National Sculpture Society
NSS 76th Annual Exhibition
New York, New York – The National Sculpture Society is pleased to announce the winners of the 76th Annual Exhibition Awards. An Awards Jury convened at the NSS headquarters in the Park Avenue Atrium during the opening week of the show and selected the prize winners. The fourteen awards, worth over $12,000, were granted to chosen artists from the forty-one works on display. The exhibition is on view at the New York City venue from February 16 through May 29. At the conclusion of the show, the exhibition will travel to Brookgreen Gardens, Pawleys Island, South Carolina where it will be on display from June 27 through August 23.
The Annual is National Sculpture Society's most popular show and attracts hundreds of sculptors worldwide. The sculptures on display range from the classical to the fantastical, and include everything from traditional figures and domestic creatures, to sumo wrestling toads and a whimsical overstuffed ice cream cone. The variety of subject matter and media exhibited represent the diverse styles, backgrounds and disciplines of NSS members. Fellows (FNSS), Elected Members (NSS), and Associates comprise the levels of sculptor membership of the organization. National Sculpture Society and its members are dedicated to the creation and showcasing of art that is inspired by nature.
Paul Moore, FNSS; Sisko, FNSS; and Mary Jo Watson, Director, School of Art, University of Oklahoma, served as the Jury of Selection. Stanley Bleifeld, FNSS; James F. Cooper, Director Newington-Cropsey Cultural Studies Center; and Cynthia Eardley,Adjunct Faculty, Sculpture & Anatomy, New York Academy of Art comprised the Jury of Awards. Robin R. Salmon, Vice President for Collections & Curator of Sculpture at Brookgreen Gardens, Pawleys Island, SC, served as Exhibition Committee Chair.
Sculptors featured in the exhibition include: Béla Bácsi (FNSS), Gerald Balciar (FNSS), John Balsamo, Richard Barnet (NSS), Aldo Casanova (FNSS), Jiwoong Cheh, Tim Cherry (FNSS), LeaAnn Cogswell, Cynthia Consentino, Jeremy Davis, Leonda Froehlich Finke (FNSS), Don Gale (FNSS), Daniel Glanz, Alexander Hammatt, Scarlett Kanistanaux, Amy Kann (NSS), Nathaniel Kaz (FNSS), Robert Kelly, Tuck Langland (FNSS), Stephen Layne, Bruno Lucchesi (FNSS), Gwen Marcus (FNSS), Roger Martin, Diane Mason, Herb Mignery (FNSS), Lauren Mills,Paul Moore (FNSS), Masao Morimoto, Vala Ola (NSS), Victoria Parsons, Louise Peterson (NSS), Carl Raven, Diana Reuter-Twining, Roger Reutimann, Paul Rhymer, Sandy Scott, Sisko (FNSS), Pati Stajcar, Kent Ullberg (FNSS), Wesley Wofford and Steve Worthington.
This year the Gold Medal - Maurice B. Hexter Prize, went to LeaAnn Cogswell for her bronze portrait, Trust. Finding inspiration for the over life-size bust of a bearded man was easy for the Connecticut area artist. "As a sculptor, I am devoted to the study of the power that lies within human form. I consider it a great privilege to work regularly from life. Infinitely varied, the human figure is fascinating and amazingly beautiful, even in its not-so-perfect forms. A powerful visual subject, it always holds new surprises."
The Silver Medal - John Cavanaugh Memorial Prize, was awarded to Aldo Casanova for Mountain Skull/Lynx. A Fellow of National Sculpture Society, Casanova lives in the hills of California. His sculpture is not only a reflection of his close observation of nature but his deep understanding of figure and form. "My sculpture Mountain Skull, based on the skull of a lynx, is meant to reveal the beauty of the animal's understructure. I do not mean it to be a symbol of death, although many of our animals are endangered and could someday be extinct."
Completing the top three awards, the Bronze Medal - Green-Wood Cemetery Award, was granted to Stephen Layne for his piece, Girl with Dark Eyes. Layne, a native of Pennsylvania and last year's Gold Medal recipient, prefers to work in wood and has a fascination with Far Eastern culture. "Egyptian and Asian images especially, contain an arresting spiritual state that seems to easily pass through their stone and bronze structures. This mystical quality has always been the essence of sculpture to me. With such affection for a self transcending dynamic in the work, I construct images that stand poised, with an even gaze and quiet gesture."
Other award winners include: Jiwoong Cheh (The Leonard Meiselman Award); Bruno Lucchesi (The Polich Tallix Foundry Prize); Leonda Froehlich Finke (The Elliot Gantz & Co., Inc. Foundry Award); John Balsamo (The John Spring Art Founder Award); Scarlett Kanistanaux (Pietro and Alfrieda Montana Memorial Prize); Paul Rhymer (The Bedi-Makky Foundry Prize); Louise Peterson (The Agop Agopoff Memorial Prize); Jeremy Davis (The Margaret Hexter Prize); Béla Bácsi (The Edith H. and Richman Proskauer Prize); Victoria Parsons (The C. Percival Dietsch Prize); and Wesley Wofford (The Beverly Hoyt Robertson Memorial Award). The entire 76th Annual Awards Exhibition may be viewed on-line at www.nationalsculpture.org
National Sculpture Society was founded in New York City in 1893 by a group of America's most prominent sculptors. Its members have created much of this country's public sculpture, coins, and medals since the late 1800s. It is the oldest organization of professional sculptors in the United States, and has been hosting exhibitions for over a century.
The 76th Annual Awards Exhibition is open to the public Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, February 16 - May 29 at the NSS headquarters. It will be open everyday, 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM, June 27 - August 23, at Brookgreen Gardens. All exhibitions are open to the public free of charge (there is a general admission charge at Brookgreen Gardens), and a catalogue of the show is available for purchase. For more information about the exhibition, contact Patricia Delahanty at (212) 764-5645 ext. 13 or e-mail: patty@nationalsculpture.org
GOLD MEDAL
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SILVER MEDAL
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BRONZE MEDAL
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