(SNTX) Home of the Texas Sculpture Symposium

Fourteenth Annual Peace Arch Park
International Sculpture Exhibition
May 1, 2011 – October 1, 2011

Peace Arch International Park is located on the US/Canada border between Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia. The 40 acre peace park that surrounds the Peace Arch is the location of this annual outdoor sculpture exhibition.

Each year, the park’s picturesque landscape and magnificent gardens host family gatherings, picnics, weddings, and annual events of international significance.Over 500,000 visitors tour this international historic site annually.

The mission of the international fine arts program is to serve as a catalyst in the development of international fine artists, while creating a greater awareness and appreciation of the Peace Arch and the International Park. A self guided tour brochure featuring the exhibition and park history accompanies the six month long exhibit.

Each year, the Peace Arch Park International Sculpture Exhibition is featured in 10,000 16″ x 18″ full color brochures that are distributed free to the public during the exhibition.

LOCATION: The international park is located on the US Canada boundary 100 miles from Seattle, WA, and 35 miles from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Download the prospectus at peaceasrchpark.org

Nearly seventy persons from around the State ventured north to Lubbock to participate in the two-day 2010 Texas Sculpture Symposium, this past weekend, November 12th – 14th.  Titled “It’s Not Academic:  The Profession Outside the University,” the symposium featured talks and an exhibition by five artists, Robert Strini, Danville Chadbourne, Frances Bagley, Tom Orr and Jesús Moroles, who have developed careers working outside the academic setting.

Sunday’s session closed with a business meeting of The Sculpture Network of Texas (TSNT).  The first item of business was electing officers for 2011.  The elected officers are as follows:
President: Dewane Hughes, University of Texas – Tyler
Vice President: Howard Taylor, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts
Secretary/Treasurer: Joe Arredondo, Texas Tech University

Dewane Hughes then reported on preparations for the 2011 Symposium, stating that he is receiving plenty of local support for the event and suggesting that several exhibitions are being planned – details to be forthcoming.  Hughes also said that he would be forming a steering committee to guide the program development for next year’s symposium and he invited interested parties to contact him (dhughes@uttyler.edu).

A resolution was made, seconded, and approved unanimously to move the Symposium dates into October .  Hughes said he would gather input from sculptors around the state to determine which weekend in October to stage next year’s symposium.

General discussion ensued about increasing visibility for TSNT.  Arredondo mentioned the presence of this TSNT blog-site and invited regional representatives to become “authors.” Stacy Tompkins volunteered to be an author from the Wichita Falls area and will also look into establishing a website for the organization.

In closing Arredondo mentioned that as of the 2009 Symposium general meeting, TSNT has effected a moratorium on charging annual membership dues, since the only service TSNT currently provides is the annual Symposium. Instead ALL Texas sculptors will be considered active members and notified of future Symposia.

Below are some of the highlights in pictures and captions.

Friday, November 12th:

Robert Strini visits with students before delivering Keynote Address in the LHUCA Firehouse.

Danville Chadbourne was the featured artist for the Symposium with the presentation of Chadbourne's "Retrospective Part 1: Artist's Collection 1980-2009" in the main LHUCA exhibit hall.

Steve Teeters and Texas Bronze held an after hours party for the group on Friday evening.

Saturday, November 13th

Dallas based Frances Bagley started the Saturday morning sessions with a talk about her work.

Tom Orr followed with a discussion of his visually phenomenlogically based sculptures.

Bagley and Orr then talked about project collaborations as a husband and wife team.

Danville Chadbourne ended the morning sessions with a forty-minute conversation about his forty year career in sculpture.

Saturday afternoon was devoted to the bronze and aluminum pours at the Foundry. Robert Strini delivered a virtual demonstration of woodworking techniques with slides and videos in the Art building.

Sunday, November 14th

Jesús Moroles delivered the closing keynote address, providing eye-poping statistics on the hundreds of tons of sculpture he works with annually.

All photos courtesy of Ryan Borg.

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