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June Issue 2007

City of North Charleston, SC, Offers 2nd Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition

The City of North Charleston, SC, is presenting its 2nd National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition at Riverfront Park, on view through Mar. 28, 2008.

Sculpture artists from across the nation applied to the second annual, National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department. This unique exhibition offers established and emerging artists the opportunity to display their thought provoking, extraordinary sculptures as well as compete for up to $11,000 in Exhibition Honorariums and Awards.

Thirteen sculptures were selected for this eleven month exhibition by the Juror, Mary Catherine Johnson. Currently she is the coordinator for the Visual Arts Program and Gallery at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Prior to her appointment at Emory she served as Associate Director and Acting Director of the International Sculpture Center (ISC), a non-profit membership and educational organization devoted to the advancement of sculpture and the publisher of Sculpture Magazine.

The thirteen sculptures selected are by thirteen artists from ten states. Division I includes ten sculptures that are anchored to a concrete pad. Division II includes three sculptures that are secured to a concrete pedestal.

Division I includes: Buoy, steel, found object by Ralph Berger from Rutherford, NC;
Tashtego, cedar and cor-ten steel by James Burnes from Santa Fe, NM; And I Loved Him, steel with patina by Estela De Paola de Lerma from Minneapolis, MN; Anchors and Gears, granite and steel by Brett Hunter from Alfred, NY; Light of 1000 Souls, stainless steel, LEDs, and solar panel by Jeffry Loy from Atlanta, GA; Hairstreak, steel plate by John W Parker from Glenside, PA; Lunar Landing, powder coated steel by Wayne Trapp from Vilas, NC; Hanging Totems, clay and steel by Liz Vercruysse from Herman, NE; Self Portrait, fabricated steel and fiberglass by Adam Walls from Spartanburg, SC; and Would Not [Supplant], tree trunk, cables, construction materials, cast within fiberglass resin by Diran Lyons and Tyler Jopek from Tampa, FL.

Division II includes: Contemplation, bronze by Jean Proulx Dibner from Newton, MA; Evolve, marble by Michael A. Guadagno from Danvers, MA; and Dry Canyon Waterfall, NC slate by Philip K. Hathcock from Cary, NC.

Sculpture sites are located throughout the stunning, picturesque Riverfront Park in North Charleston. The impressive Riverfront Park is set on the banks of the gorgeous Cooper River. Visitors enjoy ten acres of walking paths, a fishing pier, an oversized sandbox and children's play fountain. The historic site is centered in the Noisette District (former Charleston Naval Base), the largest urban redevelopment project ever undertaken in the US.

The Cultural Arts Department was the recipient of the 2000 Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Award for the Arts and receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, SC Arts Commission, the US Department of HUD, and the corporate community.

The following includes Artists' Statements from participating artists:

Ralph Berger of Rutherford, NC - Buoy, steel and found object. "For the past two years I have been using a plasma cutter and mig welder to create geometrical designs which are cut from either found metal objects or steel plate. Working with metal gives me a great deal of pleasure and allows me to create on either small or large scales. The metal sculptures are multi-functional, finding their way into gardens and landscapes as well as interior room dividers, mirrors, and wall décor."

James Burnes of Santa Fe, NM - Tashtego, cedar and cor-ten steel. "Growing up in an old barn in Massachusetts, I spent my youth playing in, on, and around the barn constantly. The horses, sheep, cats and dogs were all as much my family as my sister. By rearranging the steel, trees and rocks which lay around my house, I found I could make pieces which, when at a distance, appeared as life like and dynamic as my small friends, but when approached they reveal an abstraction of space and form. A closer inspection unfolds layers of texture and negative space. I have chosen my materials for their unstable yet enduring properties. The corten steel will change with time, eventually rusting to a deep burgundy while the large tree trunks will grey and change depending upon the environment. The natural contrast of decay enhances the life of the piece. Time will change them, but will not destroy them. They are designed to age gracefully."

Estela De Paola de Lerma of Minneapolis, MN - And I Loved Him, steel with patina. "Everyday life provides the artist with subject matter to communicate with the public. My art is a reflection of real scenes that surround us daily. My artistic expression is influenced by the combination of my personal background and experience as an immigrant. My memories in Argentina are fused with my experience here, to be translated then into sculptures. Line, volume, and shape interact in my sculptures to address the viewer as an active participant in the artistic experience. The viewer is invited to reflect on the theme and its representation as a detector of situations in the surrounding micro as well as macro world. The viewer identifies himself or herself or the socio-cultural environment around him or her as part of the movement of society. The intention of my sculptures is aesthetic as well as reflective."

Brett Hunter of Alfred, NY - Anchors and Gears, granite and steel. "Each person's 'self' is constructed from experiences mundane and extraordinary. Each experience is a collection of moments, each moment shaped and contextualized by the identity of the individual, affected by its past and affecting the next moment in time. Every event impacts each person differently and thereby influences the ways in which we relate to one another, at time forming bonds, at times pushing apart. This work focuses on the ideas, issues, or experiences that set individuals apart from one another. There can be a certain peace to voluntary physical separation, an opportunity to be free from other's expectations and reactions. On the other hand, to be surrounded by other people yet unable (or unwilling) to connect, communicate, or commune brings us to the depth of solitude. Individually each work is in a state of transition: creation, destruction, or both, which reflects the confluence of past experiences and current reaction. As a group these pieces reflect the isolation of the individual, they move without reaching, are in proximity without touching, and respond without connecting. With allusions to body language and architecture these works capture various moments of identity, formed by history and experience, determining response and interaction. They represent the individual struggle to make sense of the relationship between the internal and external aspects of identity, as the particular experiences, issues, or feelings that inform each piece dictate its relationship to the space, the viewer, and each other."

Jeffry Loy of Atlanta, GA - Light of 1000 Souls, stainless steel, LEDs, and solar panel. "Native Americans commonly believe that when a person dies, his or her spirit takes the shape of a light when the body returns to become part of the earth. That light must then journey to a high point, which might be a mountain, a hill, or a tree, as depicted in this sculpture, which serves as a steppingstone to the start of the sky trail. Commonly known to the Western world as the Milky Way, many American Indian nations refer to these stars as the sky road, a path traveled by the souls of the dead, a trail where each star makes the footstep or the spirit of one who has left his life." Light of 1000 Souls features 144 solar-powered LEDs that Loy contained within 12 translucent spheres. A solar lighting controller automatically turns the piece at dusk each night, illuminating the night's sky with three distinct ten-minute color patterns that are synchronized to repeat every 30 minutes.

John W Parker of Glenside, PA - Hairstreak, steel plate. "My sculptures have evolved out of a life long interest in nature. This interest spans the field study of insects and fascination of dinosaurs, to exotic flowers. I have combined nature with steel, in giving heavy industrial materials a living, animated presence."

Wayne Trapp of Vilas, NC - Lunar Landing, powder coated steel. "For over thirty-five years I have been making sculptures for public places. Perhaps the most important thing I have learned is that a public sculpture must be durable and timeless in both form and materials. Public art is a statement about a community as a whole. My sculptures are in various sites around the United States and other countries. They are as strong structurally and conceptually now, as they were when first installed. I believe that a sculpture should enhance its environment. There has been a book published on the past 35 years of my life as a sculptor entitled The Journey of a Sculptor."

Liz Vercruysse of Herman, NE - Hanging Totems, clay and steel. Liz Vercruysse describes herself as an object maker. The process and repetition of making forms, as well as the freedom to explore these forms are what motivate and influence the finished piece. Her most recent work has manifested into several different completed objects. Making forms and then assembling a finished piece through hanging, stacking, and installation results in a fresh and spontaneous way of working that also allows for experimentation within the form itself. The resulting work has a far more interesting visual vocabulary than any singular form.

Adam Walls of Spartanburg, SC - Self Portrait, fabricated steel and fiberglass. "All of my sculpture is concept driven and is commonly viewer interactive. The work's conceptual nature is usually derived from some memory that was stirred by the shape of some found object, or from some memento that I have held onto since childhood. These things bring up thoughts and experiences that challenge me and guide me through the creative process. My sculpture does range in size drastically at times, but I do tend to prefer to work on a monumental scale. The work always holds meaning to me, but that meaning does not have to be easily interpreted by my audience. Some will look and understand, others may find their own rationale for it, others may simply enjoy its physicality, but it is my hope that everyone can enjoy it on some level."

Diran Lyons and Tyler Jopek of Tampa, FL - Would Not [Supplant], tree trunk, cables, and construction materials cast within fiberglass resin. "As artists currently residing in Florida, we find ourselves immersed within - and continually the witnesses and potential victims of - tumultuous, deadly natural cycles. Global warming poses a problem to Florida residents specifically in that it includes natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, etc., which indiscriminately destroy anything within the trajectory of their paths. To 'counter' this, capitalistic forces driven by the multibillion dollar construction industry fuel rather than remedy these atrocities through the use of plywood, etc., for the protection and preservation of our housing. Utilizing the woodpecker's process of embedding food within the trunk of a tree as a metonym for self-preservation, Would Not [Supplant] isolates as signposts the materials that contribute to [rather than stand as the remedy of] this environmental problem. In one sense, our current strategies of preservation achieve their intended ends, but the deforestation/environmental fragmentation that propels such also accelerates the global warming that produces the very problem in the first place. We must creatively supplant this process as quickly as possible."

Jean Proulx Dibner of Newton, MA - Contemplation, bronze. "As a figurative sculptor, I am interested in capturing life's experiences in visual form. I have been sculpting with my eyes all my life but in clay for only the past ten years. My artistic goal is to develop sculpture that provokes an internal conversation between the viewer and my work. We are eavesdropping on intimate moments, viewing what lies beneath the surface. My hope is that my work will stimulate some thoughts about oneís own life experiences ñ its richness, beauty, and mystery. Contemplation is playful and serious at the same time. We are presented with a severed, man's head resting on an arm. It begs the question of just what makes up the essence of a person while allowing the viewers to explore its mood and feelings. It was a favorite with attendees at Chesterwood, Daniel Chester French's former studio in Stockbridge, MA, where many enjoyed having their picture taken posed next to it in the same position."

Michael A. Guadagno of Danvers, MA - Evolve, marble. "In my thirty plus years as a dedicated professional artist, I have increasingly become aware of the continuing source of my creative energy that is expressed within my work. That source has three basic components: material and form, a connecting aesthetical image, and an element of the human spirit. My sculptures vary from the abstract geometric to the organic with forms suggestive of nature. They engage the viewer not only by stimulating their imagination, but also their senses, through touch as well as visual. They often employ light movement, or sound, thereby, establishing an aesthetical and physical connection between the sculpture and the individual re-enforcing the experience of the viewer. I enjoy working with different materials and continue my exploration of them to expand my growth in expressing my creative energy. Marble, metal, ceramic, and glass are my favorites so far because of their strong connection to the earth, fire, raw material, and energy. There is a sense of permanency and history to these materials, the endurance of time and recording of humanity in them."

Philip K. Hathcock of Cary, NC - Dry Canyon Waterfall, NC slate. "Through my desire to establish myself in a career where the main objective would be an authentic re-creation of distinct natural environments, my focus has now shifted from the entire area, to the individual pieces that make up each area. Rocks, boulders and geological formations have always fascinated me, and therefore, they have always played a significant role in many of my designs. The shift from using these amazing formations to accent and design an area, to viewing each one as a potential piece, was inevitable the more I studied the various shapes, colors, textures and distinct make-up of the many geological formations. Once a piece is extracted from the ground, a totally new process begins, that takes the stones to an entirely new place. Wind, rain, sun or shade, play an important role in providing distinct textural changes in the structural make-up of each stone. Weathering can result in a smoothness that may seem actually polished or on a different stone it may cause a subtle pocking. This allows lichens and mosses to attach themselves to the stones, and bringing about a new texture and color variation to be utilized. During the studying of this evolution, I began to see each stone individually. I realized that almost every one had something it was trying to convey, and that when I helped to find out what that was, the pieces took on personalities of amazing proportion. This piece is a result of the natural colors of an area of the NC slate belt, that runs through the Albemarle area of the Uwharrie Mountain range. This area is known for its abundance of pottery quality clay. This clay is responsible for the distinct coloration of this slate, as it is the material that surrounds the slate under ground. The end result is a range of colors, from the palest pastels to oranges, browns and burgundy, that combine with the original blue/gray of the slate. These many colors give a deeply textured look to the stone. The natural clefts and separations that come about with the ageing process in combination with the orange and brown hues, seemed to shout 'Colorado River Canyons'. The deep cleft, that meanders through the central area of the stone, is a result of a natural erosion process. It probably began as a small fissure or crack, caused by a fluctuation of temperature. Grains of sand, along with wind and rain, have resulted in a deeply carved trough. As I extracted this slate from a roadbed, I was immediately transported into the amazing works of Ansel Adams. I knew at that time, that my main purpose would be to enhance anything needed to make this piece a part of that place."

For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Cultural Arts Department at 843/745-1087 or visit (www.northcharleston.org).

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