“Art by The River” – An Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition

Ever been to an art exhibit outdoors? The Lansing Art Gallery is hosting this year’s “Art by The River” show at their open air location between Michigan Ave. and Shiawassee Street. The exhibit seems to be tied with the growth of artist-diversity in the Michigan area. Among the works present will be 10 masterpieces done by Michigan artists. Listen to the stories of these people who live and work in this bustling corner of the globe. The art show can be considered a pristine break from all the modern day museums and indoor galleries, as it provides a very natural feel of the river trail.

The event is funded with support from the City of Lansing Art & Cultural Grant Program. For more info, you can visit their website right here. Take a drive down to sunny Michigan to check out what this show has to offer. See you there!

Art Spotlight Feature: Sculpting with Dice?

Frederick McSwain is an unconventional artist who’s recent work “BrokenOff Broken Off” was made both as a tribute to his late friend Tobias Wong, and to the randomness that life presents human beings with. McSwain’s sculptural artwork is a compositional flat portrait made entirely out of dice. The dice, flipped to one of 6 faces become the shades and tones of his friend’s face. What an artistic way to remember someone’s life. Tobi, as Mcswain called him, was a fun-loving man, and in the spirit of his down-to-earth persona- McSwain’s assembly of dice was set on the floor instead of being hung like traditional artworks. McSwain’s creative ingenuity allowed him to portray the human being in a true essence of his existence- with a choice and a randomness. We’re not always in sync with the cards we are dealt, but throughout the history of our lives, we get to select what “face” our memories will show us. Its not about what happens to us, but how we react to those things that defines who we are.

 

Artists are just ordinary people like you and me. They talk differently in their own own quirky voices. Some of em’ paint with ice, others spell with dice. Language is language, and the visual arts is in fact one of the most widely appreciated languages of our time. The only fallback of this uniquely human language is also its most defining trait. Some people think art is very easily misunderstood, but the reality of the media speaks through its diversity of interpretations. Every meaning an individual associates with an artwork makes it more powerful.

 

Experience and imagination rule over fact, and logic is denied its singular form. The next time you evaluate an artwork, realize that each of the billions of people around the world could be standing in the room right next to you- but seeing something entirely different.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Folks!

We here at the Sculpture Show Blog would just like to wish our loyal readers happy holidays. With the Christmas season coming around, why not pursue some interesting new hobbies, like ice sculpture! Winter festivities are always quite fun.

“Flame in the Wind” by Vladimir Zhikhartsev & Sergei Loginov, 1st place abstract single block, 2002 World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks Alaska.
Sculpture by Vladimir Zhikhartsev & Sergei Loginov | Photo by Mila Zinkova

Chiseled cold from the ice? how about start some holiday tree trimming and put your sculpting skills to the test. Christmas tree horticulture might be one of your talents. We’ve seen a lot of well-carved botanical sculptures from hundreds of submitted photos last year.

Artworks have no limit, so be jolly and give everything a try before the year ends. Here’s the team at Sculpture Show, reminding you to eat your candy like good little boys and girls. Keep creating art!

 

The Peer Gynt Sculpture Park

In Oslo, Norway, there’s a place where you’ll be able to experience the awe-inspiring presence of over a hundred internationally acclaimed sculptures. The Peer Gynt Sculpture Park is a venue that was created for the patronization of multi-dimensional art and in honor of the world famous writer Henrik Ibsen. It was created in 2006 by Selvaag (founded by Olav Selvaag) and most of its wide diversity of sculptures arose from its renowned competitions.

The competition of the Peer Gynt Sculpture Park is hosted by Selvaag as well, and the members of its jury are: Ellen Horn (Director from the Norweigan Riksteatret), Sculptor Kirsten Kokkin, Professor Vigdis Ystad (Senter for Ibsenstudier), Peter Lund (Fund Fine Art), Ole Gunnar Selvaag, Kristian Blystand and Kim Brandstrup (Brandstrup Gallery). The reason why both the sculpture park and sculpture competition are unique is because that each sculpture in participation represents a piece of the Peer Gynt play by Henrik Ibsen.

You can visit the Peer Gynt Sculpture Park’s Website right here.

The Artparks Sculpture Park

On the Channel Island of Guernsey, there exists a famous international hub for modern day sculpture. The Artparks Sculpture Park show over two hundred contemporary sculptures every year. The place hosts nearly a hundred artists from all across the globe. This artistic sanctuary was the brainchild of Charles Saumarez Smith BE, who was the director of the National Portrait Gallery at the time of its establishment. The park was founded in 1998 by Peter de Sausmarez through his own finnancial means. Among many of the artists who have exhibited at the Artparks Sculpture Park, famous personalities include the likes of Marie Ackers, Dawn Benson, Paul Riley, Kenneth Potts and Barry Sutton.

Open everyday from 10am to 5pm, the park is a beautiful place to bask and relax in the ambiance of contemporary art and sculpture.

The Community Art Legacy Competition – The Fields Project Event for 2011

The Community Art Legacy competition will be held at the Fields Project Fine Arts and Crafts festival. The central theme for the contest will be “Art and Agriculture” and the sculpture to be selected by the judges will also be enlarged to a degree of about 7 ft high or 400 lbs heavy in bronze material. We believe that the grand prize for the winning sculptor will be 2,000 dollars upon delivery to the inBronze Foundry for molding. The ability for multiple castings is also discussed on their website here.

The Fields Project event allows sculptors to add a much larger addition of their creative work to their existing portfolio. We all know how hard it is for sculptors to fund their own creations in bronze, especially if the material is to be used for larger-than-life castings. This competition gives a prime opportunity for the artist to have a scaled cast of his design for show. You can download their entry form, or learn more about their procedures and deadlines at this address : www.fieldsproject.com/sculpture-competition.html

The 15th International Living Sculpture Competition “ItalyaItali”

In our search to provide up-to date competitions for sculpture artists, we’ve come across this event for 2011. The 15th International Living Sculpture Competition “ItalyaItali” is open to Italian and foreign students of Academies of the Fine Arts.

This is what we found out based on their information: This competition will be from 24 September to 2 October of 2011, however we believe that the application form must be returned by the 18th of June 2011. You can download all the necessary instructions and application form here. (Take note, we are just spreading the word on competitions based on what we find, and are not responsible for any accidental misintepretation or misinformation on this page. We call it as we see it.)

According to their information form, the prize for the competition winners will be study grants in the valuations of 3000, 2000 and 1000 Euros respectively. The competition Jury will be consisting of three artworld personalities and a representative of Cuneo’s council, as well as the president of the Peano Foundation. Goodluck to all of you!

Big Rock Garden Park’s Sculpture Exhibition for 2011

In Bellingham, Washington, the Big Rock Garden Park will have a sculpture show from May 8, 2011 to September 30, 2011. The sculptures will be the winning works drawn from the entries of their competition that were sent to them last February 18th. March 28 will be the date that signifies the judges decisions being sent to the participating artists.

Big Rock Garden Park’s serene 2.5 acre botanical garden is a wonderful sight on its own, covered in beautiful landscapes and decorations. This 2011’s annual exhibit will come with the option to buy sculptures from the selection of artworks to be displayed at the garden. This will certainly be one of the premier sculpture shows to be held in the Pacific Northwest.

The Public Art League’s Sculpture Competition for 2011

We’ve heard that the Public Art League in Champaign, Illinois is looking for sculptors to join their esteemed competition this 2011. The competition is open to all professional visual artists aged 18 years and older. Despite the open theme, their website says that there is a strong search for artwork that showcases a sense of reflection into the cultural arts, diversity within the community and creativity.

Artists entering the competition should be aware that their sculpture must be durable enough to exist outdoors for long periods of time. Artists will also be responsible for transportation of their artworks to the exhibition site, installing their own works and providing public information regarding their art. Criteria for judging will be Artistic excellence and originality, Appropriateness of the artist’s vision, medium, style and experience, and appropriateness in a public environment. This is just passed on information. Please visit the source of this article’s writing here

The Schedule on their website is as follows:

4-10-11 Deadline for submissions

4-15-11 Jury review and selection of finalists

4-25 -11 Finalists notified

May-June Fundraising

July Sculpture Delivery & Installation

Direct Source: The Public Art League Website at:
http://www.publicartleague.org/announce/37-announce/97-2011-competition-announce

Winterlude : An Ice Sculptor’s Haven

Ever been an artist in the winter? It can get pretty difficult for the average man, but for the participants of Winterlude, ice sculpting is just the beginning. Headed by Canada’s National Capital Commission, the festival made its way into popular culture by the 1980’s. The annual festival along with its ice sculpture competition is held at Ottawa, Ontario. A sister festival also occurs yearly at Gatineau Quebec. The sculpting exhibition is usually held at Confederation Park, better known as Crystal Garden. Each year hundreds of sculptors (professional and amateur) will showcase their craftsmanship for the whole world to see.

Aside from the competition, there are also other events like musical concerts, canal skating, and snow sliding. Best to catch them this year at Ontario for a great winter experience.

Ice Sculpture Photography by Colin Henein