45th Annual Contemporary Sculpture Show

Featuring the work of Ron Mehlman will open at Chesterwood on May 27 — October 23 every day except Tuesdays 10am to 5pm.

by Margaret Cherin

Chesterwood, a National Trust for Historic Preservation site, is one of the earliest venues in the United States to showcase large-scale works in an outdoor setting. Since 1978, Chesterwood has exhibited sculpture by more than 600 emerging and established artists. This year Chesterwood presents Finding the Center: Ron Mehlman at Chesterwood.

Finding the Center will feature twelve sculptures sited throughout the landscape along with a display of forty sculptural reliefs and five standing sculptures within the Woodland Gallery.

Guest curator, Michele Cohen, Ph. D., curator for the Architect of the Capitol, Washington, D.C. and public sculpture scholar, states that when she first encountered Mehlman's work in the 1980s in a mid-town, Manhattan Plaza, she noticed "how the work successfully wed granite and glass, light and water to create a sculpture that was both timeless and fleeting." Cohen selected the works to showcase sculptor Mehlman's creative journey with stone and glass.

A native New Yorker, Mehlman divides his time between Pietrasanta, Italy, the famed stone and marble center of Italy, and his workshop in the "Venice of Brooklyn" the Gowanus Canal area. Mehlman is a Professor Emeritus at Brooklyn College, has exhibited frequently in New York City, Italy and France, and was awarded the prestigious International Sculptor's award from the City of Pietrasanta.

Mehlman states "To be exhibiting my work in this iconic sculpture park is indeed an exciting venture. The ghost of Daniel Chester French, his colleagues and family, imbue this area with an inspiring focus on sculpture. As my work changes with light and atmosphere, I can't think of a more beautiful backdrop than this Berkshire landscape."

Cohen states, "Mehlman's sculptural language derives from a geometry based on interlocking puzzle-like slabs, layering, repetition, textural and color contrasts, negative space, and the combination of natural and man-made."

Interim Executive Director, Margaret Cherin, states "Mehlman's mindful selection of specific stones drives his creative process, with beautiful results and a reverence for the stone. Experiencing Mehlman's work against the backdrop of Chesterwood's landscape, and in juxtaposition with the sculpture of Daniel Chester French, will prove to be both inspiring and illuminating."

Entry to Chesterwood is by ticket only. Either Grounds-Only or Guided Tour tickets can be reserved online or upon arrival.

A fully illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition with a map and checklist with prices.

For additional information, contact Margaret Cherin, Interim Director at 413-298-2034 or

mcherin@chesterwood.org

Photo: Lionel Delevingne