Another sign of Spring is the fourth Annual Pittsburgh Society of Sculptors Spring exhibit at the Bridgeville Public Library. We were fortunate to be recipients of a personalized tour of the exhibit by Curator Bitsy Bellaver as part of the Reception for its opening. Bigger and better than ever, this year it featured thirty-four pieces by eighteen different artists, six of whom earned special awards.
The first (alphabetically) awardee, Anders Anderson, showed three pieces, primarily steel. I liked all of them, “Erbin DK”, the most. It is a series of steel pieces arranged vertically, simulating ruins of a group of skyscrapers following some apocalyptical catastrophe (urban decay). Dan Droz, a frequent exhibitor indoors and outdoors in Bridgeville, also entered three pieces, including “Interior Glow”, a foreshortened open cube mounted in the place of honor over the fireplace. His skill as a fabricator is exceeded only by his innovative use of steel.
Another awardee was Eric Dye. Most impressive was “Precarious Dance”, a wire frame depiction of a Native American war dancer. Another wire frame figure, complete with pipe, was coupled with “found” pipe organ pipes and named “Pied Piper”.
Howard Goldfarb’s award was for “Cuboids Descending a Staircase”, a whimsical collection of tastefully painted figures on a stairway. I wondered if Mr. Goldfarb was inspired by “Bill Ding” toys, a nostalgic memory from my childhood. Gadi Leshem submitted two bas-relief ceramic portraits, “Walk Like an Egyptian” and “Rik”, each of which presented a slightly different method of displaying a human face. Finally, Janet Watkins’ award was for three striking ceramic busts of African American women, tastefully paying homage to their heritage by costume decoration and ceramic jewelry.
I was unable to find fault with the judges’ decisions, although my personal list of awardees would have considered several other artists. I couldn’t leave off master wood carver Len Kaminski, whom I remembered from last year’s show. His three Native American-themed submittals, “Tree Hugger”, “Eagle Wind”, and “Tribute to the Iroquois Nation” were outstanding examples of his talent working in wood. Ron Nigro is another memorable repeat exhibitor. His genius is in combining salvaged mechanical and electronic components and combining them into intricate artistic assemblies. It has taken me a while to become comfortable with this genre; I certainly liked this year’s “Blue Moon”.
Another repeat exhibitor with a unique genre is Sarah Simmons. Like Mr. Nigro, she capitalizes on imagination and creativity. Her “Pie Chart” is a clever combination of stacked pie-shaped fabric pieces forming a full circle (pie). Duncan MacDiarmid, President of the Society of Sculptors, contributed three outstanding pieces. “Annie” and “Katie” were remarkably life-like terra cotta busts; “Blooming Rocks”, a stylized steel flower. I suspect conflict of interest eliminated Mr. MacDiarmid from consideration for an award. Guy Bellaver’s relationship with the Curator probably also disqualified him. He contributed a maquette (a small study version for a larger sculpture) entitled “Aluminum in the Wind”. It would be a treat to see a full-size version of it.
Bea Angelis contributed “Emilia, the Fox Reaper”, a grotesque depiction of an avenger with a fox mask wreaking havoc on foxes, with melted red wax everywhere as blood. Beth wondered if it were inspired by a video game. “Two Trolls on a Boulder” by Anna Birstein combined ceramic figures with an actual piece of rock. Another ceramic, “The Dancers”, by Pamela Cooper featured an excellent stylistic impression of that subject. Maria Durci combined Christmas tree icicles, small rocks, pieces of broken glass and fused plastic into a mixed media piece entitled “Moods of Water”, a remarkably effective depiction of a waterfall.
I was amused by Jacob Chandler Perkins’ “Always Alone”, an oversize (fifteen inches high) matchbook complete with matches, and a photograph of a cowboy smoking a cigarette and the words “Always alone, even with someone he loves” on the cover. Homage to Ed Bruce! Two ceramic busts completed the exhibit. The untitled one by Sylvia Singh might illustrate a nightmare, with its elongated neck and twisted nose. Stephanie Oplinger’s “Genesis” is closer to lifelike and has a spattering of fibers on its surface that gave a suggestion of marble.
My impression of the exhibit can be summed up by two characteristics – variety and excellent quality. The spectrum runs from the raw physical ability to convert a block of wood into an immediately recognizable image as Len Kaminski does, or a a pile of clay into lifelike busts as Duncan MacDiarmid does, to the remarkable ingenuity of combining “found” pieces into memorable artwork as Ron Nigro and Maria Durci do. I celebrate both extremes and all of the genres in between. I suspect the common denominator is imagination, being able to envision something beautiful and then to achieve it, independent of the medium. It is easy to envy each and every one of these artists.
Once again, the Library proved to be an outstanding venue for this event. The architect who designed it succeeded in creating the most welcoming environment for a public building that I know. The Library staff continues to enhance that feeling. I am sure Bill and Grace McDivitt would be delighted to see their legacy being implemented by events like this exhibit.
The exhibit was sponsored by the Pittsburgh Society of Sculptors, currently celebrating its ninetieth year of “promoting high standards and opportunities for all sculptural art forms”; Public Art Bridgeville, an impressive group of local citizens dedicated to providing their community with access to fine art; and the Bridgeville Public Library, performing its mission as a center for lifelong learning. Elizabeth “Bitsy” Bellaver tastefully curated the exhibit. The synergy produced by these folks has once again made Bridgeville the cultural capital of the Chartiers Valley. The exhibit is available to the public during regular Library hours for the rest of April. We encourage everyone to take advantage of a very special opportunity.