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City in Motion - Elmwood Art Walk (May 2017 - Oct. 2018)
The City of Roanoke and the Roanoke Arts Commission announce a second temporary art exhibit for the Art Walk in Elmwood Park. With the generous support of Downtown Roanoke Inc. the RAC purchased Descending Night by Jack Howard Potter as a permanent sculpture for the park. Potter’s work was a citizen favorite as measured by votes received in the People’s Choice Award from the first exhibition on the art walk.
In May, 2017 nine new sculptures were installed. Addressing the theme “City in Motion”, the works will be on display for eighteen months. According to Arts Commission Chair Greg Webster, “We chose the theme because Roanoke was born out of transportation and continues to be on the move. Downtown revitalization has led to a renaissance over the last 25 years, and downtown living has increased drammatically. With the recently announced expansion of the VA Tech Medical School and Research Institute and several craft breweries moving to the area, the City of Roanoke is on the move and the art in Elmwood should reflect that motion.”
Sow Above, So Below
by Lee Badger of Hedgesville WV
Mr. Badger’s sculpture is 8’ tall and made of weathering steel. Within the sculpture is a figurative head which spins. The artist states, “We move onward and upward by putting our imagination into action. When we’re on a roll our heads spin creating a reality from our higher thoughts, making sense of a topsy-turvy world”. Mr. Badger is an artist and blacksmith creating sculpture, furniture and decorative art metal. He is the director of Anvil Works® studio and metal workshop. Badger’s metal furniture and sculpture consistently earn exhibition awards.
For more information about Mr. Badger go to anvilworks.net
For a live interview with the artist click here
Fiddlehead
by David Boyajian of New Fairfield CT.
This sculpture is made of steel and sheet metal welded together. Boyajian describes his art work as having no front or back and no stopping point so it is “designed to move visually from all viewing points” and “allows me to capture motion and poetically suspend it in time.” Mr. Boyajian holds an MFA from the Maryland Institute of Art, Reinhart School of Sculpture and is currently an adjunct instructor at Western CT State University. He has permanent work in collections across the U.S. and has held several solo shows. His work was also seen in a Sony Pictures feature film and a Showtime original series, Billions.
For more information about Mr. Boyajian go to davidboyajian.comFor a live interview with the artist click here
Hill Climb
by Jim Collins of Signal Mt. TN
This 13’ tall aluminum sculpture is a nod to the growing bike culture in Roanoke. He describes the art as “a geometric abstract interpretation of a hill with a bicycle race”. Collins is a public art sculptor working in a figurative manner. His style is characterized by the use of silhouettes of people and animals constructed of stainless steel, aluminum and other metals. He holds an MFA in sculpture from Ohio University and his public art has been displayed across the country.
For more information about Mr. Collins go to [email protected]
For a live interview with the artist click here
Edge of Decision
by Tom Holmes of Greeley PA.
Mr. Holmes is a sculptor working in stone, metal, wood, light, ice and water. He works seasonally, tracking the weather. He describes how “different temperatures demand independent responses to materials and approaches. “Ice follows the freezing mark of winter, stone and steel the exterior work space of summer. Spring begins the search for materials and fall settles all debts, emotional, physical and intellectual.” He describes this work as “an explosion of steel confined within a cube which defines the fluid dynamics of a city on the move.” Mr. Holmes has exhibited nationally and internationally with many works in permanent collections.
For more information on Mr. Holmes go to tomholmes.com
For a live interview with the artist click here
Dancing in the Moonlight
by Jordan Parah of Greenville NC.
The 9.5’ tall sculpture is made of painted steel and does seem to dance with its colorful curved sections. Parah describes her art work as “utilizing contrasting forms and colors constructed in a harmonious manner to create harmony out of diversity.” Ms. Parah is a graduate of East Carolina University with a concentration in sculpture and a minor in Art History. She creates metal fabricated sculptures using steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and bronze. Her sculptures are in public and private collections throughout North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
For more information about Ms. Parah go to parahdise.com
For a live interview with the artist click here
Shogoweh I.
by Jim Respess of Charlottesville VA
This sculpture weighs 300 lbs. and is made of foam, steel, concrete, fiberglass and paint and resembles a large hand raised in greeting. According to the artist "This piece works primarily with contrasting scale, conveying an ambiguity between materials and subject matter." Mr. Respess has an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Sculpture and Extended Media and has been working for many years at the McGuffey Art Center in Charlottesville, as well as teaching in a number of different venues. His work has been displayed in galleries and outdoor locations up and down the east coast.
For a live interview with the artist click here
One Day in the City
by Dmitrii Volkov of St. Petersburg Russia
This piece marks the first time the AIR Exhibition includes the work of an international artist. Mr. Volkov states “In my work I focus on combinations of volumes, patterns, colors or all together. They should interact, agree or disagree with each other. Listening to this conversation and forming this relationship are the most exciting things in art.” Made of steel and wood and weighing in at 1,500 lbs., One Day in the City according to the artist “illustrates one day movement of a man in a city. It shows his ups and downs in different scenes and ways.” Mr. Volkov is an artist, an architect and a designer, with more than 20-years experience in creating metal art objects and architectural designs for buildings. He grew up in Leningrad and attended the Roerich Arts School and the Schtieglietz State Academy of Art and Industry. His work has been exhibited in Russia, Belgium and Germany and in several art publications. He spent several weeks in the studio of Lee Badger, another artist in the exhibition, creating his work.
For more information about Mr. Volkov go to volkovart.com
For a live interview with the artist click here
Birds.
By Richard Whitehill of Earlysville VA
For more information about the artist go to richardwhitehillsculpture.weebly.com
For a live interview with the artist click here
Brave New World
by Glenn Zweygardt of Alfred Station NY
Mr. Zweygardt’s art weighs 1,200 lbs. and is made of marble, powder coated steel, iron, aluminum, cast glass and stainless steel making it the piece in the exhibition with the most variable materials. Mr. Zweygardt describes this work as a “monolithic sculpture comprised of a marble column supporting a rotating spherical element with emerging growths, both natural and geometric. It represents the elevation and exaltation of man’s ability to physically harness nature and abstract his thinking into geometry and beyond”. He holds an MFA from the Maryland Institute of Art, Reinhart School of Sculpture and is a professor of sculpture at Alfred University. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, receiving many awards for his sculpture.
For more information about Mr. Zweygardt go to Glennzweygardt.com
For a live interview with the artist click here