Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood10:30AM / Friday, June 26, 2009
STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. - Chesterwood announces the Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood 2009 (CSC) exhibition presenting the work of twenty artists. The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, July 4 and runs through October 31. This year’s theme, Space is the Place, is described by the Guest Curator Denise Markonish as “particularly fitting to Chesterwood and the history evident within its site. The grounds of Chesterwood were designed by Daniel Chester French with the upmost specificity. By situating these works in this idyllic setting, the living space of such an extraordinary place is made evident.”
Ms. Markonish selected sculptures by 20 artists from the applications of participants in the 2000-2008 CSC exhibitions. She is a curator at MASS MoCA where she has curated the exhibitions These Days: Elegies for Modern Times and Badlands: New Horizons in Landscape which was accompanied by a catalogue published by the MIT Press. Previous to her work at MASS MoCA, Markonish was the curator at Artspace in New Haven, CT where she curated the exhibitions Factory Direct: New Haven, Don't Know Much About History, Why Look at Animals?, Boys Life, which traveled to Space Gallery in Portland, ME and Territories which traveled to the Galerie fur Landschaftskunst in Hamburg, Germany.
Markonish has also curated the exhibitions Mark Dion: New England Digs at the Fuller Museum, Brockton, MA; Past Presence: Contemporary Reflections on the Main Line at the Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA and The 19th Annual Drawing Show at the Boston Center for the Arts. In addition to her curatorial work Markonish has taught at University of New Haven, Stonehill College and the Rhode Island School of Design. Markonish is currently working on two projects at MASS MoCA, a large scale commission with Inigo Manglano-Ovalle for Winter 2009 and a survey of Contemporary Canadian Art for Spring 2012.
“Approximately 500 artists have participated in this annual exhibition at Chesterwood since 1978, and we are excited that Denise Markonish has selected a wide range of outdoor sculpture from over 70 submissions by artists who have previously exhibited in the show from 2000 – 2008,” said Chesterwood’s Director, Donna Hassler. “This year we are making a concerted effort to establish a Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood (CSC) alumni group to reconnect with hundreds of artists that have exhibited here in the past.”
The artists selected to exhibit this year are: June Ahrens, New Haven, CT; Brian Auwarter, Greenfield Center, NY; Pat Brentano, Westfield, NJ; Rick Brown, Norwell, MA; Gordon Chandler, Carrollton, GA; Ursula Clark, Brooklyn, NY; Linda Cross, Elizaville, NY; Dana Filbert, Shelburne Falls, MA; Gene Montez Flores, Plainfield, MA; Susan Flores, Plainfield, MA; Richard Garrison, Delmar, NY; Tom Gottsleben, Saugerties, NY; Lucy Hodgson, New York, NY; Bob Keating, Bridgewater, CT; Elizabeth Knowles, New York, NY; Lin Lisberger, Gorham, ME; Greg Lock, Ancram, NY; Iain Machell, Malden-on-Hudson, NY; Kaete Brittin Shaw, High Falls, NY; and Matthew Weber, Unionville, CT.
The opening reception and awards presentation will be on Friday, July 3 at 5 pm. Two awards will be presented: The Lillian Heller Curator Award and the Chesterwood Advisory Board Award. Ticket prices for the opening reception are $20 per person and $10 for members of the Friends of Chesterwood. The Curator’s Tour will be Sunday, July 26 at 3 pm and demonstrations and workshops will be presented by artists in the exhibition every Sunday, beginning July 5 through October 11 from 1 to 4 pm.
The exhibition, curator’s tour and artists’ presentations are offered free with the regular $15 admission ticket to Chesterwood. This year, all children 18 and under are admitted free to Chesterwood through the generosity of Berkshire businesses: Berkshire Life Insurance Company of American for May, Legacy Banks for June, Greylock Federal Credit Union and the Chesterwood Advisory Board for July, Lee Bank for August and Berkshire Bank for September.
Chesterwood is the country home, studio and gardens of Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), sculptor of The Minute Man (1875) in Concord, Mass. and the Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial (1922) in Washington , DC. It is located off Route 183 in the Glendale section of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, near the Norman Rockwell Museum.
Chesterwood is a Historic Site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The National Trust is a non-profit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history – and the important moments of everyday life – took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability. With headquarters in Washington, DC, 9 regional and field offices, 29 historic sites, and partner organizations in all 50 states, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories. For more information, visit www.PreservationNation.org. |
