Sarasota Season of Sculpture Announces 2011-2012 Exhibition: “Under Azure Skies”. This free exhibit of large-scale sculpture returns to Bayfront Park this November
(Sarasota, FL) Sarasota’s Bayfront Park will soon be home to 10 new works of large-scale sculpture when the Sarasota Season of Sculpture (SSoS) unveils its sixth season of sculptures on the bayfront in November. The exhibit, entitled “Under Azure Skies,” features works by 10 artists and was curated by the Tennessee-based sculptor, John Henry. The sculptures will be installed in late October; the official unveiling, open to the public, is set for November at Sarasota’s Bayfront Park. SSos offers free docent-guided tours during the exhibition, which runs through early May 2012. For more information, visit www.sarasotaseasonofsculpture.org.
John Henry, the exhibit’s curator, says that the artwork reflects a range of styles, but most share the use of natural materials, evocative and iconic subject matter and an organic emphasis. “This exhibition was curated with the idea in mind that there is a power and significance that is unique to the man-made object,” says Henry, adding that the exhibition was first shown at Art St. Urban l in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 2007, where it has remained until this exhibition. After the Sarasota exhibition, the show travels to Florida International University in Miami.
“These sculptures come from artists of diverse backgrounds and origins. It is our hope that viewers will see this art as a common language understood all over the world,” says Susan McLeod, SSoS’s board president. “This museum without walls has raised the bar for regional public sculpture and added an important element to Sarasota’s rich cultural tapestry.” McLeod adds that the exhibition series has attracted more than one million visitors during its 12-year history and turned Sarasota’s downtown bayfront into “a major art destination.”
The exhibit’s 10 featured works are: “Big Red Tumkin” by Verina S. Baxter (steel); “Untitled” by Chakaia Booker (rubber tire and stainless steel); “Squirt” by John Clement (painted steel); “Untitled” by Isaac Duncan (stainless steel); “Complexus” by John Henry (steel); “Untitled” by Terry Karpowicz (granite, steel, and wood); “Mercury, Mars, and Venus” by Peter Lundberg (copper, steel, and colored concrete); “Portal” by Albert Paley (natural patina core and steel); “Oh’d” by Bret Price (galvanized steel) and “Crown” by Douglas Schatz. For detailed information about each artist and his or her work, visit www.sarasotaseasonofsculpture.org.
SSoS provides free docent tours for students, teachers and others, as well as educational opportunities uniting artists with donors and the interested public. Throughout the year, SSoS will host various events, including artist talks and symposia. For more information about SSos, please visit www.sarasotaseasonofsculpture.org.
About Sarasota Season of Sculpture
Sarasota Season of Sculpture (SSoS), founded in 1998 by Jill Kaplan and Bruce White, is a 501c3 arts organization, which presents world-class biennial sculpture exhibitions on Sarasota’s bayfront. SSoS focuses its exhibitions on the monumental work of nationally and internationally acclaimed artists, and periodically includes the work of renowned local artists. This free biennial exhibition on Sarasota’s bayfront is unique among the many stars that make up Sarasota’s cultural crown. A drive down Sarasota’s Gulfstream Avenue during an exhibition season can be the first impression visitors and tourists receive about the dynamic cultural core of our community.
