'Progression' sculpture installed on campus; exhibit in Marion Gallery
A Rochester-based artist will offer insight into his creative process as part of a seven-week exhibition at the Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery.
“Albert Paley: Humanizing the Material” opens Sept. 1 and runs through Oct.18. The exhibition includes large steel maquettes, cardboard models, drawings and photographs of both the production process and on site installations.
On Sept. 9, Paley’s “Progression,” a massive 16-ton painted steel sculpture that is nine-and-a-half feet tall and 48 feet long, will be installed in front of Fenton Hall on Fredonia’s campus. “Progression” will be on loan until fall 2018.
Paley will speak about his work as part of the Visiting Artist Program on Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. in McEwen Hall, Room 209.
On Sept. 11 at noon, Paley will discuss business aspects of Paley Studios at the Fredonia Technology Incubator’s Art and Business Luncheon Series. The incubator is located at 214 Central Ave. in Dunkirk. Space is limited for the Incubator luncheon, so please RSVP by Sept. 4 to 716-680-6009. The luncheon and all other programs are free and open to the public
The Marion Art Gallery’s exhibition reception at 7 p.m. on Sept.11 provides another opportunity to visit with the artist.
Visitors to the exhibition can explore five major Paley projects that span 10 years: “Tribute to Volunteerism,” 2004, Lake Mirror Park, Lakeland, Fla.; “Evanesce,” 2009, Monterrey, Mexico; “Makalii,” 2012, University of Hawaii at Hilo; “Regeneration,” 2013, Cedar Rapids Public Library, Iowa; and “Progression.” An eight-and-a-half foot stainless steel sculpture titled “Portal” can be viewed beginning Aug. 27 on the upper plaza of Rockefeller Arts Center on the Fredonia campus. It is on loan through fall 2016.
“Progression” is one of 13 monumental sculptures Paley created over a period of only two years for Manhattan’s 2013 Sculpture on Park Avenue program. The combined weight of the sculptures was more than 100 tons and locations spanned three-quarters of a mile, from 52nd to 67th Streets. Paley uses a planar format and densely woven organic shapes to create a sense of movement in “Progression.” He is widely recognized for his ability to transform steel into a supple gestural movement and, in his words, “humanizing the materials via the emotional content.”
Paley began his career as a goldsmith. In 1974, he was propelled to the national spotlight after creating a forged gate for the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery. Paley has since become internationally recognized after more than 50 site-specific works, two PBS documentaries, 20 major publications and inclusion in permanent collections of major museums across the United States and Europe.
Funding for the installation of “Progression,” the exhibition and the related programs is provided by the Fredonia College Foundation’s Cathy and Jesse Marion Endowment Fund and Williams Visiting Professorship Endowment, the Student Association’s Art Forum Club, the Department of Visual Arts and New Media, the Friends of Rockefeller Art Center, Fredonia Technology Incubator and the Faculty Student Association.
Gallery hours are: Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 4 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, noon to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. The Gallery is closed Mondays and will be closed from Oct. 8 through 11 for the campus fall break. For more information or to schedule a group tour, contact Barbara Räcker, director of the Marion Art Gallery, at 716-673-4897 or Barbara.racker@fredonia.edu.
