about the exhibition, “While somewhat distinct, the three groups give testament to the importance of history and historic objects to Charles’ artistic practice. Particularly evident is how Charles functions as an archivist, one who collects material and visual culture, not just to feed his imagination, but also to make a meaningful intervention in popular culture.”

“We want our exhibitions to be ever-more relevant to the wide variety of people who make up Austin and the many tourists who come to visit,” Story added. “The Michael Ray Charles exhibition boasts the perfect combination of old and new, and ties into the Austin community seamlessly. He is a talented, thoughtful artist, and we are so grateful to have the opportunity to bring his important work to Austin.”

The Whole Community Philosophy

Tying back to the community takes multiple forms at the UMLAUF—and it’s multi-faceted. The collection of more than 200 sculptures, paintings, and drawings by 20th century American sculptor, Charles Umlauf, is used as a teaching tool to encourage the understanding and appreciation of sculpture. Visitors, teachers, and students alike can take a stroll through the garden to find an incredible collection of touchable bronze sculptures.

The UMLAUF has worked with the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) to develop a program of Touch Tours. TSBVI faculty trained the UMLAUF’s docents and volunteers to ensure blind and visually impaired patrons have the best experience and engagement possible. At the UMLAUF, they invite and encourage you to “touch the art.” In an effort to make art accessible to everyone, the UMLAUF has implemented a program for the deaf community as well with captioned orientation videos and docents trained to interpret in sign language.

It’s Sarah Story’s influence once again. It’s a belief in the cascading impact of art and its importance and influence at all levels that becomes a key to the future of art. Quite simply, Story believes: “Museums are an asset to the community because they bring people from diverse lifestyles and backgrounds into a place that allows for contemplation, interaction, participation and discussion. Art can be a nonthreatening catalyst to spark productive conversations and interactions.”

The UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum continues to fulfill Charles Umlauf’s goal of giving pleasure and enjoyment to the people of Texas and beyond. It is also fulfilling Story’s belief in the power and sway of art on the community at large.

About the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum

The UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded around a vast collection of work by American sculptor Charles Umlauf. The UMLAUF exhibits the work of Charles Umlauf, artists who influenced him, and other contemporary sculptors in a natural setting, and provides educational experiences that encourage the understanding and appreciation of sculpture. For more information, visit www.umlaufsculpture.org, or call (512) 445-5582. The UMLAUF Sculpture Garden and Museum is located at 605 Azie Morton Road (formerly Robert E. Lee Road), Austin TX 78704.

Linda Mariano is the Editor-in-Chief for Art Business News and Managing Director of Marketing for Redwood Media Group. With a career that spans 30 years, Mariano is a leader in marketing, brand management, e-commerce and promotion initiatives for major retailers, specialty retail, art industry, licensing partnerships, media and entertainment, as well as entrepreneurial business environments. For Redwood Media Group, Linda oversees the marketing and brand extension efforts of the company.

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Marlene Rose Uses Ancient Process to Create Modern Glass Sculpture

Art Business News — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 21:47:12 +0000

Marlene Rose grew up with art all around her. Her mother was a painter and her father a sculptor of found objects. Her education furthered her interest in art, both at the Promfret School in Connecticut, then her study of visual mediums at Tulane University in New Orleans. Coming into her own as an artist, she developed her unique style.

Marlene Rose’s sculptures are arresting in their beauty, while at the same time seem to resonate illusions in glass to other cultures and civilizations. Rose seems to have discovered a profound way to connect the past and the present. Her work has an immediacy that transcends time and space. To be in the presence of her work is to feel connected to a continuum that started thousands of years ago on earth and millions of light years ago in the universe.

Art Business News had the opportunity recently to ask her a few questions about her art, inspirations and goals for the future.

ABN: When did you first become involved with art? And how did you get involved with glass?

Rose: I have always regarded myself as an artist. From schooldays on I danced and painted and made things. I played sport, team sport, very competitively, and it is interesting how all these things melded for me.

I went to college in New Orleans and studiously avoided the hot shop, where they blow glass. I guess I was a bit intimidated, and pretty shiny glass didn’t really appeal. The whole glass-making thing back then was a very male-dominated, and very physical. So, I kept away.

But towards the end of my studies the Professor said something that has been with me ever since. He said, “I’ll show you how to blow vessels and make pretty shiny things, and get that out of the way. Then I am going to show you how to cast glass, and show you how to make art.” I was hooked.

It all came together. Glass-making is a team endeavor, I knew all about being a team member or leading a team. I wasn’t scared of physical labor. And I wanted to make art. Right there I decided the guys had better stand back, I was going to do it!

So then, and now, I make sandcast glass sculptures.

ABN: What inspires your work – where do your ideas come from? An artist, a culture, a period of time?

Rose: All of my work, whether figurative or abstract, has a spiritual aspect to it. Looking East was inevitable as the paintings, calligraphy, architecture, even the clothing of the East seems to share that common quality. While the Buddha faces that I’m known for are inspired by Buddhas from Vietnam, China and India, the concept of the face itself has come to mean much more to me. It seems that the imagery transcends culture and appeals to a universal common thread in humanity, of the striving to be bigger than oneself, and to dissolve the man-made barriers between cultures and peoples.

These threads of human imagery, passing through cultures and time inspire me. I am compelled to weave and recompose their nuances, all to communicate the immortal vibrancy of the human spirit. The glass may look like a relic of some ancient time, but each piece holds inside itself the sum of the sharp shards of what I have seen, of unnamed emotions, of visions, concepts and memories.

ABN: Why glass? Why this process? I have read the description you sent about the process, but I guess the question revolves around how did you come to discover the process and what draws you to it.

Rose: I am a glass artist. More specifically, a sandcast glass artist.

I pour liquid molten glass into sand molds I have carefully prepared. It is in the ancient tradition of all metal casting, going back thousands of years to the Ages of Iron and Bronze. Indeed, the Romans and Phoenicians and many others too, took this technique and used it to make made glass.

But glass in this ancient tradition tended to be made only on an industrial scale. It was just in the 1980’s that the heating and (very) controlled cooling of the glass became viable on a Studio level, where individual artists could create their own unique pieces of art.

My teacher, Gene Koss in New Orleans, learnt this technique of casting glass from one of the founders of the American Studio Glass Movement, and I am very fortunate to have been introduced to this unique technique while it was in its infancy.

The technique differs from the blown glass with which we are all familiar. It is far closer to the fine-art tradition of casting objects, something which appealed to my artistic sensibilities more than the craft-based tradition of blown glass. Gene always said that a piece had to work as a sculpture first, and that if it should look good no matter what it was made from. Glass gives a very special aspect of life to the work. Glass changes all the time, depending on the light that flows through it, and it is the changing light in which we live which gives us its subtle inner beauty.

ABN: What are your goals for today? For the future?

Rose: Keep making high quality art which evokes an emotional response in the viewer.

We appreciate the time with Marlene—her goals sum up a career built with the future always in mind. We can’t wait to see her next compelling collection.

For more information:

Email: Marlene@MarleneRoseGlass.com

Website: MarleneRose.com

Phone: 727-709-2620

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The Season’s Best Sculpture Exhibits

robhibbs — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 14:23:52 +0000

Mammoth, miniature & one-of-a-kind

By Melissa Hart

Sculptors this season promise whimsy, color, and endless surprises in the form of a giant metal sculpture of a rock topped by a sheet of paper and bisected by red-handled scissors, a 6-foot leopard-print stiletto trimmed in red fur, or a couple of professional tennis players forged from a family’s heirloom silverware.

This curated list of the season’s top sculpture exhibits takes lovers of 3-D art across the country, from Theodore Gall’s fantastical bronze busts in a Beverly Hills park to Ai Weiwei’s towering installation of 42 steel bicycles at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Prepare to be amused—and amazed.

Endless Line: 3-D Printed Work by Kevin Caron
Feb. 5–27, 2016
Walter Art Gallery, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Kevin Caron specializes in large 3-D-printed sculptures. A 3-D printer will run during the opening of the show, offering a close-up look at how the artist creates his vibrant resin forms.

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge: Try to Altar Everything
March 11 – Aug. 1, 2016
Rubin Museum of Art, New York, N.Y.

This exhibit of paintings, sculptures, and installations examines the influence of Hindu mythology and Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley on P-Orridge’s work and interests in devotion and ritual. Visitors will have opportunities to interact with the artist, whose work also explores physical alteration in the service of creative gender identity.

Spectrum Indian Wells
March 17–20, 2016
Renaissance Indian Wells Resort & Spa, Indian Wells, Calif.

The newest addition to the lineup of Spectrum art shows, this Indian Wells event will feature a sleek, gallery-style exhibition space and an outdoor sculpture garden for 3-D pieces. Eric Shupe, Jim Keller, Time McClendon, and Nonos Gallery will be some of the highlights.

Jae Ko: Force of Nature, 白 Shiro
Through May 1, 2016
Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton Township, N.J.

Jae Ko creates paper-relief sculptures by soaking rolls of adding-machine paper in water infused with Japanese inks made from wood ash. The undulating sculptures stretch to as long as 80 feet and as tall as 14 feet. Grounds for Sculpture is also home to 270 permanent works of art.

Projects 103: Thea Djordjadze
April through Summer 2016
MoMA PS1, Queens, New York

Berlin-based Georgian artist Thea Djordjadze presents sculptural ensembles using basic construction materials, such as plaster, wood, wire lath, metal rods, glass, and fabric. The site-specific installation reflects the building’s unique architecture.

Megacities Asia
April 3 – July 17, 2016
Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston

Representing Asian megacities with populations of more than 10 million, this exhibition features 14 large sculptures and installations. Works appear in the Ann and Graham Gund Gallery and throughout the museum’s campus.

Joel Shapiro
May 7 – Aug. 21, 2016
Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas

Shapiro explores geometric form through complex composition. Along with key works from Nasher’s permanent collection and an array of drawings, the show will feature multicolored shapes suspended in the gallery at various heights and angles.

Beverly Hills artSHOW
May 21–22, 2016
Beverly Gardens Park, Beverly Hills, Calif.

Near the center of Beverly Hills, Beverly Gardens Park will showcase the work of 30 sculptors. Among the highlights are Jeff Davis, who will show free-form metal geometries welded from industrial parts, and Theodore Gall, who will display bronze sculptures inspired by film and fantasy characters.

Origami in the Garden
May 21 – Nov. 13, 2016
Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Columbus, Ohio

Sculptor Kevin Box has created more than 20 giant metal sculptures inspired by the Japanese art of folding paper. The collection includes collaborative works with Jennifer Box, Robert J. Lang, Te Jui Fu, Michael G. LaFosse, and Richard Alexander.

Sculpture in the Park
Aug. 13–14, 2016
Benson Sculpture Garden, Loveland, Colo.

This celebration showcases 2,000 pieces of sculpture created by 160 sculptors worldwide. Year-round, the Benson Sculpture Garden is home to 148 permanent pieces of sculpture displayed around a lagoon and surrounded by trees and flowers, with the Rocky Mountains in the background.

Q&A WITH SCULPTOR ERIC SHUPE

ABN: Why did you choose silverware as your medium?

ES: On walkabout with my father as a child, he only took jobs to which he could bring me. He’d hand me a 2-by-4 and a pocketknife and tell me to whittle. He planted the seed that developed my three-dimensional mind. Later, I went into the Air Force. When I came home, to center myself and feel calm and creative, I’d go out in my garage and fool around with silverware. I think about how many people have had those spoons and forks in their hand—thousands of people—and different stories about each one. It’s not just a piece of metal; someone raised children with those spoons. They fed someone, took care of someone. Each piece is someone’s life.

ABN: How long have you been working as a professional sculptor?

ES: I’ve been sculpting for 17 years. Three years ago, a woman came to my house and said, “Where did you get these sculptures? They’re amazing.” She’d been doing art shows for 30 years and hadn’t seen anything like my work. The next week, she filled out an application and brought me a tent and said, “You have something special and unique. I paid for this art show in Ormond Beach, Florida, and I want you to go to it.” I flipped out a plastic table, and I won the show.

ABN: Your sculptures include everything from horses to mermaids to athletes. How do you choose your subject matter?

ES: I love to capture the explosion of energy. For one piece, I watched my daughter run track over and over to see all the movement, to find the spot where you can see all the muscles on the back and the arms. I’m doing a show in Indian Wells in March, and the last two days of the show coincide with the first two days of the [BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament], so I’m sculpting two tennis players. Some people will come to me and say, “I have my grandmother’s silverware. Could you create a sculpture to pass down like a family heirloom?” One woman whose daughter had passed away inspired me to create “Mary,” a sculpture of a mother grieving the death of her child. Some people could care less about a box of spoons and forks; as sculpture, they become a powerful statement about family.

ABN: What current trends do you notice in sculpture?

ES: People are gravitating toward handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces. They really appreciate being the only one in the world to have a particular piece of art. They don’t want to buy a reproduction or something that a factory has created. That’s why I find appreciation for my work: I get so many compliments from people telling me that it’s rare to find an artist who creates that one-of-a-kind, classy piece of art.

ABN: Where can we see your work this season?

ES: I’ll be exhibiting at Spectrum Indian Wells, March 17th to 20th; the Indian Wells Arts Festival, April 1st through 3rd; and at the Melbourne Art Festival in Melbourne, Florida, April 23rd and 24th.

Q&A WITH SCULPTOR HEIDI LOEWEN

ABN: Why did you choose porcelain as your medium?

HL: I started working in clay when I was 2. My parents were also phenomenal landscape artists; everything they did on the weekends was in the garden, and I loved to play in the mud. When I turned 10, my mother asked if I’d like to take a clay class and learn how to do pottery on the wheel. I absolutely loved my class and my teacher. When I got into Skidmore [College in Saratoga Springs, New York], I took classes in painting, drawing, jewelry making, and welding, but my favorite was ceramics.

ABN: How long have you been working as a professional sculptor?

HL: In Santa Fe, 22 years ago, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do when my child was young. I started off teaching, and then I took over a friend’s space downtown near the Georgia O’Keefe Museum and opened a gallery. I’ve never looked back. It’s the most hilarious and fun job I’ve ever had.

ABN: What drew you to sculpting shoes?

HL: I love shoes. Stilettos mean you’re ready for fun, adventure, action, and a great time ahead. I was producing wild and crazy sculptures with my porcelain; then, several years ago, I decided I should take a break and do something fun just with my fingers. I took a small block of clay and started modeling; the first thing that came was this fabulous little stiletto shoe. I decided I’d add my love of everything—lace, fabric, fur, gemstones, feathers, and gold and silver leaf. I display them on Plexiglas cubes. The back is a mirror, and the floor is a mirror, so you can see the sole. The shoes are approximately 6 inches long and up to 12 inches tall.

ABN: A much larger version of one of your shoes appeared at the entrance of Spectrum Miami last December. What was the public’s reaction?

HL: I cast it in Thailand and created a 6-foot aluminum stiletto covered in sparkling, candy-apple red automotive body paint and completed the inside with white marabou feathers and opalized quartz crystal up and down the back. The thing that got me the most excited was watching people’s faces as they came down the aisle; they saw this crazy big shoe and got the biggest grins on their faces.

ABN: Who are your favorite sculpture artists? How have they inspired you?

HL: I love what Kevin Box has done. He has no fear, knows no boundaries. He’ll work in aluminum, in stainless steel, in bronze. For his piece “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” he uses a real rock. Native American artists will often add turquoise or coral or various kinds of bones. I love it when people do anything out of the ordinary.

ABN: Where can we see your work this season?

HL: I have a gallery in Santa Fe where I show my work and offer private ceramic wheel work and sculpture classes. My only requirements are that people have a sense of humor and say only wonderful, uplifting things about their own work.

Q&A WITH SCULPTOR IRA REINES

ABN: How long have you been working as a professional sculptor?

IR: I’ve been sculpting since age 5 [and] professionally since age 15. I’m self-taught. At 21, I began collaborating with Art Deco artist and designer Erté. I transformed 69 of his two-dimensional designs into bronze sculptures and turned them into the Erté Sculpture Collections, pieces of which appear in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian.

ABN: Much of your work explores mythological figures, such as “The Three Graces,” a trio of larger-than-life figures that you combined into one 8½-foot-tall piece and unveiled at the Peninsula Shanghai last October. What draws you to sculpt heroic-sized characters from mythology?

IR: I discovered my own voice in the year 2000 through loss; my parents had passed away and a long-term relationship had ended. For the first time, I was completely alone. It was a devastating experience; I found myself completely broken open as a person and as an artist. Through my work, I was able to heal my soul. My work is a spiritual statement; I’m really sculpting the spirit of the ascendant human form.

The unveiling was astonishing; my gallery representors stood on one side of a 20-foot curtain covering the sculpture, and I was on the other side with my publisher. A beautiful opera singer from Shanghai sang a piece from Madama Butterfly before the curtain came down. The moment remains frozen in my mind as an example of aesthetic purity.

ABN: What current trends do you notice in sculpture?

IR: We’re doing more one-of-a-kind pieces; with our editions limited to nine pieces, they become more valuable and desirable to collectors who want to buy something that has worth as an investment.

ABN: What project are you currently working on?

IR: It’s the largest thing I’ve ever done, called “The Gates of Creation,” with 11 30-foot-tall figures. I use beauty as a metaphor for divinity. I have places in my sculpture that are extremely refined and smooth, which represent perfection of the soul and, in the same piece, places that are raw, showing the more elemental state we come from as human beings. For an artist to have his dreams and visions realized in bronze [is] an amazing feeling.

ABN: Where can we see your work this season?

IR: You can see my work at the Marcus Ashley Fine Art Gallery in Lake Tahoe, California, and at Midtown Artery in Greenville, South Carolina.

Melissa Hart teaches nonfiction for Whidbey Island’s MFA Program in Creative Writing. She’s the author of two memoirs and a children’s novel. melissahart.com.

The post The Season’s Best Sculpture Exhibits appeared first on Art Business News.

Soo Sunny Park: Sculpting Art and Mind

robhibbs — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 14:02:40 +0000

by Megan Kaplon

Soo Sunny Park, “Unwoven Light”

When she began her undergraduate studies at the Columbus College of Art and Design, Soo Sunny Park planned to pursue product design. Luckily for museum visitors, however, she found her calling in sculpture and installation art. Her work is now featured at the Rice Gallery in Houston; the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts; the New Britain Museum of American Art in New Britain, Connecticut; and other venues across the States.

Vancouver, Canada will soon have its own Park original, as the rising star completes an artist residency in conjunction with the Vancouver Biennale before returning to her home in New Hampshire. Park, who has taught at Washington University and Dartmouth College, holds an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her most recent work explores the qualities of light and the spaces in between.

We asked Park about her career path as an artist and how teaching affects her work. She offers some priceless advice for aspiring artists.

Art Business News: How did you originally become interested in art?

Soo Sunny Park: My sister and I always took art classes. I lived in Seoul, Korea until I was 9, and that’s just what you do there. You take piano lessons; you take art classes. Then I had to be apart from my parents for almost three years before I came to the States. My parents came here before my sister and I did; we had to wait until we had our green cards. Those three years of my life were just upside down. I went through crisis early. Then I moved to the U.S. to Marietta, Georgia, where I was one of the few minority kids. I think that and the language barrier and all that stuff made me the person I am, and I think it really influenced me to work with the visual because my verbal language wasn’t the strongest at that time of my life. But I didn’t really realize that until I was ready to go to college. My sister knew she was going to be an artist, so she took a portfolio class, a private lesson, and I did that, as well, and I got a really good response. I ended up going to art school with a scholarship. I did not get into the school that I wanted to go to for [math or physics], so that threw me into the art environment. I don’t regret it a bit.

ABN: Why did you decide to get an MFA degree after finishing your undergrad program?

SSP: I went to a very studious undergraduate program, the Columbus College of Art and Design, but despite that I knew that it takes a lot of discipline to be an artist. You can’t really make a living right after graduating from art school. For most artists, you have to have two jobs for a long, long time. I felt like I didn’t have the discipline to make work on my own. So I went straight to Cranbrook Academy of Art and Design for grad school.

ABN: What kind of jobs did you have when you finished grad school?

SSP: I waited tables starting when I was 14 all the way through my first year in grad school. After I finished, I told myself I can’t wait tables anymore because it’s too easy. I didn’t want waitressing to be my career, so I held off on it. I worked at a museum as a part-time preparator. Then I moved to St. Louis, and the people who I met were architects in their 40s. They were doing their office jobs, but they were also buying properties and renovating, so I was involved in that. When I had been in St. Louis for about six months, somebody called me up at the last minute, two days before school started, and asked me to teach Western art history at a community college. I jumped on it. My background is not art history; it’s studio art. So my first year was a lot of work and a lot of butterflies in my stomach, but I got over it. Then I got an offer to teach a sculpture elective at Washington University in St. Louis, which began my transition to focus more on studio art. I moved to Dartmouth, New Hampshire in 2005 [to teach studio art at Dartmouth College].

ABN: How did you learn to teach art?

SSP: I had some friends who said they wanted to teach when they were done with school, and I was like, “Are you kidding?” You have to have experience to be a mentor, so I was not for that. But when you’re out there trying to survive as an artist, a teaching opportunity is really, really great, and you can’t pass on it. When I taught the lecture course, I had to get over public-speaking fright. Then teaching studio art, I went back and thought about what I learned at Columbus College of Art and Design and structured my lessons according to the ones I thought were significant. You also learn from the students—are inspired by students. If they’re doing well, you can just see the light bulb go on, and that’s really inspiring as an artist. Another thing I love about teaching is being a part of the learning institution. It makes me do research. Say I have to talk about kinetic art with my students; I go back and do some reading, and I’m learning more about kinetic art.

ABN: What’s the most challenging thing about teaching for you?

SSP: As much as we encourage students to think outside the box and be confident about what they want to do, students do sometimes push the envelopes a little too much, and that’s hard to deal with. Also, you never know what each individual has gone through in life, so dealing with students who have emotional troubles at times is hard. Being an art teacher, you can’t separate those things as you could if you were teaching in a different discipline. Doing art, that whole creative process comes through: the visual, emotional and conceptual. You get involved more than you want to get involved. But I’m learning how to keep that divide.

Soo Sunny Park, “Vapor Slide”

ABN: How would you describe your art?

SSP: It’s really changed over the years. Now I’m making work that is not ephemeral. The object exists; it can exist for a long, long time. There is that concept of the in-between space. For the past seven years, I’ve been thinking about using light as a medium, involving natural light—daylight—so there are elements of transience and time change. Within that time change, there is a subtlety; you have the sunny day, you have the gray day, and you have the humid day, and all those things affect the mood and the projection, the reflections.

ABN: What’s your top advice for aspiring artists?

SSP: My professor from Cranbrook, Heather McGill, said to think of yourself as part of a group, not an individual doing independent things. See yourself in a larger context, how you are similar and how you are different in your approach to your work. I think that’s really great advice because, when you start making work, you want to always be making new, new, new. But in fact, a lot of things have been [created] over thousands of years of our existence. So don’t be discouraged when you find out that you’re being compared to someone else. That’s how we communicate and interact: We make references. We can’t describe something brand new without referencing something else. I also think the hard thing is to keep making work. I always say it’s a survival game. How do you survive as an artist? What is it you have to do so you don’t lose the “making” part? I give this advice to students: Think five years in advance. How do you see yourself in five years? It’s a goal, not some sort of far-fetched thing that you’re wishing for from a distance. Thinking in that way has really helped me.

For more about Soo Sunny Park, visit soosunnypark.com.

Megan Kaplon, editorial assistant at Madavor Media, has been contributing content and editorial expertise to an array of magazines since graduating from Emerson College with a degree in writing, literature and publishing.

The post Soo Sunny Park: Sculpting Art and Mind appeared first on Art Business News.