Contemporary Sculpture

A Conversation with Judith Shea at the Meadowlark
9/21/2010 Chesterwood’s 2010 Sculptor-in-Residence, Judith Shea, speaks about her career and answers questions about figurative sculpture in the 21st century. Discussion moderated by Donna Hassler, Director of Chesterwood. A special thanks to the High Meadow Foundation for sponsoring the 2010 Sculptor-in-Residence program at Chesterwood.	Watch the Video! Click on the arrows on the left- and right-hand sides of the video player above to navigate between the various subjects that were discussed during this event. Access the full-screen view (click in lower right-hand corner of the player above) to watch the video in high definition (HD). Judith Shea Biography Judith Shea Press Release

Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood (CSC)

Over 500 sculptors have shown their work at Chesterwood since the initial contemporary sculpture exhibition in 1978. Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood (CSC) is a signature event, attracting thousands of visitors each season. Each year, the exhibition has a guest curator & juror who selects a stylistic range of works sited within the landscape designed by French. The Chesterwood staff assists the sculptors in installing their work. Over the years the exhibition has presented the work of many prominent artists, including Leonard Baskin, Glenna Goodacre, George Rickey, and Richard Stankiewicz. Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood (CSC) has provided the opportunity to showcase the work of new and emerging artists. Some sculptors participate in the exhibition as their first group show.

CSC 2011

Exhibition Dates: June 18, 2011 – October 10, 2011
Guest Curator: Bruce Weber, Senior Curator, 19^th and Early 20^th Century Art,
National Academy Museum, New York, NY
Guest Sculptor: Leonda Froehlich Finke

This year’s guest curator is Bruce Weber, Senior Curator of 19th and Early 20th Century Art at the National Academy Museum in New York, NY. Daniel Chester French (1850-1931) was an Academician of the National Academy from 1900 until his death in 1931.

In addition, this year’s exhibition will feature the work of internationally acclaimed sculptor Leonda Froehlich Finke. This will be Finke’s seventh appearance in Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood. Her work previously was featured here in 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1999, and 2000. In 1994, she was elected an Academician of the National Academy.

GUEST CURATOR

Bruce Weber is a New York-based curator, poet, and author. Currently Senior Curator of 19th and Early 20th Century Art at the National Academy Museum in New York, NY, he is organizing a retrospective of the art of Will Barnet, opening in the fall of 2011. Also at the National Academy Museum, he has curated the exhibitions Reconfiguring the Body in American Art, 1820-2009 (2009), American Waters: Celebrating the 400th Anniversary of Hudson, Fulton and Champlain (2009), and Out of the Ashcan: Robert Henri and the National Academy (2008). Previously, Weber was the Director of Research and Exhibitions at Berry-Hill Galleries, New York, NY, and curator at Mitchell C. Wolfson Museum of Propaganda and Decorative Arts, Miami Beach, FL; Ruth & Marvin Sackner Archive of Concrete & Visual Poetry, Miami, FL; Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, FL; and University of Kentucky Art Museum, Lexington, KY. At Berry-Hill Galleries, he curated many exhibitions, including Toward a New American Cubism (2006), Chase Inside and Out: The Aeshetic Interiors of William Merritt Chase (2004-2005), and The Heart of the Matter: The Still Lifes of Marsden Hartley (2003). Weber is the recipient of fellowships from the Rockefeller Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, National Collection of Fine Arts, and Graduate School of the City University, among others. In addition to his curatorial work, he has taught at New York University. Weber received his B.A. from Brooklyn College, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in History of Art, specializing in American Art, at Graduate School of the City University of New York.

GUEST SCULPTOR

Leonda Froehlich Finke lives and works in Roslyn, NY. Largely self-taught, she has been creating sculpture for more than 50 years. In New York, Finke has exhibited at the National Academy Museum, Sculpture Gallery, Century Association, American Numismatic Society Museum, Brooklyn Museum of Art, and Cast Iron Gallery, among others. Her solo and group exhibitions include shows at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, CA; Whitney Museum in Stamford, CT; Newark Museum, NJ; Dallas Museum of Art, TX; Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA; and Elaine Benson Gallery in Bridgehampton, NY. Besides her figurative works, Finke is also recognized internationally for her design and casting of medals, which she has been making since 1986. Her sculptures and medals are in the collections of the Smithsonian Museum’s National Portrait Gallery and National Museum of American History in Washington, DC; the British Museum in London, England; the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virginia; and in many private collections throughout the United States and Europe. Her work has been reviewed in the New York Times, the National Sculpture Review, and the American Medallic Sculpture Association Catalogue. A self-titled book of her work, photographed by David Finn, was published by Ruder Finn Press, Inc., in 2006. In addition, Finke has taught at such institutions as Nassau Community College, the Newark Museum, and St. Martins College of Art in London. She was the recipient of the J. Sanford Saltus Award of the American Numismatic Society and received a gold medal from the National Sculpture Society. In 1994, she was elected an Academician of the National Academy.

Previous Years

CSC 2010

Guest Curator & Juror: Richard Klein, Exhibitions Director, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Featured: Gabriel Edward Adams * John Belardo * Rick Brown * Tim de Christopher * Philip Grausman * Peter DeCamp Haines * Sarah Haviland * Phyllis Kulmatiski * Nina Levy * Tim Prentice * Mary Ellen Scherl * Christopher Smith

CSC 2009

Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood 2009 featured the works of 20 artists chosen by Guest Curator & Juror, Denise Markonish. Through various forms, such as dwellings, landscape, nature and the cosmic, artists explored two featured themes: space and place. CSC 2009 offered a remarkable opportunity to explore visionary works of art on the very landscape that inspired their creation.

CSC 2008

Because there was no stated theme for Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood 2008, the styles and subjects of the sculptures included in the exhibition were quite varied. Many of the artists chose nature as their theme, responding to the pastoral beauty of the land while at the same time expressing concern about current environmental issues. Rachel Rosenfield Lafo, the Director of Curatorial Affairs at the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, served as guest curator and juror for the event.