Thursday, January 24, 2013

February Break

So... looking for something fun and creative to do over February break? Check out this link for a glass camp especially for high school students right here in Rochester! This is an amazing opportunity and a reasonable price if you think of the cost of materials. Make sure to let me know if you decide to sign up!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Contest Opportunity

This opportunity was just sent to me from the Science Department and I thought I would send it your way.  It's a sculpture contest where you are asked to create a sculpture out of Styrofoam in one of 4 categories: Microbial life, Ship models, or earth processes (i.e. volcanoes, plate tectonics, convection currents). There is also an "open" category for those of you who don't like being boxed in by too many rules! The link to the contest details is here.
Happy sculpting!
 
 
 

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Local Public Art


This is a sketch of Albert Paley's sculpture, Soliloquy, which will be installed at the Memorial Art Gallery as part of Centennial Sculpture Park. He has worked internationally and has a studio based right on Lyell Avenue in the city of Rochester. This piece will be 25 feet tall and made of stainless steel. I love seeing the planning process as he maps his drawing carefully before a sculpture is actually built. 



I know many students ask, "If I'm good at sculpting why do I need to draw, too?" Or, "Can't I just wing it and play with materials and see what happens?"  There is a time for everything!

Working as a full time artist Albert Paley needs to be able to convince a community or organization that his work is valid, valuable and worth the time and energy to have it installed. Paley often needs to work with architects and engineers to ensure safety and longevity of his work before it is installed in a public space. Clear expectations regarding size, scale, deadlines and the expense of materials and labor are needed to ensure that all parties get a final work that pleases everyone involved in the decision making process. Then, after all of that, the community will still have a debate on if the work is all that it should be!