Natural Formations

Commune, 2009, black granite

Sculptor Ayami Aoyama is exhibiting her remarkable work outdoors at the James A. Michener Art Museum’s Outdoor Sculpture Program March 20 through June 27, 2010. A quote on her card reads:

‘“Eight million gods dwell in everything” is a Japanese proverb that sculptor Ayami Aoyama honors through her carved stone sculptures. For her, all natural materials have their own spirit and she seeks to reveal that elemental life force through the work. Her marble and granite sculptures suggest both figurative forms and landscape in a style that is both minimal and abstract.’

The Museum is located at 138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, PA. Their number is 215-340-9800. Click here for their website.

Art IS Busting Out All Over!

Another Opening Reception on April 9 takes place from 6 - 8 pm at the Silva Gallery at the Pennington School in Pennington, NJ. Twelve members of the Sculptors Association of New Jersey are celebrating Spring 2010, an exhibition of their work that will remain on display through April 29. Gallery hours are M-F 12-5 p.m.

Artist Frances Heinrich will be offering a gallery talk on "Today's Globalization Aesthetic" as part of the show. That takes place at noon on April 13 in the lecture hall at Pennington School's Stainton Hall. Visit the school's website for more information.

James Grant at Mariboe

The Mariboe Gallery at Peddie School presents “Existential Search,” an exhibition of sculpture by James Clark from January 8 – 27, 2010. There will be an opening reception (free and open to the public) on the evening of Friday, January 8, from 6.30 – 8 p.m.

James Clark has been a fixture of the New York sculpture scene for decades, recognized for his innovative use of found objects, lights, fiber optics, and balloons. His current work with electroluminescence includes wall-hung works of white enameled steel that are outlined and activated by filaments encased in flexible tubing. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

Reflections in a Black Pool

The Mariboe Gallery at Peddie School in Hightstown, NJ, is presenting Black Pool, an exhibition of sculptures and drawings by artist Rachel Frank. The exhibition will run from Friday, September 11 – Wednesday, September 30, 2009.

"Rachel Frank employs the techniques of wood parquetry and inlay to explore how intricate designs such as Islamic and optical illusion patterns can formally inform and subvert three-dimensional sculptures. She harnesses the cosmological implications of each of these formal languages in both public and personal frameworks: how the geometry within the platforms connotes violence; how these objects in space deal with the absence and loss of death. Through these intimate geometries, she determines how the work can suggest infinite space as a reflection on violence and loss."

For directions, check the Peddie School site.

Mahon Atelier Open for Workshops

Rory Mahon is offering another round of his sculpture classes (except for the Bronze casting which won't be offered until Spring, 2009). (Click here for link to original blog posting with class descriptions.) For details and dates for the fall sessions, contact Rory directly at rory98@hotmail.com. All classes are starting next week (week of September 20), so don't put it off!

A Summer Palace in the Trees

Summer Palace

If you didn’t catch the shamanic splendor of sculptor Patrick Dougherty’s “tree installation” at the Grounds for Sculpture a few years ago, or if you simply miss the experience of wandering and wondering through that type of earth-constructed magic, consider visiting the Morris Arboretum (of the University of Pennsylvania) where Summer Palace, one of his latest installations, will remain on view until it gives in to the elements.

The Arboretum is beautiful, 92 acres of rare trees and romantic vistas (its designed landscapes are based on elegant Victorian-era designs) just northwest of Philadelphia (Chestnut Hill.) The staff work hard to integrate art, science, human ideas and the natural world -- and it’s open year-round, 7 days a week. There is an entrance fee. There are also (in addition to the grounds, themselves) special permanent and rotating exhibits (including the miniature Garden Railway that runs through the gardens until mid-October), occasional concerts, and an extremely reasonable cafe on-site, so you can easily make a full day of it.

By the way, for a serene video re-visit to Patrick's Grounds for Sculpture installation, check out Rich Butterfoss’ award winning documentary on YouTube .

Thinking Inside of the Box

Warwick Goble's Victorian illustration of Pandora releasing evils into the world

Personally, I'm with those of you artists who enjoy the challenge and creative kick-in-the-pants that a well-conceived theme show can generate. Sometimes just the process of thinking through what I would do in response to a particular exhibit theme is enough to get my work going.

The fantastic Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Virginia (no -- it's not too far; besides, when's the last time you spent a day in the museums and burgeoning gallery scene down in Washington, DC?) has issued a Call for Entries for Pandora's Box. There's plenty of time to work on a piece: entries aren't due until October 5, 2009. Exhibition dates are December 10 – January 10, 2010.


The Pandora myth is pretty much the Garden of Eden story told Greek-style. Pandora, like Eve, was the first woman on earth, created by a God (Hephaestus, god of craftsmanship, in Pandora's case,) and she -- like Eve -- gets blamed for unleashing all the toils, troubles, backbreaking labor, and other heartbreaks on a previously edenic and 'innocent' world. Both of them were guilty only of two things: ignoring a Godly warning that didn't seem to make sense, and being "too curious."


Poor Pandora. When she was created by the gods, Zeus deliberately instructed that she should be given an enormous curiosity about things. He also arranged to have a massive, remarkable pithos (a storage jar that could house a human -- which later morphed to "box") sent to her -- with a warning never to open it. At least the Greeks admit that this was a deliberate set-up on the part of Zeus! At least, after all the cares and woes came out into the world, Hope remained in the pithos.


Pandora’s Box invites new works based on the theme of “Pandora’s Box” Artists are invited to submit their own interpretations of Pandora’s Box and how it relates to the times we are living in today. Work must be based in/on a container form with dimensions that can not exceed 12 inches in any direction. Work inside the container may stay within or explode/peek/ooze from the box, peek outside the box. These elements may exceed the 12” limits of the container, but must fit the gallery’s limitations (described in the full prospectus, on their site.)


[Note: this opportunity -- as well as the Pen & Brush show posted below -- comes via the interactive NY Foundation for the Arts site. They have a lot of wonderful resources for artists in many genre. Consider linking to them.]

Outdoor Sculpture & Local Wine

Three of artist Kate Grave's "Zero Tolerance Area" sculptures (that's one of them, above) are among outdoor sculptures on exhibit up at the 8th annual Buckingham Valley Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit. It takes place on the grounds of the Buckingham Valley Vineyards, 1521 Rt 413, Buckingham, PA.

Visitors are welcome to take self guided tours of the vineyard and wine cellars, check out the art (and taste some wine). The vineyard is open to the public 11-6 Tuesday thru Saturday, and 12-4 on Sundays (closed Mondays.)

This working vineyard, one of the oldest in the region, is in Bucks County, PA, between Newtown and Doylestown. Some of the other regional artists with work in the show are Ayami Aoyama, Kevin Forest, Patricia Goodrich, Harry Gordon, Kate Graves, Jonathan Hertzel, Milan J. Kralik, Andrew Logan, Rory Mahon, Mark Pettegrow, Christopher Smith, Christoph Spath, & Dana Stewart.

The show will be up through September 30, 2009, so there's plenty of time to pack your picnic basket and head over to Buckingham for a no cost day of art, nature, and maybe a little vino.

Trying to Change "Normal"

Hopewell-based artist Debbie Reichard will be presenting a free slide talk on her sculpture at the Princeton Public Library this coming Monday, June 22 at 7 pm. (For directions and parking information, go to the Library site.)

Local folks may know Debbie from her days with Trenton Avant Garde, or her time teaching ceramics at the Arts Council of Princeton. Or maybe you’ve admired her artwork in local exhibitions (her towering, slightly drunk ceramic bowling pins remain one of my memorable favorites.) Her approach to art-making is totally unique: funny, sometimes cynical, beautifully crafted, and always entertaining. To quote notes from an exhibit of her work, while her background may be in ceramics, “...her materials and methods have grown to include anything that she does not already know how to do.”

Debbie’s currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Sculpture at Herron School of Art and Design, (University of Indiana/Purdue U.) in Indianapolis, so this is a rare opportunity to hear from the artist while she's a little closer to home. Check it out! And check out Debbie’s website to see a little more about what she’s working on these days.

Image: "Lawn Order" grass and roundup, installation at the Newark Museum, 2007 Courtesy of the Artist

Playing with Fire (and Concrete!)

Sculptor Rory Mahon is offering opportunities for artists looking to expand their skills in casting, concrete, and working with aluminum and bronze. For a copy of the full descriptions of the classes (synopsized below), along with class cost and material fees, email Rory directly at rory98@hotmail.com.

In addition to being a gifted artist, Rory's a generous and dedicated teacher with more than 25 years experience. He worked for me down at ARTWORKS, and students regularly commented on his knowledge, great teaching style, and generosity. All classes will be offered at his foundry studio in Pennington, NJ.

Cement Casting into Sand: This casting method allows Artists to create molds by carving or pressing objects into moist Mason Sand and Clay. Students should finish 2 to 4 projects that can be put outside and lasts a very long time. Two, 5-week classes on Tuesday afternoons, 1pm to 4pm, AND Tuesday evenings, 6:30 to 9:30. Starting June 23rd. Maximum of 6 Students.

Direct Modeling in Cement with Armatures: This method offers Artists a way of building larger sculptural pieces that are hollow and relatively light weight. You will make and use a simple armature and learn the proper ways of mixing and applying cements and additives. Six week class on Wednesday evenings, 6:30 to 9:30. Starting June 24th. Maximum of 6 Students.

Aluminum Casting in Green Sand: An age-old technique of creating Sand Molds in the negative and pouring molten Aluminum. Learn the basic ‘Cope and Drag’ technique (Google it!) with a minimum of ‘Cheeks’ to start off with. Great for any Artist who is thinking of starting his or her own backyard foundry. Two, 5-week classes on Thursday afternoons, 1pm to 4pm, AND Thursday evenings, 6:30 to 9:30. Starting June 25th. Maximum of 6 Students.

Bronze Casting with No-Bake Sand Molds: Learn the basics of making these kinds of molds, and see how you can, in time, push the limits to cast anything you want. This is an intermediate class for people who have a grasp on some Moldmaking techniques. Slightly higher materials fee. Six week class on Saturday afternoons, 12pm to 3pm. Starting June 27. Maximum of 6 Students.