October Issue 2000
Winthrop University Galleries Offers Two New Exhibits
An installation of metal fabricated sculptures by Gastonia, NC, artist Rudy Rudisill is being featured in Winthrop University Galleries' Rutledge Gallery in Rock Hill, SC. FOUR by FIVE, an exhibition of Polaroid images by noted fine art photographer Martin Silverman, is on view in the Elizabeth Dunlap Patrick Gallery.Both exhibits will be on view through Oct. 29.
Rudisill practically grew-up in his father's metal shop making ductwork, chimney caps and hoods for local cafes. Today, that experience has been translated into his own sculptural imagery that often reflects his interests in architecture and the relationships between interior and exterior spaces. "I've always been interested in buildings of all sorts. Farm buildings, especially the towering grain elevators, that I've seen while traveling in the midwest have had a pretty significant influence on my work. Lately I've come to realize that the view outside my studio window holds images that appear quite frequently in my sculpture as well," says Rudisill.
Rudisill has studied at Haywood Technical Institute, Penland School of Crafts, Arrowmont School of Crafts and the Appalachian Center for Crafts. His work is represented by Hodges Taylor Gallery in Charlotte, NC.
When asked about his work Rudisill offered the following statement:
"My work tends to be architectural in appearance and deals with the relationship between interior and exterior space. In some cases it makes references to the human body and male-female relationships. Sometimes I deal with issues of assention and/or exclusion. On the other hand, sometimes I deal with architectural forms for the sheer pleasure of dealing with the geometry of the roof line and its relationship with vertical planes".
"I make my drawings. The images come from memory, dreams, and from the act of drawing-manipulation of elements, abstraction and reducing details in a quest for the essential. I've always been interested in buildings of all sorts. Farm buildings, especially the towering grain elevators, that I've seen while traveling in the midwest have had a pretty significant influence on my work. Lately I've come to realize that the view outside my studio window holds images that appear quite frequently in my sculpture as well".
"Technically, most of what I do is sheet metal fabrication. I cut, form and fasten together sheets of metal. I use galvanized steel (steel with a coating of zinc) because it can be treated chemically to take on a matte finish with an almost instant look of age. Left untreated it has a bright silver finish and is rust resistant. Galvanized steel is tougher, as well as harder to cut and form, than mild steel of a similar thickness and is generally cleaner since it does not have to be coated with oil to prevent rust during handling".
"It seems like I grew up m the metal shop. As a small boy I remember being told that I must wear shoes to go in the shop. Later, when I was tall enough to see what was happening on the workbench, I began to watch and eventually help my father make all sorts of metal objects-ductwork, chimney caps,. hoods for the local cafes, parts for farm implements-things that, back then, were not available ready made. The idea that three dimensional objects could be made from flat sheets of metal struck a cord with me. Put a sheet of metal on the workbench; measure, mark, make a few notches, cut out a piece, carry it over to the bending break and form it. This process still has a magical quality for me".
FIVE by FOUR
is an inspiring exhibition of Martin Silverman's recent work exclusively
created with instant Polaroid 4x5 materials and a traditional
view camera. "Silverman focuses attention on the purest form
of photography that we know - the simple and straightforward image
that is presented by the Polaroid original. It is free from manipulation
of any kind, and provokes thought at deeper levels," comments
Jeannie Pierce, University of the Arts, Philadelphia.
The exhibition will travel throughout US educational and arts
institutions through 2001. Part of the exhibition will also be
represented at the Toscana Foto Festival 2000 in Rome, Italy.
The project and exhibition at Winthrop University is sponsored
by Mamiya America Corporation with additional support provided
by the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Patrons of
the Gallery.
For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings or call the Tom Stanley, Gallery Director at 803/323-2493 or by e-mail at (stanleyt@winthrop.edu).
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