Metal art show opens
Iron, aluminum, brass and bronze are cast, welded, forged and hammered into a variety of objects by 17 artists featured in All About Metal, the Morgan Arts Council's (MAC) special exhibit opening at the Ice House Gallery in Berkeley Springs on Friday, July 6 at 7:30 p.m. The show is curated by local metal artist Mark Schwenk and hangs through August 12.
The metal show gala opening is part of an Artwalk that begins at Mountain Laurel Crafts on the square from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in a meet-the-artist reception for David Shombert whose segmented woodturnings are highlighted in Symmetry Enhanced.
Curator Mark Scwhenk drew nationally and regionally recognized artists from throughout the Mid-Atlantic to assemble a collection of styles and shapes that are both contrasting and complimentary.
Robert Cole of Washington, D.C. uses a direct metal technique, hammering the forms into shape. Cole's human forms are often larger than life. Many of Cole's sculptures can be seen outdoors in the Washington, D.C. area including at the D.C. Sculptural Park.
Alison Helm, chair of Scultpural Arts at West Virginia University and nationally recognized for her whimsical works, is a rare female artist in the metal world. Iron Antler Forge is the husband and wife team of Daniel and Lisa Stuart and their detail-oriented innovative and dynamic metal sculpture. Harvey Gallery is a family operation in Lahaska, Pa. that creates one-at-a-time sculptures ranging from fountains and abstracts to natural forms and alien creatures.
Young artists are also featured in the show including 24-year-old Jesse Krimes whose Krimes Against Metal showcases fashions like suits of armor. West Virginian Jeremey Entwhistle is a rising star student artist in Philadelphia. His sculptural work integrates wood and stone along with the metal.
Seven metal artists from Berkeley Springs participate including Peter Wood who uses imagination and a variety of work techniques to transform the industrial feel of everything from old farm machinery to steel into images and objects of flowing and carefree movement.
Among the other local artists is Tom Mahan, a realistic sculptor who works in bronze and terra cotta and focuses on the human form. Hsu Studios showcase their colorful anodized aluminum jewelry as well as wallpieces and sculptures that often incorporate found objects.
Glenn Horr of Highland Forge is a popular classic blacksmith, Michael Nathan integrates both celestial patterns and the female form into his work. Curator Schwenk's work is forged metal sculpture.
Lee Badger has his Anvilworks studio in nearby Hedgesville where he creates decorative and functional pieces for home and garden including metal furniture and sculpture.
A crowd-pleasing, daylong Hammer-In occurs on Saturday, July 14 in the Cultural Park at the Ice House where more than half a dozen blacksmiths set sparks flying as they demonstrate their art.
The curated gallery exhibit produced by the Morgan Arts Council is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the West Virginia Commission on the Arts and hotel/motel tax revenues. For more information call 258-2300.
