11th Annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit Unveiled
Sculptor Bart Stuyf's Rooster, created in copper. Photograph courtesy of Pingree School.
Set amidst the 100-acre campus of Pingree School in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, the 11th Annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture unveiled the stunning works of more than 50 artists specializing in bronze, brass, copper, and mixed mediums.
“I am so grateful to the scores of artists participating in this year’s show, many of whom have been here before and many who are new to us,” says Judith Klein, show curator. “As always, these artists represent all genres, materials, and scales of work, offering viewers an amazingly broad range to view. Wood, steel, bronze, aluminum, found materials, wire, clay, copper, granite, car parts, and glass are just some of the materials employed by this year’s artists to create representational and abstract works by welding, casting, carving, and other techniques.”
On view through Nov. 29, the exhibit looks a little bit different this year due to COVID.
“In these challenging times, when so many of our cultural and art venues remain closed or less accessible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are happy to be able to offer this outside exhibit to the community in a safely distanced manner,” says Dr. Timothy M. Johnson Head of Pingree School. “This year, with our students and teachers navigating a unique learning schedule that is safely distanced, and will include additional utilization of outdoor spaces, we are only opening the exhibit to outside guests every weekend during daylight hours, rather than during school hours. By placing the sculptures at least ten feet apart from each other, asking visitors to wear masks, and respecting the personal space of others while walking on campus, we are able to present “Art at a (Social) Distance.” Instead of having a printed catalog this year, we are offering an app that can be downloaded for more information about the work. Perhaps now more than ever, art can be fuel for inspiration and hope. We look forward to sharing this year’s exhibit with you and appreciate your efforts to work with us to keep everyone safe.”
The exhibit included a free SmartPhone app to guide viewers through the Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, while encouraging social distancing.
Copper, bronze and brass artists of note include Ursula Perry who creates copper-wired mobiles, completely handcrafted from scratch, incorporating pivoting lengths of stainless wire cantilevers with fulcrums set in position. Her company, Woodstock Mobiles, has been featured on countless catalog covers, featured on many TV segments, won numerous awards, and are carried by art galleries and retail stores across the country.
“Life is truly a balancing act,” she says. “As individuals, families, and communities, we depend on each other to maintain balance. If one of us is out of sync, our entire family is out of balance."
She was inspired to create art at an early age.
“My mother took me to a Calder exhibit in NYC, and I refused to leave--I was four years old,” she recalls. “Although math and physics were not my favorite subjects, I am able to feel my way through the art of balancing various metals. Together with gravity, air, color, light, shape, wind, and the motion I love. Creating mobiles and stabiles is my passion.”
Bart Stuyf, who lives by the sea in Gloucester, MA, is another fascinating copper artist featured in the show. He started his career as a dancer and choreographer in the Netherlands, and continues to work in many media: copper soapstone, wood, and even recycled Styrofoam.
Artist Robin Tost’s work is also showcased. She combines the “feminine” art of quilting with the “masculine” scrap metal, many of it copper-based and found at the local transfer station and automotive scrap yards. She then uses each piece to create a metal quilt, and each is quite unique. Her featured work depicting copper “trees” in “Navajo Sunset” started life as a solar panel.Resources:
Also in this Issue:
- Bringing Copper Back to the Kitchen
- Pat Musick: Inspired by the Nature of Copper
- Kenoka Wagner: Creativity Knows No Boundaries
- 11th Annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit Unveiled