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!

 

 

 

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!

A Smaller and More Independent Gallery...

There are tons of galleries around Rochester!  I highlighted the new sculpture Park at the Memorial Art Gallery recently, which most folks know about. If you're looking for a more independent feel check out the 1975 Gallery which is located where the old Little Bakery was downtown. Often as seasons and shows change they transform the inside as well as the outside of the building. Take the time to see the video here.

Up and Coming Around Rochester!

Have you driven by the Memorial Art Gallery to see the changes lately? They've taken down the dark and dreary black fence, and they have replaced it with a dynamic and interactive sculpture park.  It's not finished yet, but the transformation is pretty amazing to watch! Here's some photos and miniatures that have assisted in the planning phase.

Here's a quick video about Wendell Castle (the top image) who is working on what's coming to Centennial Sculpture Park next. He generally works on indoor sculptures, and he's been working intentionally to consider all the factors that will need to be considered for an outdoor sculpture. Check it out! 

Soapstone

Soapstone, known as steatite, is a metamorphic rock formed by the compression of talc, quartz and other impure minerals in the earth over millions of years. The Inuit people have used it as a sculptural medium as seen in the images below. The Inuit sculptures often reflected the values and history of their people.

Soapstone has been used for multiple purposes such as cooking pots in India and raised stamps for clay by the Egyptians and Babylonians.  Today, we can find soapstone used for industrial uses such as countertops, toys, a filler in paint, cleaning compounds and cosmetics. Sculpture and Mixed Media A students created these small scale sculptures in soapstone based on the work of the Inuit artists. They were free to choose content that was relevant to their lives today. Students made a range of small scale sculptures, pendants, and even a candle holder.

The color variation is due to the different minerals that appear in the stone itself.  Students filed, sanded and polished, but they never really knew what the color would be until it was almost completed. The dust has settled, and now we are getting to work on relief printmaking. 

Mixing it up

Mrs. Reinert and I had an opportunity to collaborate with Mrs. Nelan recently as we connected Kafka's Metamorphosis and the Surrealist movement in art. We discussed how thought processes are similar as we create, approach and make meaning in both literature and art.

We also found some more modern adaptations of Surrealism and discussed that cultural literacy is essential to understand the fullness of meaning in art and society.

Thanks Mrs. Nelan for giving us an opportunity to meet some new students and also see some of our past and present art students in a new context.  It's always good to see how the different things that occur in school eventually merge and become part of a more fluid and bigger context.

Trivia

I'm excited today because I just looked at the data page that states where the people who visit this blog come from. This page has had now had at least 6 visitors from Germany and Russia! I love the fact that we can put this work out into the world and share the excitement that comes with creating new things.  So, dear students, if your work has been exhibited on this site, you can now say that your work has been viewed internationally!

So, although this is an older piece done by a student a few years ago, it is a visual that echoes how I feel today.  It blows my mind that people from all over the world would take the time to view the work of some talented students in a small high school in the United States. Thank you for your support.