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September Issue 2006
Columbia College in Columbia, SC, Features Works by Dr. Edwin Gordon
Columbia College in
Columbia, SC, will present the exhibit, Dr. Edwin Gordon: From
the Inside Out, featuring wood sculptures and multi-media
wall hangings spanning a twenty year period, on view in the Goodall
Gallery, from Sept. 6 through Oct. 18, 2006.
Born Sept. 14, 1927, in Stamford Connecticut, Dr. Gordon is an
internationally known early childhood music educator with degrees
from The Eastman School of Music and Ohio University, earning
his PhD at the University of Iowa. Earlier in his career he performed
as a bass player with the various jazz ensembles and the noted
jazz musician, Gene Krupa, in the early 1950's.
The better part of Gordon's career has been spent researching and teaching music education. He has also written and published numerous books and education materials on the subject and has held the Carl E. Seashore Chair for Research in Music at Temple University, Philadelphia. Gordon retired from academic life and currently resides in Columbia.
His interest in fine art began about 20 years ago through refinishing furniture where he became accustomed to wood working and furniture making, mostly as a practical means to furnish his home. In 1986, while teaching at Temple, Gordon was formally introduced to sculpting with wood through friend and artist Bruce Johnson.
Gordon worked solely on wood sculptures from 1986 to 1997. Most of the pieces are semi-abstract to abstract in organic and figurative styles that are indicative of the famous British artist, Henry Moore. Being a former jazz musician who heavily enjoyed improvisation, the idea and act of creating art was a natural progression and outlet for Gordon who says, "woodcarving afforded the opportunity to slight reality and to indulge in imaginationI captured space and expressed crystallized movement. In jazz bass playing, I followed the chord progressions, and in sculpting I followed the grain of the wood."
In 2000, an arm injury forced Gordon to halt wood sculpting. Since then, Gordon has been working two dimensionally with abstract multi-media works where he applies the same concepts of improvisation. The 2-D works are minimal and geometric using various materials such as plastic cord and layers of paint to build the surface. Gordon's background in jazz is evident in the newer works with images that sometimes convey a bass vibration or the varying directions of a jazz beat.
For more information
check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call Sally Jenkins
Harm at 803/786.3649 or e-mail at (sjenkinsharm@colacoll.edu),
or call Jackie Adams at 803/786-3088.
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