The first of 10 large-scale outdoor
sculptures has been sited on the grounds of Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine
Art, Auburn University. The exhibition, “Out of the Box: A Juried Outdoor
Sculpture Exhibition,” opens officially to the public with our community-wide ticketed
10th anniversary celebration on Friday, October 4, 2013 at 6 p.m., featuring
live music and a tasting tour reception. Over the course of the next few weeks
in September, visiting artists and museum staff members will finish preparing
the Lethander Art Path around the museum lake for the nine other sculpture
installations. Guest jurors and artists, Carol Mickett and Robert Stackhouse
will announce the first place, second place, and honorable mention awards that
evening. The show will remain on exhibition on the museum grounds through early
fall 2014.
Andy Tennant, the museum’s assistant director
and co-curator of “Out of the Box”, said that the organizational vision to have
sculpture permanently on the grounds dated back to the museum’s official
opening to the public on October 3, 2003. “With this expansive landscape we
have on South College, the plan for a sculpture garden was laid out from the
beginning. Upon completion of the museum, the sculpture garden was,
unfortunately, put on hold,” he said. “Undeterred, our staff decided to take a
different approach and consider the idea of an outdoor sculpture competition
that could potentially grow into a regular outdoor sculpture program at the
museum.”
“Out of the Box” is the first time
that the museum has presented large-scale outdoor sculpture in an exhibition.
Jessica Hughes, curatorial assistant, said that this exhibition offers a unique
opportunity for viewers to experience a range of contemporary sculpture. “As
opposed to an exhibition featuring the work of a single artist, “Out of the
Box” gives visitors the chance to get to know a wider variety of work from a
diverse group of sculptors working today,” she said. “In many ways, this exhibition
serves as an introduction to the possibilities of the medium, particularly, the
possibilities for sculpture here at Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art."
One of the selected finalists,
Florida-based sculptor Claudia Jean Klein, worked alongside Tennant, Hughes,
and museum preparator Ty Smith Monday to install her work, “Shanti.” Klein said
that the title comes from a Hindu word meaning peace. “The sculpture was a
journey for me in creating a state of slowing down confusion and chaos in my
own mind by meditating and controlling the pieces around so that they remain
still and calm,” she said. “As a result, I could create a sense of peace and a
sense of stillness within myself but also outside myself in response to the
chaos and confusion that is often in the world. There is a meditative figure
there at the top of the chaos at the points where the tubing twists around. The
structure is made of the same material to communicate the connection to our
outside world.” Over the course of her career, Klein has worked in clay
sculpture and ceramics, but said she has most recently focused on metal and
fiberglass sculpture because that has allowed her to fully express herself.
“While there’s always different medias to explore, sculpting is how I can communicate
what is inside. Art through the visualation of it, the interaction of
it, and the creation of it does helps us focus and become aware of other
aspects of our own inner self that are already there. We can use this information
to see things from a different space.”
Hughes said that regardless of one's familiarity with sculpture,
jurors Mickett and Stackhouse's selections form an exciting and interactive
grouping. Mickett said that when judging a sculpture competition, she is not a casual
viewer but rather takes on the responsibility to tell a story about sculpture
that can be gathered from looking at submissions. “I looked at how the piece of
sculpture fits into the history of sculpture yet addresses it in a unique way,”
said Mickett. “Being an
artist myself, I took each submission seriously since I do understand how much
it takes to not only do one’s work but also to present one’s work to the
public.” Mickett and Stackhouse will deliver an artist talk on Thursday,
October 3, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. at the museum covering their exhibition “Breath of
Identity,” on view through January 4, 2014.
Tickets to the October 4th anniversary festivities are $45 per
person and $25 for Auburn University students with a valid Auburn I.D.
Individuals may purchase tickets online at www.jcsm.auburn.edu/outofthebox
as well as print free tickets to the Birthday Party and Family Day on October 5
via the Eventbrite application. Prices include all taxes and fees and are
non-refundable and non tax-deductible.
“Out of the Box: A Juried Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition” is sponsored by
Julian Roberts Haynes in memory of Dr. Lucile McGehee Haynes and Grace K. and
David E. Johnson. The Susan Phillips Educational Gift Fund provided additional
funding. For more information, go to www.jcsm.auburn.edu
or call 334-844-1484.
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Contributed by Charlotte Hendrix
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