DONNA DODSON ARTIST

Flock Together

2011-12-30T09:57:00.005-05:00

Donna Dodson: Flock Together
January 4 - February 5, 2012

Opening reception: Friday January 6, 5 – 8 pm
Gallery Talk: Saturday January 21, 3 – 5 pm
Closing Reception: Friday February 3, 5 – 8 pm
Gallery hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 12 pm – 6 pm

Boston, MA: Boston Sculptors Gallery is pleased to announce ‘Flock Together:’ Donna Dodson’s second solo exhibition of her iconic wood sculptures. This show presents sixteen different interpretations of a bird-headed female form.

In this series, Dodson is exploring the idea that similar types of people choose to congregate with other like-minded souls, even if the similarities are beneath the skin, feather or breed, and not immediately apparent or obvious to the viewer. This series started with Cardinal, as if women could hold high office in the Catholic Church. Further imaginings led to the creation of Little Red Riding Hood, who is anything but little; White Stork, who is carrying a baby in her tummy instead of her beak; and Culture Vulture, who is highly cultured, deeply ravenous and hollow- lurking on the edges of culture to fill up.

The history of bird-headed female figures is as ancient as the goddess herself. Oftentimes, the animal human hybrid is meant to represent the stages of life, birth, marriage and death. Are Dodson’s figures representations of the stages in a woman’s life: birth, childhood, loss of innocence, mating, maturity, motherhood, old age, and death? Or do her figures allude to subtler stages of psychological growth and maturation, i.e. paradigm shifts in consciousness: the Little Match Girl - tending to the fire within, Red Tail Hawk, a school marm - for whom nothing escapes her watchful eye, or Bantam Babe- who is dominant as only a grandmother or matriarch of a family can be.

In general, Dodson likes taking on a negative stereotype like ‘Mother Hen’ and inverting the meaning of the image or misconception to shine new light on the truth or deeper meaning of perceived reality. Included in the exhibition are the artist’s color and compositional studies in watercolor, pencil and ink. These inhabit a psychological space, rather than the physical space of her sculptures, and are quick studies that demonstrate further possibilities of Dodson’s ideas. Fluttering about the gallery, they offer a vivid contrast to the central formation of the flock.

Flock Together' will be shown concurrently with 'Avian Language' by Andy Moerlein.

Update: Artscope magazine featured Flock Together and Avian language in its recent email blast, and on its blog. Boston Globe's, Global Business Hub featured an article on the global reach of the local arts community, with a focus on my experiences.

Image: Culture Vulture II, 40″ wood, paint 2011

Art Open House at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center

2011-11-22T10:41:00.011-05:00

The MCCA Art Program began in 2005, just one year after the grand opening of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC). Over the last three years, they have developed a well-rounded art program that embraces the creative talents of Massachusetts’ artists – from experienced art professionals to emerging young artists honing their craft at art organizations, high schools and colleges. Their exhibition schedule changes frequently in order to fully tap into the artistic resources available here in the Commonwealth. They are very proud to offer a rotating schedule of contemporary art exhibitions, each thoughtfully designed to engage viewers from all walks of life.

Donna Dodson: Elephant Parade will be on view from December 2011-December 2012. Through the elephant-headed female figures that emerge from ash, pine and maple, Dodson appropriates for womankind the creature that has long been an incarnation of power and wisdom. The twelve elephants in the parade also reflect the animal's family group in the wild: females travel together in herds while males live alone. Donna uses a female elephant- headed goddess figure in her work to create a dozen formal iterations of this piece that explore female figureheads, and women as symbols of power such as a female Uncle Sam/Madam President, Indira Gandhi, Madame Chiang Kai Shek and Iron Lady/Margaret Thatcher.

The Hindu elephant god Ganesh inspires her work but all of the elephants are female. Studies of African sculptures and Native American totems inform Dodson’s figures. In the process of carving, the ears are developed realistically but as the form develops, they are transformed into headdresses, helmets and hair-dos. These monolithic and serene sculptures are enhanced by the use of paint whereby color transforms wood sections into objects such as tusks, gloves and hair. Dodson is inspired by Jessica Stockholder’s interplay of color and form in her art work as well as Cynthia Moss’s field studies of African elephants.

She uses logs of osage orange from her grandfather’s farm in Illinois, and ash, pine, and maple from New England. Each piece of wood speaks to Dodson in a different voice. She sculpts with a chainsaw and a belt sander as well as chisels, rasps, and files. The wood’s surfaces are smoothed out with sandpaper, colored with paint or pigment and finished in varnish and wax. Dodson’s pieces range from one to four feet tall, and one to two feet in diameter. These iconic goddesses are crafted in the manner of fine woodworking similar to the sculptures of Brancusi, Moore, and Puryear. They are unique objects and each piece has a magical presence.

Update(s): Check out this video preview of the work. Thank you, Susan Merritt, for putting together this fabulous exhibit of art for the City of Boston to enjoy all year long! There is a featured write up of the exhibition on the Advantage Boston blog.

Image: Prom Queen, 31" tall, poplar, paint, 2009 by Donna Dodson

Working on my Artist Statement and Other News...

2011-11-14T14:18:00.010-05:00

What do I believe about my artwork? My sculptures are heroic but interconnected. Not one is above the virtue of another. Each one is honored to be in the company of the others. They are all made greater by their association yet each one is an individual of their own.

What do I believe my artwork is about? Self expression. Autobiography. Self redemption. That I dare to evoke self hatred and indulge it, act it out, embody it, project it onto a form, in the female body, exorcise it from my body and my mind, and understand it, transform it, gain power over it, and myself in the process. Also to gain a skill that is marketable, is to redeem myself from poverty and to free myself of having to marry, or be dependent on a husband or partner for money. A platform of the self to stand upon. Self made woman.

Are my process and the finished sculptures the same thing?

Through the abstracted language of animal headed goddess figures. Human/animal. A believable fiction. A willful suspension of disbelief. Animals that talk, walk, wear clothes. A celebration of the goddess within. Her Entity. Divinity. Hybrid. Anthropomorphic. Make believe Iconography. In my church as a kid growing up, there were no icons or visual representations of women, or the divinity that was female. Not an animal mask on a human body, not a human head on an animal body, but the animal mind in the human body, and the line between logic and instinct, intellect and emotion, reason and intuition.

In the creation of my work, I feel it’s necessary to evoke a strong feeling about each piece that leads me to the point of daring to fulfill my vision, taking risks, listening to the piece, making mistakes, in the creation or completion. It’s the emotional investment in the reality of creating a sculpture that crystallizes the piece for me.

Sometimes I think up an idea, or a concept, and I imagine what the piece would be to go with that idea. But more often, I work from my intuition in the studio and once it’s completed, I can look and see the intentions behind the piece, or the desire from which it is born.

Feminist? Self-loving. Where does the animal in the body begin and end? How does the animal in the body express itself? Its appetites? Its vanity? Its social status? Its playfulness? Its survival? Its mind?

How can we imagine women as cardinals? Women as presidents? Women in power? Are they grand old gals? Grand dames? Larger than life? The girl next door? Fag hag? Gal pal? Working girl? Housewife? Mom? Matron? Matriarch? Vampire? Victim? Self-righteous? Pious? Slut? Whore? Good girl? Sex goddess? Power monger? Above it all? Breezy? Bare? Raw? Polished? Holier than thou?

How do girls become women? Mother, daughter, grandmother? Maiden, mother, crone? Fairy tales: Little red riding hood, little match girl, red wing black bird, tiger mom, white stork, bantam babe, dancing crane, seagull Cinderella, culture vultures, red tail hawks, brown pelicans, wood peckers, secretaries, nurses, teachers. Strength in numbers.

I've followed Jungians more than Freudians on psychoanalysis because the Jungians seemed more transcendent or spiritual, i.e. Nor Hall, The Moon and the Virgin and Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women who run with the wolves. In their writing they talk about female archetypes. The idea of the story that paints characters with words, that form pictures in our minds eye. The story that has a message, a meaning, a teaching, an allegory, an illusion that is open to interpretation in the imagination. I want my work to do the same thing. Enchantment. Not a literal meaning or symbol of a doctrine. Anime. Cartoons. New stories. Patterns. Stereotypes inverted. Robert Graves, The White Goddess. Encoded. Encrypted.

The Hindu elephant god Ganesh [remover of obstacles] inspired my last body of work but all of my figures were female. They took the form of a tribe, just as they organize themselves in the wild. The matriarchs lead and circle around the younger females. These were not literal studies of Ganesh- but original artworks from my imagination and each one was unique. What if Ganesh were female? The founder of the Shaker movement, Mother Anne believed all things have a male and female, manifestation. She believed she was the female incarnate of Christ, yet they remained a celibate community.

My studies of African sculptures and Native American totems inform my elephants. The idea that Native Americans teach kids about the wild by hunting, to respect the power and danger of an animal, where as American kids learn about animals through pets, stuffed animals and cartoon characters. Family Clan. Masks. Rituals. Stories. Tribal. Primitive. Animism. Animated. Performance. Dance.

I’m interested in the interplay of color and form. Especially Jessica Stockholder’s work where color is a transformational visual device, changing the way we see form. I’m interested in personality type and body language. Character and sexuality. Beauty and sensuality. I like Katharina Fritsch’s sculptures. Sacred figures are turned into pop icons with the use of color.

Look for my work in these upcoming exhibits...

Knight&Hammer Flat elephant jewelry collection at Daniela Corte 211 Newbury Street in Boston. 1⁄2” elephant links inspired by sculptor Donna Dodson's work.18K yellow gold over bronze bracelet, necklace and earrings from The GTAEF (Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation) Collection. Part of the Knight&Hammer's Jewelry with a ConscienceTM that is premiering November 17th.

Photos courtesy of Boldfacers.com.

THANKSGIVING SILENT ART AUCTION, Gallery Ehva, 74 Shankpainter Rd, Provincetown, MA
Preview opening and start of bidding - Friday, Nov 18, 6-8pm
Preview will continue all week, till Sat. Nov 26, Noon-2pm
Closing Party: Saturday, November 26, 4pm - 6pm ---> Wine, Music, Food!

Artful Giving for the Holiday: Paintings, Pottery, Jewelry & Sculpture
Now through December 24th at The Mill Brook Gallery and Sculpture Garden, 236 Hopkinton Road, Concord, NH 03301
Open House: Saturday, December 3rd 11-3 during ART CONCORD

Sculpture Scoop III - November 9 -13, 2011

2011-10-29T18:07:00.000-04:00

Boston Sculptors Gallery presents Sculpture Scoop, a sale of sculpture, drawings and jewelry by all 36 gallery members. Scoop-up amazing artwork for under $500! Join us for the Opening Reception: November 8, 6-8 pm

This is a unique opportunity to own art created by some of the Boston areaʼs premier sculptors. Find a gift for the art lover in your life or begin your own sculpture collection.

Small Works. Big Deals

International Artist Residencies and Symposia: A Panel Discussion

2011-09-27T10:31:00.007-04:00

Saturday October 15th, 2011, 2-4pm
The Derryfield School’s Lyceum
2108 River Road
Manchester NH 03304 USA

Individual artists with international experiences will share images of their work and discuss the experience of living in a unique environment and creating work in situ in a foreign country. Directors of International programs will introduce their programs and philosophic goals.

Moderator:

Mary Sherman is the Director of TransCultural Exchange, an organization dedicated to promoting international art and the understanding of world cultures. Besides her work as an advocate of international creative dialogue, Mary Sherman is an artist and critic. She has participated in residencies in Romania, China, Korea, Chicago and was recently a guest artist at PROGR in Bern, Switzerland. Ms Sherman was an Artist in Residence of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, Cambridge MA.

Panelists:

Laura Baring-Gould, sculptor/installation artist. With extensive travel and work experience in various international settings (Mexico, Ireland, Southeast Asia), Baring-Gould received a 2008 Fulbright grant for artistic investigations in bronze and bamboo in Thailand. From 2006 - 2010 Baring-Gould lived and worked in Thailand creating public art commissions. Her presentation will focus on observations of how art and art-making are differently practiced and culturally valued, and the opportunities present in meaningful global interaction.

Sculptor Rosalyn Driscoll just completed a summer artist's residency at Space, a program supported by Dartington Hall Trust, in Devon, UK. Her sculptures explore the sense of touch and the experience of the body. Driscoll’s engagement with touch and perception has led to her participating worldwide at conferences for neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, engineers, philosophers, designers, art historians, artists, and people working with disabilities. Her work has been exhibited in the US, Europe and Japan. Ms. Driscoll has received awards from the New England Foundation for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico.

Robert Markey is a painter, sculptor and multimedia artist. He has been traveling to Brazil and Cambodia for a number of years to work with disadvantaged kids creating mosaic murals. He is committed to purposeful community arts investment.

Batu Siharulidze, Associate Professor at BU and Director of the Graduate Sculpture program. He has a long resume of international residencies in China, India, Turkey, Great Britain, USA, the Netherlands and Georgia.

Kiki Thompson has exhibited in New Zealand, Switzerland, New York, California and London. Ms. Thompson is Co-founder of the Verbier 3-D Sculpture Park Residency and was a participating artist in its first edition in 2011. She lives and works in Verbier, Switzerland.

John Weidman is the Director of the Andres Institute of Art (the site of an annual International Stone Symposia) as well as Director of the Nashua NH Sculpture Symposium. Besides his responsibilities as a Symposia Director, John is an internationally known sculptor who has participated in two or more international residencies/symposia annually for over a decade.

Event Hosts:

Donna Dodson graduated cum laude from Wellesley College in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts. Since 2000, Dodson has been honored with solo shows nationwide for her wood sculptures. Dodson enjoys public speaking, and has been a guest speaker in conferences, panels and forums at museums and universities in North America . She is a member of the Wellesley College Friends of Art and She won a George Sugarman Foundation Grant in 2007. In 2011 she participated in the Verbier 3D Foundation's Artist Residency and Sculpture Park in the Swiss Alps where she created monumental outdoor sculpture.

Andy Moerlein has an extensive resume of public art works. His work has been shown in museums, sculpture gardens, and galleries from Alaska to New York. In 2011 he participated in the Verbier 3D foundation's Artist Residency and Sculpture Park in the Swiss Alps.

Mr. Moerlein has been an arts advocate, educator, and professional juror for over 30 years. He has been a teacher and gallery director at the Derryfield School in Manchester NH for 15 years. Moerlein holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MFA from Cornell University. He lives in Bow, NH.

A summary by Donna Dodson from the International Art Residencies and Symposia panel discussion

Mary Sherman set the stage with the history of US residencies. They were designed to promote national agendas in contrast to what they have become, a forum for raising awareness of being a citizen in the world. She gained the perspective of being one among many and an awareness of how other nationalities have conversations with and about Americans. It changed her knowledge of art history to be a part of it in a global sense versus a national sense.

Batu made the point that sharing tools and learning new things from his peers was the part of the symposia that he looked forward to the most. As a teacher, he is energized from the experience of participating in symposia with peers from all over the world and building life long friendships. He also noted the importance of flattening the hierarchy of teacher/student through travel, exchange and sharing. These values are fundamental to his art making practice.

Donna Dodson went to Switzerland with the idea that she wanted to make a pregnant stork figure. The piece was developed in conversation with Kiki Thompson, a resident of Verbier, to celebrate the recent baby boom in town. She planned to use her vocabulary on a larger scale, but in a site specific way to the Alps. The piece changed in conversation with Paul Goodwin, curator to Tate Britain, who challenged her to take a bold risk with the placement of the piece, and not face it to the tourists, but perch it on the precipice of the valley, about to take wing.

Robert Markey described his public art and mural work in Brazil and Cambodia. As an external agent to a community, he is able to re-shape the relationships of street youth to police, and to demonstrate their value to the community. He teaches mural making and drawing skills, and in the process gets a community excited about art. By working internationally, he is able to reach a broader audience through his artwork than through temporary or gallery exhibits, and his art can have an impact beyond his local community in Mass. He brings back a global awareness to his studio practice, for example human trafficking, which is the subject of his recent work.

Roz Driscoll responded to the shape of the rivers, trees, and Greek architecture to create site specific work in residence in England at the Crypt Gallery. She described the process of leaving behind her studio, tools and materials, and making a creative leap, or taking an artistic risk she needed to in order to grow in her work. She brought nothing but she had everything with her, i.e. her experiences, knowledge and collaborative relationships to make new artwork.

John Weidman said as a director of an international symposium he wants artists to come empty, to experience the place, and to create from the heart. He doesn’t want artists to come with a proposal or pre-conceived notion of a piece. In his own work, he often re-visits narratives or themes, but crafts his work in site specific materials, referencing the past, present, future.

Kiki Thompson emphasized three points, Art Culture and Education. 3D foundation brought in a curator at the beginning and the end of the residency to shape the dialogue and conversation. They offered classes to the children in the community to de-mystify the art making process. They brought the artists to Art Basel which pushed her to make a creative leap with her piece, Samsara, or life cycle. She chose to make it black b/c she was responding to the black pieces at the fair the most. Life cycle celebrates birth and death, as a parallel to the seasons of nature.

For Andy Moerlein going to Switzerland and being in the Alps was like coming home to the mountains of Alaska. The people who loved the mountains loved his work the most. For Andy, there was a sharing of himself through his art and an understanding by the residents of Verbier that took place and transcended language. Art bridged the communication gap where meaning and an exchange of value, took place, he gave them art, and they gave him their appreciation.

Laura Baring-Gould described her experiences in Thailand. It changed her perspective of globalization where the stereotype was cheap goods are made in a poor country and consumed by a rich country. As an artist, a maker, and a story teller, Laura is using art to teach Americans about their history, and the Thai people are helping her with their casting techniques, ancient traditions, spiritual practices. They became real to one another, beyond the stereotypes of rich Americans who point at what they want done to working peers in the studio and poor Thai people lacking modern technology to people who are rich in the knowledge of their history, and who have the connectedness of art and culture as the fabric of their lives.

We heard people say that the dialogue would empower the young people in the audience to try out their own ideas in the world. We hope our experiences would encourage the students to take advantage of opportunities to travel abroad and learn from their experiences by reflection and peer dialogue. All of the presenters shared an idea that they wanted to put into place with the help of other people and resources in the community. That’s how we make things happen.

Thank you very much to our EVENT Hosts and SPONSORS:
The Derryfield School & Swissnex Consulate of Switzerland

In conjunction with this Panel Discussion will be an exhibit: HIGH ALTITUDE SCULPTURE - A RESIDENCY in the Lyceum Gallery. Artists will present photographs, drawings, prints, paintings, writings and maquettes from the 1st Annual Verbier 3D Foundation Residency in the Swiss Alps.

For more information visit http://aristsresidenciesandsymposia.blogspot.com/

Update: Swissnex, the Boston Consulate of Switzerland, posted a write up of the panel discussion by Donna Dodson on their blog with photos from the event by Andreas Rufer and a video recap by Andy Moerlein.

Jamaica Plain Open Studios

2011-09-20T09:00:00.002-04:00

September 24th & 25th
Sat & Sun, 11a-6p
93 Forest Hills St #3
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

I will be exhibiting my work during Jamaica Plain's 18th annual Open Studios Event. My partner, Andy Moerlein will be joining me for this event in my studio with his work. Stop by for a preview of the work that we will be exhibiting at Boston Sculptors Gallery in January-February 2012 for our concurrent solo shows. We will also have some small works, prints and drawings for sale. We are site number 43 on the map. To download a copy, click here.

On another note, we were recently featured in the Sep/Oct Artscope magazine thanks to Elizabeth Michelman who wrote the following article, 'Andy Moerlein & Donna Dodson : In a Collaborative Spirit." Here's a teaser. To read the article in its entirety, please pick up a copy the current issue, or email me and I will send you a copy.

Images: Black Swan, kou, 32" tall, 2008 by Donna Dodson
High Hopes, fiberglass covered wood, ceramic by Andy Moerlein

Moose Myth goes to the Capital

2011-09-16T09:21:00.005-04:00

Moose Myth was recently purchased by Steve Duprey and moved from Portland, Maine to Concord, New Hampshire where it will grace the entrance to the new Smile Building on 49 South Main St. (It earned its nickname from the nameplate the developer, in a touch of whimsy, installed in the facade: "SMILE!") The Concord Monitor has covered the event in two recent articles...

Moose on South Main
By Ben Leubsdorf/Monitor staff
August 8, 2011
Steve Duprey has purchased a 22-foot-tall sculpture of a moose head and plans to install it in front of his new office building at 49 S. Main St.
Moose Myth, which is made of sticks and saplings, is a creation of Donna Dodson of Boston and Andy Moerlein of Bow. It's been displayed in Portsmouth and is now on display at the University of New England in Portland, Maine.
Moerlein said Duprey, the Concord developer, bought the sculpture through Pam Tarbell of Mill Brook Gallery and plans to move it in late August to the so-called "Smile Building."
"It's going to be quite distinctive. . . . Mr. Duprey has quite a vision for how the arts are going to wake up Concord," he said.
Moerlein declined to say how much Duprey paid for the sculpture but said it was "not a huge amount of money. It was definitely a gift to the city from all of us."
In an email, Duprey said he's a fan of the artist and thought the sculpture "would be a good addition" to the area, across from the Capitol Center for the Arts. He needs permission from the city to put it on the sidewalk but said if necessary he can move it closer to the building, which will get its first occupants later this month.
Moose Myth was created more than a year ago and "easily" has another year of life, Moerlein said, but eventually will decay and have to be removed.
"It's a temporary installation. It's a temporary piece," he said. "(Duprey's) making an investment to make a big bang and show it off."

An arts experiment worth applauding
By Monitor staff
August 14, 2011
Downtown Concord is a delightful place, but it's always lacked that touch of madness that makes a city electric. Soon, local developer Steve Duprey will ask the Concord City Council for permission to add that missing ingredient. If permission is granted, and it should be, the spark will arrive in the form ofMoose Myth, a 22-foot-tall moose-headed man-like creature made of saplings.
The sculpture, a collaboration of artists Andy Moerlein of Bow and Donna Dodson of Jamaica Plain, Mass., is ephemeral. It will be erected in front of Duprey's Smile Building on South Main Street. If all goes according to plan, the sculpture will be replaced in a year by a rotating series of works by members of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, which will have its headquarters in the new building.
We welcome Moose Myth with open arms. The work, which has been displayed in Portsmouth's Market Square, among other places, will bring people downtown. Love it or hate it, people will have something to talk about other than bad economy and the presidential candidates gripping and grinning their way around the state.

Photo credit: Andy Moerlein

Artful Equine Exhibit

2011-09-12T09:12:00.008-04:00

The Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden is pleased to present
Artful Equine Exhibit
September 9th-October 23rd

Paintings, Sculpture, Pastels, Unique Prints, and Mixed Media

Artists: Donna Dodson, Barbara Filleul, Liz Fletcher, Mary Iselin, Wendy Klemperer,
Heidi Lorenz, Carol Lake, Kathy Marx, Victoria Mauldin, Melissa Miller, Annette Mitchell,
Morris Norvin, Fleur Palau, Carol Santora, and Bob Shannahan

Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden
236 Hopkinton Road, Concord, NH 03301
http://www.themillbrookgallery.com/

Friday, October 14th 5-8: ART CONCORD

Fall for Art! Local Galleries Invite Families and
Foliage Seekers to ART CONCORD on Friday, October 14th

CONCORD, NH – The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce invites members of the community and visitors to its next ART CONCORD free gallery tour to get a taste of why the capital area is becoming the cultural arts hub of the state. Local art galleries and other art venues around the city will join forces to offer the ART CONCORD collaborative gallery tour on Friday, October 14, 2011 from 5 to 8 pm. A flyer and map will be available at each gallery, as well as refreshments. This event is free and open to the public and participating venues include:

Kimball Jenkins School of Art, 266 North Main Street
League of NH Craftsmen Gallery, 49 South Main Street
McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, 2 Institute Drive
Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden, 236 Hopkinton Road
NHTI-Concord’s Community College Library Gallery, 31 College Drive
Red River Theatres, 11 South Main Street
Rowland Studio, 23 North Main Street
Sulloway & Hollis/Robert M. Larsen Gallery, 29 School Street
University of New Hampshire School of Law Gallery, 2 White Street
The Works Café, 42 North Main Street

Image: Arabian alloys, 7" each, sand cast aluminum, aluminum bronze, bronze, copper, brass, iron by Donna Dodson. Photo credit: Cliff Pfeiffer

Rockland Center for the Arts

2011-09-07T08:36:00.001-04:00

Sept 11th Four Exhibitions Open!
Artist reception 1-4pm

The Annual Faculty Exhibition and Open House 2011
Meet the faculty, tour our studios, and see demonstrations.
Emerson Gallery thru Oct 2

Michael Kondel : Silkscreen
Large format mixed media silkscreens by emerging artist Michael Kondel. Small collage sculptures created by the artist are the inspiration for these hand painted silkscreen prints.
Lynn Stein, curator
Gallery ONE thru Oct 2

YOON CHO: Haircut /How to Spell My Name
Video Artist Yoon Cho’s work focuses on twelve culturally diverse individuals and their unique relationships to their identities in the US.
Lynn Stein, curator
Media Project Spaces thru Oct 2

Catherine Konner Sculpture Park
Welcome the three newest additions to the Catherine Konner Sculpture Park @ RoCA Artist Donna Dodson’s Hathor and Panda; Elanie Lorenz’s Fiore Blanco. Artist Talk in the Sculpture Park with Donna Dodson at 2pm. Sculpture Park is open year round.

Rockland Center for the Arts
27 South Greenbush Road
West Nyack, New York
http://www.rocklandartcenter.org/

Update: Check out p.8 of the Fall Arts Preview at www.lowhud.com for a review of my work, http://www.lohud.com/article/20110925/LIFESTYLE01/109250318/Fall-arts-preview. Here's a teaser, 'Whether it's the larger-than-life "Giant Panda" in residence at Rockland Center for the Arts, or the first glimpse at a painting of the Nile, unseen for more than 100 years; famous works from 1980s icons like Jeff Koons, or the brilliance of an up-and-coming star like Dana Schutz, we asked curators and the artists themselves to pick one piece from each of their exhibits to tell a tale.'

Museum of Art, University of New Hampshire

2011-09-03T08:12:00.001-04:00

Selected Works from the Boston Sculptors Gallery
September 10 – October 19, 2011
Opening Reception: Friday, September 9, 5 – 7 p.m.

Sculpture, by its nature, is three-dimensional. This exhibition, installed both inside the Museum of Art and outside in the adjacent courtyard, features 38 works of art by 18 artists who are members of the landmark cooperative, The Boston Sculptors Gallery. The co-op was founded in 1992, and has become Boston's premier venue for sculpture. Whether on the walls or in the round, inside or out, come and discover the realms of contemporary sculpture. And why Nick Capasso, Associate Curator of the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, states, “The Boston Sculptors Gallery, one of the few cooperative sculpture galleries in the country, is among the most stimulating venues for 3-D contemporary art in the Northeast.”

Artists featured in the exhibition include: B. Amore, Castleton, VT; Caroline Bagenal, Newburyport, MA; Kim Bernard, North Berwick, ME; Benjamin Cariens, Somerville, MA; Gillian Christy, Providence, RI; Murray Dewart, Brookline, MA; Donna Dodson, Jamaica Plain, MA; Sally S. Fine, Boston, MA; Mags Harries, Cambridge, MA; Sarah Hutt, Boston, MA; Peter Lipsitt, Brookline, MA; Andy Moerlein, Bow, NH; Julia Shepley, Brookline, MA; Margaret Swan, Melrose, MA; Marilu Swett, Jamaica Plain, MA; Hannah Verlin, Somerville, MA; Ellen Wetmore, Fitchburg, MA; and Dan Wills, Marshfield, MA.

Co-curated by Carol Seitchik and Weston LaFountain and in association with the Boston Sculptors Gallery.

Lilac Rhino, 26" tall, wood, pigment and paint by Donna Dodson
Photo Credit: Cliff Pfeiffer

Update: Video of a studio visit with Donna Dodson in Jamaica Plain by UNH art student Samuel Rheaume in conjunction with the recent Boston Sculptors Gallery exhibition at the University of New Hampshire Museum of Art.">

HIGH ALTITUDE SCULPTURE - A RESIDENCY

2011-08-30T07:49:00.002-04:00

HIGH ALTITUDE SCULPTURE - A RESIDENCY
3D Foundation, Verbier Switzerland
September 6th - October 15th.
Artists Reception Friday September 23rd 5:30- 6:30.

Manchester - Derryfield art teacher and sculptor Andy Moerlein from Bow, NH, and Donna Dodson, a sculptor and frequent collaborator from Boston, MA have recently completed a Sculpture Park Residency in Verbier, Switzerland. HIGH ALTITUDE SCULPTURE - A RESIDENCY is an exhibit of water colors, drawings, photos of their work as well as images of the work produced by the 7 artists in residence in Switzerland. For five weeks, (May 21 - June 25, 2011) a roster of emerging and critically acclaimed Swiss, British and American artists were invited to create a museum without walls in the high Alps overlooking Verbier Switzerland. Verbier is a world class destination for skiing, snow boarding, and alpine hiking and is the home of the Verbier Classical Music Festival. The artists participating in the residency include Gregory Coates, Musa Hixson, Timothy Holmes, Zak Ove and Kiki Thompson. Will Ryman, Andre Raboud, Edouard Faro, Etienne Krahenbuhl, Nathalie Delhaye and Josette Taramarcaz also loaned monumental sculptures to the first high altitude sculpture park exhibition.

The creative challenge Dodson, Moerlein, and the other artists addressed was suggested by Paul Goodwin, Curator to Tate Britain, “New Monumentalism: art, nature and community.” Using views of the mountains where the sculpture park is located as a creative departure point, the residency was designed to be an incubator for ideas and creativity amongst the artists. The purpose of the residency is to create an international contemporary art dialogue between the artists and the local community. Over a five week working residency the artists shared their work in public talks, taught their methods and creative approaches to local children, and built a substantial permanent sculpture.

In conjunction with this exhibit there will be a panel discussion on Saturday October 15th, 2011, 2-4pm in The Derryfield School’s Lyceum:

International Art Residencies and Symposia - A Panel Discussion
at The Derryfield School 2108 River Road Manchester NH 03304 USA

Individual artists with international experiences will share images of their work and discuss the experience of living in a unique environment and creating work in situ in a foreign country. Directors of International programs will introduce their programs and philosophic goals. An internationally recognized artist/curator will facilitate a conversation on art making in a cross-cultural/site specific context.

Images: Upended, a Ghost Print, steel, hand made stones by Andy Moerlein
Baby Bringer, 12 ft tall, styroffoam, cement, paint by Donna Dodson

Sculpturefest 2011

2011-08-26T08:53:00.003-04:00

Opening: Saturday, September 3, 4pm - 7pm
Bring your own picnic

FEATURED ARTISTS THIS YEAR:

Wendy Klemperer and Roger Goldenberg

SCULPTURE FEST 2011
AT PROSPER ROAD LOCATION THE THEME IS "SACRED LAND," AN INVITATIONAL EXHIBITION WITH WORKS BY JOHN BIELING, SETH CALLANDER, DAVID COLTON, CHARLET DAVENPORT, CHARLET EGBERT, SAL FARLOW, HERB FERRIS, JOSEPH FICHTER, DIMITRI GERAKARIS, ROGER GOLDENBERG, BRUCE HATHAWAY, ANDREW HELLMUND, BARBARA KAUFMAN, WENDY KLEMPERER, DANIEL LADD, ROBERT MARKEY, JAY MEAD, ANDY MOERLEIN, TRACY PENDLETONN, HECTOR SANTOS, MARGARET SHEEHAN, VALORIE SHEEHAN, SUZI SULLIVAN, PHIL THORNE, JAMES IRVING WESTERMAN, JOSH WINER, KENNETH WOODHEAD

ADDITIONAL ARTISTS WILL BE ADDED AS THEY RESPOND

AT THE KING FARM, A YOUNG GROUP OF "ARTIST/CURATORS" ARE INVITING NEW ARTISTS TO PARTICIPATE ON THE THEME OF FARMS: CHARLET DAVENPORT, PETER DAVENPORT, DONNA DODSON, DIMITRI GERAKARIS, BRUCE HATHAWAY,WENDY KLEMPERER, MAXWELL HEIGES, LELA KEEN JAACKS, MICHAEL NEDELL, JUSTIN O'ROURKE, LI SHEN, JOHN IRVING WESTERMAN, KENNETH WOODHEAD

509 Prosper Road, Woodstock, VT.

Director Charlet Davenport has worked as an artist in Vermont since 1963. Currently her work in ceramic sculpture is influenced by many years of acting as Director of Sculpture Fest. Initially her ourdoor art installations were created on fibre glass mesh and installed in public spaces (St. Gaudens Historic National Park, The Rotunda at Dartmouth College Hopkins Center, the Vermont Carving Studio and Sculpture Center, the bank of the Hoosic River on Williams College Campus, Slater Mill, Pawtucket, RI, the TW Wood Art Center and a variety of other public and semi-public spaces.)

Peter Davenport, Co-Director of Sculpture Fest, is the one-man landscape force. Along with his duties as curator of the exhibition he aids artists in installing work, clearing sites, creating the signage, keeping everything clear for visitors as well as caring for the grounds throughout the exhibition time.

Both Davenports agree that land belongs to all of us and welcome the guests who come to Sculpture Fest each year.

Image: Elephant Oracle, 8ft tall, styrofoam & cement, 2010 by Donna Dodson
Photo Credit: Charlet & Peter Davenport

Flower of Fire

2011-08-09T09:39:00.008-04:00

Photo credit: Sarah Odrakiewicz

Waterfire
Saturday-August-13th-2011
9:25p - On the Confluence
@ Steeple St Bridge between memorial Blvd and Canal St
Providence, Rhode Island

A fire sculpture of a flower by artists Donna Dodson & Andy Moerlein will be set alight on the confluence downstream from the Steeple Street Bridge at 9:25pm during WaterFire Providence on Saturday, August 13th 2011. The artists are looking to the heavens for inspiration this year. Images of the recent Rosebud of a Reflection Nebula that circulated on the internet for Valentine’s Day planted a seed in the mind of the artists making the connection that chemistry is color, energy is matter, flame and water are fluid in the mind’s eye. A rosebud seems like the perfect symbol of WaterFire: romantic, lovely and passionate. Barnaby Evans is the artistic Director of this unique spectacle that has been taking place since 1997.

To see the Phoenix these artists created last year, click on this Youtube video.

Update: Erin Smithers got a nice shot of us lighting our Flower of Fire on video.

Photo credit: John Lincourt

Creatures

2011-08-01T15:24:00.000-04:00

CREATURES
Produced by Connecticut Art Connection
(Formerly GALLERY 46)

MAC650 Gallery
650 Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457
August 6 - 28, 2011

Marcella Anna Stasa
Donna Dodson
Kim Mikenis
Jennifer Eli French
James McGann
Amanda M Brown & Kevin Sweet

Opening Reception:
Fri, Aug 12, 6-9pm

Live Musical Performance by MeLinda Dalton and Russ Quinn of The Ninas

For gallery hours or more information call 860-729-5806

Strand: Group Exhibition at Boston Sculptors Gallery

2011-07-28T11:00:00.002-04:00

Strand
Strand. Strands. Stranded.
June 30 – August 14, 2011
First Friday opening: August 5, 2011, 5:30-8:30pm

Twenty-two of the members of the Boston Sculptors Gallery (B. Amore, Lorey Bonante, Gillian Christy, Mac Dewart, Donna Dodson, Rosalyn Driscoll, Sally Fine, Beth Galston, Mags Harries, Sarah Hutt, David Lang, Peter Lipsitt, Michelle Lougee, Eric Sealine, Liz Shepherd, Mary Sherman, Jessica Straus, Marilu Swett, Hannah Verlin, Kitty Wales, Leslie Wilcox and Andy Zimmermann) tackle this notion in the perfect show for the summer – a time when strands conjure up beach fronts and cast aways on desert islands. When escape is on everyone’s mind; and intrigue lurks behind every corner.

Illusions abound, as in Eric Sealine’s work where parallel lines, represented as strings, converge to create an uncanny perception of three-dimensional space; and Beth Galston’s strung black beads appear to slowly transform into a white tangle. The black and white theme continues with Jessica Straus’ piece in which black threads wrapped about white cores nestle like pills in a glass bottle; whereas, in Hannah Verlin’s installation, black is traded for blue texts about the New World that tumble out from more bottles onto the gallery’s ﬂoor. The hint of danger becomes more ominous in Rosalyn Driscoll’s Pandora’s Box – a steel frame with a tabletop, punctuated by modernist like rectangles, belying a barely contained bundle of menacing ropes beneath. Leslie Wilcox’s wrapped mesh then conjures up images of mummiﬁed cocoons. Sally Fine’s wire skeleton evokes thoughts of an adventurer who never made it back to civilization. And Mary Sherman’s strip of ocean blue enamel lies trapped forever in glass box.

About the Boston Sculptors Gallery
The Boston Sculptors Gallery is a landmark cooperative, a premier venue for sculpture, unusual
in that it exclusively shows sculpture in a large space that is transformed every month by two of the thirty-four members of this group. The gallery has won the acclaim of the Boston Globe art critic, Christine Temin, who listed it in her 1992 “Ten Best in the Visual Arts.” In 1995 Boston Magazine honored the gallery as the “Best Suburban Gallery in Boston.” And, Nick Capasso, Associate Curator of the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park says, it “is among the most stimulating venues for three-dimensional contemporary art in the Northeast.”

Boston Sculptors Gallery • 486 Harrison • Boston 02118
617-482-7781 • bostonsculptors@yahoo.com
Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 12 noon – 6 pm

Image: Crow (Stranded) mixed media 2011 by Donna Dodson

Birds of a Feather & Avian Events

2011-07-10T09:35:00.003-04:00

Donna Dodson: Birds of a Feather
Andy Moerlein: Avian Events

July 15th-27th 2011
Opening Friday, July 15th, 6-8pm

Gallery Ehva
74 Shank painter Rd
Provincetown, MA 02657
www.galleryehva.com

One of my collectors, Stephen Fletcher, was recently featured in Cape Cod Home Magazine. An image of my piece, Ugly Duckling, appears on page 4 in the article, 'Treasure Found:
Antiques Road Show appraiser Stephen Fletcher welcomes us into his old house full of wonderful period furnishings in Provincetown.'

Save the date for 'Flock together' an upcoming show of my bird sculptures at Boston Sculptors January 4th- February 5th 2012.

Images: White Stork, 38"h wood, paint, 2011 by Donna Dodson
Yearning, wood, paper, shale, ceramic, 2011 by Andy Moerlein

Go Tell it on the Mountain – New Monumentalism: art, nature and community

2011-07-02T16:46:00.009-04:00

Using the views of the mountains from the track where the sculpture park will be located as a creative departure point, the artists are free to interpret the site-specificity of their work.

Following are some open-ended questions set by Paul Goodwin, curator to Tate Britain, to challenge the participating artists: with Donna Dodson’s responses...

How can artists (and art practice) convey and/or respond to the challenge of environmental sustainability in such extreme conditions?

Sometimes humans help other species survive, for example, the white stork that nests and breeds annually in europe has been successfully re-populated in the Swiss and Italian Alps. This repopulation has also coincided with a human population boom in Verbier. I want to play with these facts & the myth that storks bring babies in my piece.

Are the grand narratives of monumentalism, triumph over adversity and conquest of nature still relevant in age of global conflict and potential environmental catastrophe?

The landscape of Verbier demands a bold statement. All outdoor sculpture must hold up to the scale of the land and the sky and the changing seasons. However the subject or message of my work is poetic, responding to the ways humans successfully coexist with birds, flora and fauna. This conveys the relevance of myth, soul and imagination.

Is monumental sculpture an appropriate method or scale to engage diverse local communities?

A large scale piece would be a focal point, a meeting place, a topic of conversation that makes local news. It must inspire the curiosity of the casual viewer as well as capture the attention of the patron of the arts. As new comers to this place, artists can respond to Verbier and convey its character in a way that reminds Verbier residents of how it looked to them the first time they saw it, how they felt, what was unique, what was memorable.

What is the relationship of man to mountain, art to environmentalism?

Humans are the caretakers of the earth and responsible for the survival of the planet. We are in awe of nature’s majestic scale, its power and its mystery. Art must respond to the site, the people and the zeitgeist of a place and time and be an inert presence on the land.

How can a sculpture park articulate the historical and the contemporary within a framework that addresses current issues of relevance to local mountain communities as well as global environmental politics?

Art exists within the context of art that came before and responds to the art makers that exist now. In that sense it addresses itself to art history and the stories that make up artist’s lives. I would like to make Art that addresses the concerns of the white stork in relationship to the Swiss Alps. The lives of these birds raise global issues of conservation and science that are political and relevant to this place and to the people who live there. It is risky to make a personal statement about a place, or an idea but that is and has always been the role of the artist in the community.

Update: An article on the residency and an image of my sculpture appeared on page 4 in the Televerbier Bulletin

Image: Baby Bringer, 4m tall, mixed media by Donna Dodson

Baby Bringer by Donna Dodson

Gallery Ehva in Provincetown is owned and operated by a visionary artist, Ewa Nogiec. She threatens to leave the USA and go back to her home in Poland if the gallery business doesn’t work out for her. Art is her whole life. In preparation for my recent show, Birds of a Feather, she made an unusual request. She asked me to make a stork, because they are very special to her. They breed in Poland and remind her of home. They are born with black legs and beaks, but when they reach sexual maturity, their beaks and legs turn bright red. Their bodies are white expect for the brush of black that remains on the wingtips. As I developed a wood sculpture, White Stork, this bird took flight in my mind.

Kiki Thompson is a friend and fellow sculptor I met in 2001 at the International Sculpture Center conference in Pittsburg, PA. We became penpals that summer. When she was in NYC in the summer of 2010 doing a Public Art residency at the School of Visual Arts, I went down to visit. It had been over a decade since I had seen her. She mentioned an exciting sculpture project that was taking shape in the hands of Madeleine Paternot and herself. She invited me to come back another time for a lunch meeting where they presented their ideas for launching an artist residency and sculpture park in Verbier Switzerland where they both have roots. 3D foundation was born on that day.

When I received the news that I was invited to be an artist in residence and to create a monumental work of art in the Swiss Alps, I started doing some research to generate ideas. Birds were on my mind this year, and I found two possibilities, the white stork and the bearded vulture, since both birds breed in high altitudes, and both have been successfully repopulated with the help of human beings and conservation efforts. I mentioned both ideas to Kiki and she replied that the stork would be special because there had been a population boom in Verbier. When she was pregnant, there were 20 other women who were pregnant in the small mountain village of 2000. I took a photo of the White stork with me that served as a maquette for my piece, Baby bringer, or La Cigogne [French translation].

She is both a celebration of fertility and motherhood as well as a subversion on the popular myth that storks bring babies in a diaper clasped in their beaks.

Verbier 3-D Sculpture Park and Artist Residency

2011-05-14T13:29:00.004-04:00

(Verbier, Switzerland) July 7, 2011 – The 3-D Foundation is delighted to launch a high altitude Sculpture Park and Artist Residency in Verbier, in the Swiss Alps. This is the first time that this alpine region has welcomed such an ambitious and permanent artistic project. The first Residency has just concluded. It will recur annually with emerging and established artists from Switzerland and abroad creating monumental works with the Alps for backdrop and inspiration. The opening reception took place on the evening of June 25 in Place de l’Ermitage, in the heart of Verbier. All the artists were present alongside ArtBattles from New York.

For five weeks, acclaimed international sculptors invited to participate in the first year invitation only Verbier 3-D Sculpture Park Residency, took the resort by storm. ”I wanted to create a residency which reflected the power of the mountain using the energy of city-based artists, in order to create an international dialogue as a pioneering platform for free Public Art in the Alps,” says Madeleine Paternot, artist and co-founder of the 3-D Foundation. Working against the clock, these artists each built a monumental site-specific sculpture, able to survive in a harsh high-altitude environment. These sculptures are now in the sculpture park, a further four, including The Roses by Will Ryman, are in the village itself.

The artists chosen to create these public works for such a tough alpine environment are:Gregory Coates (New York), Donna Dodson (Boston), Timothy Holmes (London), Musa Hixson (Brooklyn), Andy Moerlein (Boston), Kiki Thompson (Verbier), and Zak Ove (London).

The energy and enthusiasm for the project is amplified by Verbier’s renowned extreme skiing terrain. “An evocative range of work was produced. Materials used include rubber, cement and steel, Styrofoam and truly massive wood blocks as well as prefab objects,” explains Gregory Coates, one of the participating artists and a member of 3-D’s board. “But the biggest challenge remains the alpine climate, we can’t take that out of the equation.” Once completed, the sculptures were placed on sheer mountain cliffs, against an epic backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Some of the sculptures required the artists to finish them on site, adding to the precariousness of the endeavor and the overall excitement of this public art project.

“Man’s relationship to the mountain is paramount to this project,” explains Paul Goodwin, curator of Contemporary Art, Tate Britain. “The power of art is its ability to articulate human emotions and values such as beauty and truth. On the mountain, faced with such sublime vistas, the visitor can experience these works of art in a totally new way, completely removed from the gallery or museum, directly confronting the ‘truth’ of nature. This is the true meaning of a museum without walls.”

This world-class spectacular sculpture park, or museum within nature, is not to be missed. It is similar in spirit and reach to Arte Sella and its Artenatura route just over the border in Italy, but in a very different setting. “The Commune de Bagnes is really excited about Verbier 3-D Sculpture Park and the opportunity it gives us to showcase our stunning surroundings and to offer such creativity and innovation year round to the local population and to our many visitors. It will be really interesting to see how these majestic sculptures change with the weather, they’ll look completely different each season, especially when it snows,” says Marie-Hélène de Torrenté, Advisor for the Commune. The Park spans a length of 3km, thus creating a natural pilgrimage between Les Ruinettes and La Chaux, at an altitude of 2,300 meters (7,545 feet), is free to the public and only accessible on foot or by bike, skis or dogsled. Over one million skiers ski in this region each year.

Other Swiss and American artists invited to show in Verbier are: Nathalie Delhaye, Etienne Krähenbühl, Edouard Faro, André Raboud, Josette Taramarcaz and Will Ryman.

The 3-D Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, founded by New York-based artist Madeleine Paternot and Verbier-based sculptor Kiki Thompson. Its mission is to promote contemporary art and culture, to focus on nature and community and to provide educational workshops. The curatorial premise is set by Paul Goodwin, in his capacity as an independent curator.

Critters: A Show of Paintings and Sculpture Curated by Nancy Davidson

2011-04-04T09:42:00.009-04:00

April 12 – July 20 2011

Opening Night Reception:
April 12th, 5-7 p.m.

June 10th, 4-5 p.m.
Curator Nancy Davidson and Alums

July 16th, 4-5 p.m.
Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein (creators of 20 ft. moose), their collaborations and individual sculpture

The Exhibition
“Critters” represents three groups of work – wildlife, farm animals, and pets – in situations that may be heartwarming, entertaining, or even poignant for the viewer.

The show not only includes the “critters” we interact with every day, but also those that may have been forced from their habitats as our human territory expands, and others that may soon disappear forever.

“Critters” will feature over 100 artists not only from Maine but also from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Florida.

This is the seventh “Critters” show that Nancy has curated during her long career as a gallery director. Past exhibits include three summer shows at the Cry of the Loon Gallery, South Casco, Maine; “City Critters,” at her gallery, Davidson and Daughters Contemporary Art, Portland Maine; “Critters,” presented at Studio E Gallery, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; and “Critters Revisited” at The Gallery on Chase Hill, Kennebunkport, Maine.

There will be a broad selection of indoor and outdoor sculptures by Laura Balombini, Jeff Barrett, Lise Besu, Peter Beerits, Rush Brown, James Budish, Clara Cohan, Nantz Comyns, Squidge Davis, Donna Dodson, Dan Falt, Ed Friedman, Edwin Gamble, Eva Goetz, Don Gove, Craig Berube Gray, Carole Hanson, Charles Jenkins, Mark Kendschi, Nance Kahn, Al Kronk, Bernard Langlais, Cheryl Lichwell, Steve Lindsay, Lin Lisburger, Cabot Lyford, Lou Mastro, Andy Moerlin, Marjorie Moore, Bryce Muir, Jean Noon, Leo Osbourne, Elizabeth Ostrander, Patrick Plourde, Roger Prince, Riv Pyne, Andy Rosen, M.Ruth, Sharon Townsend, Edith Tucker, Tacha Vosburgh, Kitty Wales, Sharon Wandell, Ann Weber, and John Wilkinson.

Art Gallery
University of New England
Portland Campus
716 Stevens Ave., Portland, Maine

Gallery Hours
1-4 p.m., Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
1-7 p.m., Thursdays

Update: Edgar Allen Beem in his Yankee Magazine art blog reviewed the UNE Art Gallery's show "Critters."

Images: Elephant Oracle, 8 ft tall, cement, 2010; White Rabbit, 35" tall, wood, paint, 2006; Elk Goddess, 32" tall, wood, pigment, paint, 2004, photo credit- Peter Haines; Honey Bear, 46" tall, wood, paint, 2005, photo credit- Bruno Giust.

Birds, Botanicals and Nature

2011-03-18T09:03:00.004-04:00

The Singer Family & Donna Dodson: Birds, Botanicals and Nature

If you’ve ever looked at drawings or paintings of birds, chances are you’ve seen the work of Arthur B. Singer. America’s most famous bird illustrator was a New York City native born, coincidentally, on Audubon Avenue. A graduate of Cooper Union, Arthur is best known for his bird guides: Birds of The World; Birds of North America and Birds of Europe. A portfolio of his paintings published in the mid-1950s in American Home magazine sold millions of copies. He was awarded the Audubon Society’s first Hal Borland award.

Arthur’s son, Alan Singer, followed in his father’s artistic footsteps and together they designed and illustrated award-winning U.S postal stamps honoring the birds and flowers of all 50 states. He also followed his father’s work with bird guides including: State Birds in 1990. Currently a teacher at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Arthur is an accomplished painter, printmaker and writer on the visual arts. His work has been featured in shows at the Smithsonian, the Norman Rockwell Museum and the Everson Museum in Syracuse.

A third artistic member of the family, Alan’s brother Paul, is an artist living in Brooklyn with his own design firm. His prestigious clients include: the National Park Service, Army Corps of Engineers, Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and the Bronx Zoo. His work for them inspires his own paintings of seascapes and landscapes. The theme is carried further in his enthusiasm for building model boats. This unique exhibit of the Singer family’s works provide a look at nature, from the fine details and vivid colors of birds to the sweeping vistas of land, flowers, water and. Impressionistic abstracts.

Fitting in well with those themes are the figurative wood carvings of Donna Dodson, an artist from Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Inspired by Egyptian, African and Native American art, Dodson crafts works from woods as diverse as osage, orange wood, ash, pine and maple. Female in form, her sculptures are meant to portray the mystical relationship between humans and animals. From the material to the finished figures Dodson’s work evokes an experience of nature that marries the primitive to a higher, nearly transcendent order of design.

Join us for music, wine, hors d’oeuvres and an eventful evening.
Opening reception Saturday, March 26, 6 to 9 pm.

On exhibit until May 7.
Gallery Hours: Fri & Sat 1-4 p.m.
Private showings by appointment.

Co-directors, Bill & Johanne Pesce.
Windsor Whip Works Art Gallery
98 Main Street, PO Box 7, Windsor, New York 13865

Phone: 607-655-2370
Email: Johanne@WhipWorksArtGallery.org
www.WhipWorksArtGallery.org

Update: Channel 34 featured this show on their Up to the Minute News Coverage.

Image: Seagull Cinderella, 15" tall, apple wood and paint
Photo credit: Cliff Pfeiffer

Polar Peacock

2011-02-21T10:00:00.003-05:00

Lake Morey Resort
Fairlee, VT
Winter Carnival
February 18 – 20, 2011
Snow sculpture contest
Artist's Choice Winners:
Donna Dodson & Andy Moerlein

The Tale of the Polar Peacock

The Polar Peacock is as elusive as the Northern Lights. Exotic and beguiling the icy white fowl has been part of northern folk lore on every continent. Reports of unspeakable iridescence and feathered protection from survivors of near freezing experiences have been repeated by elders to children around warm fires for thousands of years. There is no known substantiation for the bird. Why it appears to those in desperate freezing conditions, and why it is perceived as savior and provider of warmth at those moments of greatest need, is baffling. But the fact is that the Polar Peacock has been consistently imagined by a wide spectrum of lucid and competent explorers whose lives have brushed the precipice of death and then been miraculously spared. Our snow carving is a vain attempt to capture the enigma and magic that is this most rare of arctic phenomenon.

Image: The Polar Peacock, 8 ft tall, snow sculpture, 2011

Wood Work

2011-02-07T07:50:00.006-05:00

For Immediate Release:

Exhibition Title: Wood Work

Artists: Michael Beatty, Newton, MA
Paul Bowen, Williamsville, VT
Rosemary Broton Boyle, Waltham, MA
Donna Dodson, Boston, MA
Stephan Fowlkes, Brooklyn, NY
Bob Lewis, Newton, MA
Greg Mencoff, Somerville, MA
Rob Millard-Mendez, Evansville, IN
Andy Moerlein, Bow, NH
Dawn Southworth, Gloucester, MA

Location: Clark University, Schiltkamp Gallery/ Traina Center for the Arts
92 Downing Street, Worcester
(Mailing address: 950 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01610)

Dates: February 14 – April 17, 2011

Gallery Hours: Monday – Thursday 9AM- 8PM, Friday 9 AM- 4PM,
Saturday and Sunday 12-5:00
(The gallery will be closed March 5-13)

Opening: Wednesday, February 23rd
Artists’ Talk: 4:15 – 5:15
Reception: 5:15 – 6:30
Further Information: (508) 793-8818 Elli Crocker, Assoc. Professor and Gallery Director(508) 793-7349 Tina Zlody, Visual & Performing Arts Events Coordinator

This exhibition includes the work of ten artists who use wood as medium and conceptual source. In an era when technology has altered the realm of art making as much as everything else in our lives, these artists celebrate that most ancient and primal of raw materials - wood. While the material is the unifying theme, each artist creates unique forms that draw their inspiration from the inherent beauty, natural qualities, and enduring power of wood.

In many ways wood offers a corollary to the human body suggesting living, organic, sensuous form with trunks and limbs, heart and skin that is also subject to growth, change, and ultimately decay. Our interdependence with trees is so elemental that we breathe what they exhale and they “inhale” our exhalations. Indeed, many peoples of the world throughout human history have attributed animistic qualities to trees, including the belief in hamadryads or tree spirits. Trees and their fruits have sheltered us, warmed us, fed us, and inspired us. Connected to our survival in the most fundamental of ways, humans have also employed wood to create art - whether carving magical totems or fabricating new images from the scavenged detritus of a society. As an artistic medium, wood offers both strength and pliability, elegance and rawness, commonness and preciousness.

The ten artists exhibiting their art in Wood Work employ various processes from assemblage to carving, carefully selecting a specific wood variety to gathering salvage, working figuratively to non-objectively, and on the wall, floor, or pedestal. Paul Bowen, Rosemary Broton Boyle, Stephan Fowlkes, and Dawn Southworth collect scrap wood and convert this found material into transcendent form. The sense of time and history, the distressed surfaces, and hints of earlier uses inform the finished pieces that become impossible contraptions, shrines, or humorous musings. Donna Dodson explores the mystical relationship between humans and the animal kingdom, creating archetypal chimeras through the carving and polishing of carefully selected types of wood, revealing their unique grain and color. Rob Millard-Mendez describes his sculptures as large toys, employing dark humor to comment on human foibles. Blending folk art references and formal conceptual concerns, his art engages the viewer on several levels – both fun and interactive as well as provocative and challenging. Michael Beatty, who is a professor of art at consortium school, The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, borrows construction methods from traditional, functional forms of woodworking, boat building, and metal fabrication. Most recently he’s been interested in the correlation between the natural world and mathematics, seeking out the basic patterns underlying the complexity of what we see in Nature. Andy Moerlein also looks to Nature, exploring the interaction of human psyche and natural forces - whether the rapid fluctuations of weather or the gradual shifts of geology - ultimately creating highly personal narratives. In his richly process-oriented work, Bob Lewis creates mysterious and unsettling monuments to failed endeavors, lapsed dreams, and human hubris. Greg Mencoff, explores the psychology and implications of the built form and the architecture of ordinary things. Of his sculptures, he comments, “their content is a reflection of the process…instinct has us build, and through that process is learned something of ourselves, helping to define a culture”.

Associate Professor of Art Elli Crocker curated this exhibition with the help of students Molly Burman, Phoebe Cape, Scott Coffrin, Victoria Grogan, Nina Haglund, Ann Kerrin, Ashley McNelis, Claudia Olcese-Rivera, and Stephanie Richardson.

Paul Grignon from Worcester Magazine wrote a wonderful review about the show called 'Handworks of Art.'

Images: Baboon Mother, 24" tall, kou, 2008, Red Panda, 24" tall, wood + paint, 2005, photo credit Bruno Giust, Squirrel Girl, 19" tall, laminated wood and paint, 2003, photo credit Cliff Pfeiffer, Wolf Goddess, 29" tall, wood + paint, 2006

THE BIRDS AND BEASTS WERE THERE

2011-01-25T09:14:00.010-05:00

The Birds and the Beasts Were There: A Celebration of Animal Life

The Cahoon Museum of American Art presents its 2011 benefit exhibition to celebrate what extraordinary gifts animals, both wild and domesticated, give back to man both emotionally and spiritually. All works will be for sale and beneficiaries are Audubon’s Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary and its Coastal Water Bird Program.

Artists throughout time have used animals as subject matter because they were close by and were part of their everyday lives. This exhibition will examine how contemporary artists throughout the United States have used animals in their workfocusing on different media they choose to use: collage, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.

February 1-March 13, 2011
Opening reception: Friday February 4th, 4:30p-6:30p

Artists include: Gary Akers, Kent Ambler, Peter Coes, Donna Dodson, Taylor Fox, Jon Friedman, Karekin Goekjian, Jack Goldsmith, Russell Gordon, Peter Haines, John Hilton, Mike Holsomback, Eric Kaiser, Wendy Klemperer, Karen Maginnis, Susan McLean, Andy Moerlein, Matthew Schulz, Aleta Steward and William Wegman.

GALLERY TALKS (at 11 a.m.)
February 8 - Richard Waterhouse, exhibition curator.
February 22 - Donna Dodson, artist.

The Cahoon Museum of American Art
4676 Falmouth Road · P.O. Box 1853
Cotuit, MA 02635 Phone (508) 428-7581
10-4 Tuesday-Saturday, 1-4 Sunday
Read about the exhibit in the Winter/Spring 2011 issue of Spyglass a quarterly look at the Cahoon Museum of American Art. The Barnstable Patriot posted a favorable review of the show on Friday February 11th.

Images: Banality, 22" tall, birch, pigment and paint, 2010
Walrus Mother, 24" tall, mesquite burl, pigment and paint, 2008

New Work for a New Year

2011-01-19T16:54:00.008-05:00

Gallery Ehva
74 Shank Painter Rd
Provincetown, MA 02657
Telephone 508 487-0011

Adam Coughlin, for the Hippo Press of New Hampshire covered this series in a recent piece...

Technology shrinks art: Boston sculptor Donna Dodson is used to creating sculptures that are one to four feet tall and made of traditional materials like wood and stone. But when an opportunity came to turn some of her work into jewelry, she needed to branch out. That is when she visited CADD Edge. Dodson said when she brought her sculpture to the Londonderry facility it was scanned in 3-D using a hand-held laser device, where it was then translated into a digital file on the computer. From the computer it was printed on a 3-D printer (this technology was developed at MIT), which made it ¼ scale. But this is no paper image. These prints are fabricated out of gypsum, sand and an adhesive. The final sculptures feel like plastic and Dodson has sold some to collectors. “Using this technology really allows an artist to play with the size of the work,” Dodson said. “I can make my sculptures either really big or really small.” Dodson said the technology isn’t really new but it isn’t mainstream yet. And while she will stick with her traditional sculpting practices, she does think it is neat.

Images, Top to Bottom: Elephant Princesses, 1" and 1/2" bronzes in collaboration with Knight&Hammer, Elephant Princess, 6" rapid prototype/3D print, Rhino, 2" tall bronze in collaboration with Knight&Hammer, Rhino, 6" rapid prototype/3D print. Copyright 2010

Sculpture Scoop

2010-12-09T19:25:00.006-05:00

Boston Sculptors Gallery
Group Sale
December 15 - December 24, 2010

· Opening Reception: Tuesday, December 14, 6-8 p.m.
· Special Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday, 12-7:30 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 10-7:30 p.m. and December 24th: 12-6 p.m.

From December 15-24, the Boston Sculptors Gallery is presenting Sculpture Scoop, a sale of sculpture, drawings, and jewelry by all 36 members of the gallery. For ten days the gallery will be opened for extended hours, making it the perfect part of your night out in the SOWA district.

With the majority of works priced under $300, this is a unique opportunity to own art created by some of the Boston area's premier sculptors. Included in show are many local artists with national reputations. Find a gift for the art lover in your life or begin your own sculpture collection.

I will be exhibiting earrings from the elephant princess jewelry collection, a few small bronzes, some computer prints and a selection of new monoprints. Hope you can stop by...

Images: 2" rapid prototypes [computer prints] 4"x4" marble bases

Moose Myth: Maine

2010-11-04T20:58:00.013-04:00

The Moose Myth: An Iconic figure of New Hampshire & Maine

We recently moved one of our Moose Myth sculptures from Portsmouth, NH to Portland, Maine with Chance Anderson, a friend who operates a boom truck and a 20 ft trailer. We built Moose Myth Portsmouth in June 2010 at Market Square as part of Art Speak, the City of Portsmouth Cultural Council's temporary art program, Overnight Art. The theme this year was bridges, and we chose the moose as an iconic symbol of New Hampshire and Maine, hence a bridge between the two neighboring states. Since we knew it was going to have to move or be removed in November 2011, we started looking around for a site in Maine, to fulfill our vision for this piece. Out of the blue, we got a call from Nancy Davidson, an independent curator who was putting together a show called 'Critters' at the Art Gallery of the University of New England in Portland, Maine. She asked us if we had indoor and outdoor animal themed pieces for her show, and when we told her about Moose Myth, she arranged a loan with the Director, Anne Zill. Moose Myth Portland Maine will be on view through July 2011 and Moose Myth Nashua will be on view indefinitely. More details below.

-Donna Dodson & Andy Moerlein

Moose Myth, New Hampshire
Bicentennial Park
66 Main Street
Nashua NH
on view indefinitely

Moose Myth, Maine
Art Gallery, University of New England
716 Stevens Avenue
Portland ME
on view through July 2011

Photo credit: Andy Moerlein

Two Upcoming Artist Talks in NYC

2010-10-14T04:20:00.008-04:00

“What’s Old is New Again:
The Legacy of the Feminist Art Movement of the 1970’s”
Wednesday OCTOBER 20, 7pm
Panel discussion featuring Harriet Lyons along with regional artists; Damali Abrams, Orly Cogan, Donna Dodson and Chris Twomey
SOHO20 Gallery Chelsea
547 West 27th Street, Suite 301
New York, NY 10001

Harriet Lyons joined the original staff of Ms. magazine in 1972 as Visual Arts Editor. Good at sugar-coating the pill (''70s feminism was combat), she packaged celebrity cover features and special issues. She collaborated with Gloria Steinem on a groundbreaking essay on Marilyn Monroe, a combination cautionary tale and rescue fantasy. Lyons covered the pioneering ''70s Women's Art Movement and created the Family of Woman photography series for Ms. In 1977, she edited a special issue on the women's arts revolution. She conceived and produced the 1980 "Decade of Women" book, which won the Women in Communications Clarion Award. She is also a co-founder of the New York Feminist Art Institute (1979-1989) and the Coalition of Women's Art Organizations (1982- 1990). Lyons' collection of women's art includes works by Miriam Schapiro, Nancy Azara, Pat Steir, Alice Neel, Agnes Martin, Judy Chicago, Jane Kaufman, Mary Ellen Mark, Joan Roth, Imogen Cunningham, Gisele Freund, Elke Solomon, Betsy Damon and Mary Beth Edelson. Lyons moved on to newspaper journalism in 1980 at the Daily News, where as editor of the Sunday Magazine she commissioned many articles on the cultural life of the city that featured women artists and were photographed by Joyce Ravid, Amy Arbus and Nicole Bengiveno. She took breaks as press secretary to Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden for the 1983 Brooklyn Bridge Centennial and later as senior editor for McCall's and Redbook magazines.

Damali Abrams is a video-performance artist living in New York. Her fictional television network, Self-Help TV, is an ongoing video-performance project, using her body and personal history as a point of departure. As a woman of color, she believes it is important to give visibility to people who are rarely represented.

Orly Cogan is a mixed media/fiber artist using vintage, printed fabrics and found embroideries, altering the traditional purpose. She explores common feminine archetypes and stereotypes such as Madonna/Whore, Pin-Up Girl, Lolita and the Femme Fatale and provokes questions such as what role do women want to play in society?

Donna Dodson is a sculptor whose art celebrates the mystical relationship between human beings and the animal kingdom. She creates standing animal-headed figures of the female form sculpted in wood, fusing feminine sensuality, sexuality and soul with a well-proportioned figurative vocabulary.

Chris Twomey's body of work, inspired by themes of origins and identity, involves film, performance, installation, digital media and sound. Using her own life and experience as springboard for meditations on the human condition and our interconnectivity, her work explores scientific, psychological, and conceptual ideas that impact our understanding of identity; from cradle to grave and beyond.

Three Dimensions: Hand or Digital
Sculptors consider the alternatives: Sculpting by hand vs. using digital machine technologies such as 3-D printing.
Thursday October 21, 2010, 7pm
Soho 20 Chelsea Gallery
547 West 27th Street, Suite 301
New York, NY 10001
Moderator: Doug Sheer, chairperson, ATOA
Participants:
Donna Dodson, wood carver
Ayami Aoyama, stone carver
Organizers:
Lynne Mayocole, ATOA President
Doug Sheer, ATOA Chairperson
ATOA's Critical Discussions in the Visual Arts are held at SOHO 20 Chelsea, 547 West 27th Street, Suite 301, NYC
Thursdays, at 7:00 PM, with doors opening at 6:30 PM. Check this site for dates and details, or call (212) 779-9250.

Sisterhood of Gallery Ehva

2010-10-06T16:24:00.008-04:00

Gallery Artists & Friends Women's Week Group Show: Lisa Ventre, Julie Gorn, Leslie Gilliette Jackson, Rachel Brown, Meg Shields, Sterck/Rozo, Barbara Cohen, Zehra Khan, Alicia Henry, Jane Kogan, Donna Dodson, Jenny Fragosa, Lorrie Fredette, Irén Handschuh, and Jackie Reeves.

October 1-13, Opening Friday, October 8, 6-8pm
~ Meet the Artists: Saturday, October 9, 2-4pm

Gallery Ehva
Ewa Nogiec, Director
74 Shank Painter Road
P.O. Box 1426
Provincetown, MA 02657
508-487-0011
skype: ehva0011
www.galleryehva.com
art@galleryehva.com
Gallery hours:
Noon-6pm
Wednesday closed

Samurai Warrior,23" tall, osage orange wood and paint, 2009
Plain Jane, 21" tall, osage orange wood and paint, 2009

In keeping with the theme of the show, I am exhibiting these two sculptures that came from the same log. Hence, they are sister sculptures, from the the same family tree.

Here's an article from one very passionate collector of my elephant sculptures, Jim McDonald, former Director of the Art Connection,

Jumping Off Of Cliff: A Tribute to H.C. Westermann

2010-09-19T21:07:00.004-04:00

Jumping Off Of Cliff: A Tribute to H.C. Westermann
September 20 - November 1, 2010
Opening reception, October 17th, 2-4pm
Palmina F. and Stephen S. Pace Galleries
The Kenneth P. McCutchan Art Center
College of Liberal Arts
University of Southern Indiana
8600 University Boulevard
Evansville, IN 47712-3596

At first I thought of making a baboon-headed man or a mandrill headed man for this show. I am responding to the craftsmanship of H.C. Westerman’s work and his use of color. I was thinking that ‘Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was an Idea ‘ was a signature piece and his most famous piece and that I had to use the same colors, red, white and blue, in my sculpture. H.C. Westerman to me is impenetrable. His work is enigmatic. His art is outside the cannon and in it. He seems not to be responding to other works of art in history or historical art movements but entirely caught up in his own world. Another famous image is of himself, shirtless, in a James Dean pose. I thought a rhinoceros better captured his physique and also his nature. Hence a rhino-man. With color, I usually don’t like to impose color like a mascot on my pieces or use it as a statement or a banner. I usually try hard to use color in a way that responds to the feeling of the wood or the wood grain. Hence the subtle grays, pinks and browns in the wood became silver, copper and gold in my piece. Yet the juxtaposition of metallic paint and natural wood grain seemed like an anomaly: like H.C. Westerman himself.

Rhino Man, 16" tall, maple wood & enamel, 2010 By Donna Dodson

Four Legged Art Exhibit

2010-09-13T13:57:00.004-04:00

The Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Gardens

is pleased to present
Four Legged
Celebrating our
Animal Kingdom
Sept. 17- Nov. 14th

Please note: September 17-19
A percentage of each sale will benefit
the Concord-Merrimack Country SPCA

____________________

Reception:
Sunday
September 19th
1 pm - 5 pm

____________________

Join the cavalcade of animal lovers at Mill Brook Gallery for an artistic celebration of the animal kingdom.

Twenty-nine artists showcase their talents in this exciting visual arts menagerie featuring premier area artists.

You can lend your support to a noble cause! In addition to this truly astonishing exhibit, we are hosting a fund-raiser for the Concord-Merrimack SPCA. We appreciate and recognize all of their efforts on behalf of New Hampshire's animals.

____________________

Artists:
Megan Bogonovich, Walker Boyle,
Jane Butler, David Carroll,
Megan Chapman, Rosemary Conroy, Jeffrey Cooper, Elli Crocker,
Donna Dodson, Peter Dudley,
Liz Fletcher, Gary Hamel,
Mary Iselin, Al Jaeger,
Carol Lake, Wendy Klemperer,
Madeline Lord, Heidi Lorenz,
Glen MacInnis, Victoria Mauldin,
Melissa Miller, Annette Mitchell,
Andy Moerlein, Gloria Najecki,
Fleur Palau, Lynn Peterfreund,
Ilene Richard, Adele Sandborn,
Bob Shannahan and Patricia Verani

Gallery Hours
Tuesday - Sunday
11-5 and by appointment

The Mill Brook Gallery
& Sculpture Garden

236 Hopkinton Road
Concord, NH 03301
603.226.2046
www.TheMillBrookGallery.com

Silver Fox, 25" tall, wood, pigment & paint, 2009
Elephant Clown, 26" tall, wood, pigment &paint, 2009

Two Sculptors in Two Dimensions

2010-09-02T23:31:00.009-04:00

Two Sculptors in Two Dimensions: Donna Dodson & Andy Moerlein

Prints and drawings by sculptors Andy Moerlein of Bow NH and Donna Dodson of Boston MA are currently on view at University of New Hampshire School of Law, Two White Street, Concord NH. This show features two dimensional works paired with photographs of Dodson’s and Moerlein’s completed sculptures. The experimental nature of the art on display represents uncharted paths for these two sculptors. The exhibit is open to the public, free of charge, daily from September 7th through October 29th. For exhibit information, please call the University of New Hampshire School of Law at 603- 228-1541. The exhibit is on view on weekdays from 8 AM – 5 PM and weekends from 10 AM – 5 PM; closed on all legal holidays. The public is invited to meet the artists at a reception on Saturday October 9th, from 1p – 3p during Art Concord.

These well-known artists, each of whom has extensive portfolios of individual sculptural work, collaborated in the public arena on several large installations this summer. “Moose Myth” is a 22-foot-high structure built of saplings that dominates Bicentennial Park in Nashua NH. A twin “Moose Myth” sculpture is installed in Market Square in Portsmouth NH. In August, Dodson and Moerlein created and then burned a 22-foot-wide winged Phoenix as a part of WaterFire, the spectacular art event in Providence RI.

Dodson’s and Moerlein’s drawings and prints, paired with photographs of their sculptures, reveal their process of working. In particular, monoprints evoke their investigation of the “Moose Myth” concept and show a deep imagining of moose and human mythology.

Donna Dodson relates her two-dimensional work to her sculptural vocabulary. “Sculpture is the result of methodical decision making. My carved wood pieces represent a commitment to the material as well as an investment of time. Every gesture results from multiple carving techniques and tools. My drawings and monoprints, on the other hand, are more spontaneous and have a raw immediacy.” A series of monoprints depicting Dodson’s iconic elephant goddesses show her process of using flat works to explore various possibilities of form and color. These investigations invigorate her as an artist.

Andy Moerlein says, “My drawings are a necessary step in creating the work and they document my process of working. I must plan on paper what I hope to build, especially for any large scale installations. Because my outdoor sculptures often require vast amounts of material and assistance, I have little time on site to challenge proportions, scale, color or design.” Included in this exhibit is a series of prints “Hanging by a Thread.” These vivid images are explorations of ideas for a yet unrealized work.

Both sculptors are represented by Mill Brook Gallery in Concord, NH and are members of the Boston Sculptors Gallery.

Update: There will be an artist talk at the Bedford Library, 3 Meetinghouse Road, Bedford, NH 03110 on Monday September 13th at 8pm, sponsored by the Manchester Artists Association. The artists will present their individual & collaborative works.

Moose Myth I, monoprint, 2010 by Donna Dodson
Moose Myth, graphite, 2010 by Andy Moerlein

Sculpturefest 2010

2010-08-30T06:48:00.009-04:00

Featured artists this year: Donna Dodson and Dimitri Gerakaris
Sculpture Fest 2010 will open with a reception for the artists and community
on Saturday September 4th, 4pm - 7pm, BYO Picnic
304 Prosper Road, Woodstock, VT.

Hathor is an Egyptian goddess who is depicted as a cow with a disc in between its horns or as a woman with cow ears. I imagine Hathor as a cow headed female figure who is similar in coloration to a Guernsey cow. She is not an anonymous member of the herd, she is distinctive in her long red gloves and daring in her unique array of markings. She is many things: daughter/mother, archetypal/individual, traditional/avant-garde. In short, a very complex creature.

Director Charlet Davenport has worked as an artist in Vermont since 1963. Currently her work in ceramic sculpture is influenced by many years of acting as Director of Sculpture Fest. Initially her ourdoor art installations were created on fibre glass mesh and installed in public spaces (St. Gaudens Historic National Park, The Rotunda at Dartmouth College Hopkins Center, the Vermont Carving Studio and Sculpture Center, the bank of the Hoosic River on Williams College Campus, Slater Mill, Pawtucket, RI, the TW Wood Art Center and a variety of other public and semi-public spaces.)

Peter Davenport, Co-Director of Sculpture Fest, is the one-man landscape force. Along with his duties as curator of the exhibition he aids artists in installing work, clearing sites, creating the signage, keeping everything clear for visitors as well as caring for the grounds throughout the exhibition time.

Upcoming Events: October 3rd
Noon: walk & talk with Featured Artist Dimitri Gerakaris
1PM: presentation by Featured Artist Donna Dodson
2PM: "Southwest Sculptors: Works Sited in the Land or Influenced by the Land," a talk by Moira Geoffrion, visiting from the University of Arizona at Tucson
Starting at noon: at the King Farm, Jeff Levison and young friends will build a dome on site.

Image: Hathor, 8 ft tall, styrofoam, cement & paint, 2010 by Donna Dodson

Boston Sculptors Gallery: Small Works

2010-08-25T20:46:00.010-04:00

In 2008, I sculpted the Elephant Princess out of a piece of white cedar that was given to me by my friends in Weston, Massachusetts. The finished piece was 19” tall and I took the wood sculpture up to CaddEdge in Londonderry, NH where it was scanned in 3D using a hand held laser device. The digital file was then manipulated in Sensable 3D software with a haptic device and sent to a 3D printer where it was printed at ¼ scale, approximately 6” tall. These limited edition 3D prints were fabricated out of gypsum, sand and an adhesive resin composite.
This rapid prototyping technology allowed me to create my artwork at a smaller more intimate scale. The abstraction and simplification of these figures added a new dimension to my sculptural vocabulary. Making this body of work meant satisfying my curiosity about new media, new materials and new possibilities.
This fall I will be exhibiting four of my small scale limited edition 3D computer prints at the Boston Sculptors Gallery in the front windows. My work will be on view from September 2010-December 2010 in this new mini gallery space that was designed to feature small works by artists who are members of the gallery. Save the date for the upcoming SOWA First Friday receptions on September 10, October 1, November 5 and December 3 from 5-8pm. Boston Sculptors Gallery is located at 486 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02118, Tel. 617-482-7781, Email: bostonsculptors@yahoo.com, Website: www.bostonsculptors.com.

Images: Elephant Princess, 19" tall, wood, 2008; E.Princess, 6" tall, 3D print, 2010; Elephant Nun, 32" tall, wood, 2007; E.Nun, 6" tall, 3D print, 2010; Pregnant Kangaroo, 29" tall, wood, 2006; Pregnant.K, 6" tall, 3D print, 2010; Lilac Rhino, 27" tall, wood, 2003; Lilac.R, 6" tall, 3D print, 2010.

The Mill Brook Gallery

2010-08-16T06:59:00.006-04:00

Private Party for Artists @ The Mill Brook Gallery Sunday August 22nd

This event will bring an exciting variety of arts invested folk into one networking moment. Please try to be there! It might even be news worthy. It would be fun to see you.

I KNOW it is hard to imagine -- the drive -- the season -- etc, but we are trying to draw a fun, varied and important group of artists, sculptors and their friends to a party. Please try to attend. I can assure you EVERYONE will be there (who is ANYONE).

This is a Private Party of Mostly Sculptors and Painters (plus collectors, friends and curators) at Mill Brook Gallery and Sculpture Garden in Concord NH on Sunday August 22nd at 1:30pm. This event is hosted by Donna Dodson, Pamela R. Tarbell and Andy Moerlein. We will provide a light summer table of cold soups and bread. Additions to this midday repast are welcome but not expected of our guests. RSVP's help w/ planning, but please feel free to arrive spontaneously! Bring friends who might enjoy this remarkable and lively gathering of arts enthusiasts.

The Mill Brook Gallery and Sculpture Garden
236 Hopkinton Road, Concord, NH 03301
Tel. 603-226-2046
Website w/ directions: http://www.themillbrookgallery.com/
Hope to see you there!

Image: Giant Panda, 8 ft tall, mixed media, 2010 [newly installed at the Mill Brook Gallery]

Waterfire Providence

2010-08-09T08:51:00.008-04:00

A fire sculpture of a Phoenix by artists Donna Dodson & Andy Moerlein was set alight on the confluence at the Steeple Street Bridge at 9:15pm during Waterfire Providence on Saturday August 14th. The artists built a 20 ft sapling structure, wrapped it with straw, soaked it in mineral oil and set it on fire. By synthesizing the elements of the natural world and a mythical creature, the artists' piece surged up from the earth in flame. Click here to see the full video by Robert Jean on Youtube.

Donna Dodson graduated cum laude from Wellesley College in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts. Her pre-med studies and her passion for Egyptian art led her to study sculpture with Joseph Wheelwright at his studio in Boston in 1995. She continued her studies in sculpture with Peter Haines at his studio in Cambridge by learning how to abstract and resolve forms. Since 2000, Dodson has been honored with solo shows in New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Kansas, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Dodson enjoys public speaking, and has been a guest speaker in conferences, panels and forums at the University of Rhode Island, Pittsburg State University, School of Visual Art and Stonehill College. She is a member of the Boston Sculptors Gallery, College Art Association and the Wellesley College Friends of Art. In May 2007 she started the Art Salon Boston at her studio in Jamaica Plain to meet artists of all disciplines and host monthly conversations on topics of interest to artists in Boston and beyond.

‘My artwork celebrates the mystical relationship between human beings and the animal kingdom. My vision is to create standing animal-headed figures of the female form that are sculpted in wood. The challenge is to fuse feminine sensuality, sexuality and soul with a well-proportioned figurative vocabulary. The natural grain of the wood interacts with the form and shape of my sculptures in a fluid way. I often stylize each piece to enhance the girl, woman, queen or goddess within. The mouths, or in some cases beaks, are closed symbolizing the mysteries they embody. These figures are sculpted in sizes ranging from one to four feet tall. I use color in both subtle and bold ways to activate each piece. They are created as archetypes, and each one invites a personal experience from the viewer. The creative process that brings me to the completion of each work of art presents tremendous challenges, making my art a lifelong study with lessons for my eyes, hands, mind and spirit.’

Donna Dodson

Andy Moerlein is a nationally exhibited sculptor. His work has been shown in museums, sculpture gardens, and galleries from Alaska to New York. Mr. Moerlein has an extensive resume of public art works. This summer his work can be seen at Constellation Center’s Public Art Installation in Kendall Square Cambridge MA, Mill Brook Gallery and Sculpture Garden, Concord NH, the Riverway in Nashua NH, Market Square, Portsmouth NH, SculptureFest, Woodstock NY and Gallery Ehva in Provincetown MA. Mr. Moerlein’s installation work has also been featured indoors at venues such as the Johnson Museum, Ithaca NY, the Hood Museum, Hanover NH, the Currier Museum, Concord NH, the Everson Museum, Syracuse NY and a variety of private galleries and college art settings. His smaller models and indoor work will be featured in two summer shows. July 2nd and 9th his work opened at Gallery Ehva in Provincetown MA and then in September he will be showing wall works and new prints at Franklin Pierce Law School in Concord NH.

Mr. Moerlein has been an arts advocate, gallery director, educator, and professional juror for over 30 years. He has curated shows in Bend, OR; Rochester, NY; Brockport, NY; Ithaca, NY; and Manchester, NH. His articles and reviews have been published in numerous regional newspapers and arts magazines. He has been a teacher and gallery director at the Derryfield School in Manchester NH for 15 years. Moerlein holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MFA from Cornell University. He lives in Bow, NH.

ARTIST STATEMENT
I spent most my childhood in the Alaskan outdoors. I have a personal familiarity with rural life. Daily work and physical challenges inform all my creative decisions. I love to observe and respond to the way the world is constructed.

There is a basic antagonism between all objects and beings. The equilibrium we see as our everyday world is the result of a beautiful and dynamic balance. The interface between roots and stone, dead flesh and water, frigid snow and warm earth is always a confrontation. My role as an artist is to present my personal understanding of this natural conflict. I contrive and imagine an interaction that is both sensual and manipulated. My work recognizes that my own narrative is part of this antagonism and balance.

Image: Phoenix, 20 ft fire sculpture, 2010

Provincetown Art Association and Museum

2010-07-24T10:25:00.001-04:00

MEMBER'S 12x12
EXHIBITION AND SILENT AUCTION

Annual Members’ 12x12 Exhibition and Silent Auction
July 23-Sept 11, 2010

Closing party September 11, 4pm
Final Bidding: September 11, 5pm

The 12x12 Exhibition and Silent Auction is an exciting event that draws artists and collectors together in support of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum.

Works by emerging and established artists hang side by side in this Members’ Open Exhibition, expressing a high level of achievement and a wide variety of subjects and styles. The Annual 12 x 12 is a perfect opportunity for collectors to view a broad range of local talent, and an exceptional venue for emerging artists seeking visibility.

Bidding starts at $125, climbing by demand throughout the one-month exhibition until the final hour of the silent auction. Participating artists agree to a 50% commission, with an option to donate their own percentage of the final sale to PAAM.

These commissions and donations provide funding for year-round art exhibitions and educational programming.

Diva, ink on panel, 2010 by Donna Dodson

Children's Hospital Boston

2010-07-18T08:58:00.006-04:00

Donna’s pre-med studies and her passion for Egyptian art led her to study wood and stone sculpture. African sculptures and Native American totems also influence her work. These iconic goddess figures are crafted with chainsaw, belt sanders, chisels, rasps and files. The figures are smoothed with sandpaper, colored with paint or pigment and finished with varnish and wax. She uses logs of osage orange wood from her grandfather’s farm in Illinois, and ash, pine and maple from New England. Each wood speaks a different language. Her figures are always female and range in size from one to four feet tall.
“My artwork celebrates the mystical relationship between human beings and the animal kingdom…The forms say something that words could simply not express. There is a tremendous challenge in making a work of art for all the trials, and progressions one experiences before the form will come alive and begin to resolve itself. Sculpture is labor and time intensive and making art is a lifelong study with lessons for the eye, the hand, the mind and the spirit.”
-Donna Dodson
July-September 2010

119 Gallery

2010-07-12T12:43:00.006-04:00

MEMBERS' EXHIBIT
July 13-31st
Tuesday-Saturday, 12p-5p
Opening Reception:
Saturday, July 17th @ 3pm

Featuring the work of Marc Bisson, Amy Boger, Anne Brown, Joe Brown, Kathleen Cammarata, Steven Carvalho, Deidre Christiansen, David Crane, Mike Dailey, Ivy Demos, Donna Dodson, Lillian Hellen Graham, Chehalis Hegner, Jim Higgins, Dian Hosmer, Anna Isaak-Ross, Jim Jeffers, Jan M Johnson, Alyshia Lien, Denise Manseau, Nicole Mason, Bill McCann, Stephen Mishol, Andy Moerlein, Noredin Morgan, Dorothy Oja, John Riedell, Dan Rocha, Elaine Seidel, Dave Robinson, Dan Rocha, Elizabeth Sheehan, Margot Stage, Steve Syverson, Emile Tobenfeld, Gay Tracy, Michal Truelsen, Brenda Van Der Beek, Kellie Weeks, Jean Winslow & Jennifer Yeunger.

119 Gallery
119 Chelmsford St
Lowell MA 01851
978-452-8138

Elephant Matador, 20" tall, cherry wood & paint, 2008

On/Of/Like/About Paper

2010-07-06T08:42:00.003-04:00

July 7 – August 15, 2010
Boston Sculptors Gallery
486 Harrison Avenue

First Friday Reception: July 9, 5 - 8pm
Opening Reception: August 6, 5 - 8pm
Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 12pm – 6pm

Boston, MA: Paper is a rudimentary, but also versatile medium. It can be folded, cut, crumpled, scored, drawn on and written across. It can be used to convey important news, give instructions, tell stories, and reflect the most delicate of feelings. But, mainly, in On/Of/Like/About Paper at the Boston Sculptors Gallery this summer, it also occupies space.

On/Of/Like/About Paper celebrates this highly expressive medium with work by twenty-two of its members: B Amore, Caroline Bagenal, Kim Bernard, Ben Cariens, Murray Dewart, Donna Dodson, Rosalyn Driscoll, Laura Evans, Sarah Hutt, Peter Lipsitt, Michelle Lougee, Eric Sealine, Liz Shepherd, Julia Shepley, Mary Sherman, Jessica Straus, Marilu Swett, Hannah Verlin, Ellen Wetmore, Leslie Wilcox, Andy Zimmermann, and Leila Daw.

Some of the works suggest architectural models. Some are free-standing sculptures, reliefs, or installations. Still others are the stuff of a performance piece. However, all address the nature of paper -- its ability to convey ideas as well as its translucency, strength, frailty, texture, and above all, its marvelous mutability.

About the Boston Sculptors Gallery: Boston Sculptors Gallery is a landmark cooperative and has served as an alternative venue for exciting, innovative solo sculpture exhibitions since 1992. It is Boston’s premier venue for sculpture, featuring exciting and varied contemporary work by Boston area artists. Gallery membership has expanded to thirty-four exhibiting sculptors including returning members and a stable of new members.

This gallery is unusual in that it exclusively shows sculpture in a large space which is transformed every month by two of the thirty-four members of this group. Nick Capasso, Senior Curator of the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park says, “the Boston Sculptors Gallery, one of the few cooperative sculpture galleries in the country, is among the most stimulating venues for three-dimensional contemporary art in the Northeast.”

For more information contact: Jean Mineo, Director

617.482.7781

director@bostonsculptors.com

www.bostonsculptors.com

White Elephant, 48" tall, paper & styrofoam, 2010

Gallery Ehva

2010-07-01T08:33:00.007-04:00

July 2-21, Opening Friday, July 2, 6-8pm

Donna Dodson: Sculpture: Elephant Parade
Lorrie Fredette: Extracting (in) formation
Joseph Knight: Jewelry: Elephant Princess Pendant Design
Andy Moerlein: Sculpture: Inside, Outside

~ Meet the Artists + Poetry Reading by Charlanne Kallay
Saturday, July 3, 2-4pm

Gallery Ehva
74 Shank Painter Road
Provincetown, MA 02657
508-487-0011
www.galleryehva.com
art@galleryehva.com

Elephant Princess, 19" tall, white cedar, pigment & paint, 2008
Photo credit: Clements Howcroft photography

Sand Sculpture Event 2010

2010-06-27T08:36:00.007-04:00

The fun started Friday, June 18th when 300 tons of sand was dropped on Hampton Beach and Greg Grady's group of sand sculptors started pounding up the sponsor site. The entire area is illuminated for night viewing through June 30th. The event is funded by the Hampton Beach Village District and Sponsors, in cooperation with The Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce and The NH Division of Parks.

This was my first time sculpting sand and I made a sand elephant and a sand jaguar for the demo site. All of the Master Sand Sculptors contribute creative pieces to the site and the logos of all of the major sponsors of the event are sculpted onto the demo site. This year's theme was Shangri-La or heaven on earth and I had a great time making magical works on art on the beach. The sand used for this event has more silt in it than regular beach sand and it is 'pounded up' or packed tightly using a tamp and water into wood and/or plastic forms which are then sculpted into temporary works of art on site.

The Moose Myth

2010-06-16T07:47:00.005-04:00

The Moose Myth

There is a story told of twin moose brothers, each robust and noble, who shared the Northern Kingdom. One fine day they met in a glade and neither would yield. They charged and impacted with a resounding crash of angry power. In the ensuing battle they entangled antlers in a death lock. Unable to separate, they continued to battle. After days of throwing their enmeshed antlers and bodies about, unable to eat or drink, exhausted, they were on the brink of death. A small child came upon the feuding but now feeble twins and offered to free them, but only if they would promise to live in peace. They thankfully accepted the offer.

Freed, the twins stood on two feet in honor of their human friend and lived their lives striving to solve conflicts with negotiation and compromise. They agreed that one would live by the sea and rule over the Portsmouth waterfront and all the bridges and seaways linking NH to the world. The other mighty moose would rule inland, near the confluence of the Nashua and Merrimack Rivers, majestically protecting the vital and diverse city of Nashua.

Two sculptures celebrate this myth:

Moose Myth Nashua
Bicentennial Park
66 Main Street
Nashua NH

Moose Myth Portsmouth
Market Square
Portsmouth NH

By Donna Dodson & Andy Moerlein

*Update: Foster's Daily Democrat and The Daily Portsmouth covered this piece.

Nashua Sculpture Symposium 2010

2010-06-01T07:28:00.009-04:00

The artists, Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein will build a Moose Myth in BiCentennial Park at 66 Main Street during the 2010 Nashua Sculpture Symposium May 16th - June 6th. This 20’ tall sculpture will incorporate Dodson's vocabulary of animal headed mythological figures and Moerlein's technique of sapling construction. This piece will reference the iconic quality of the moose and the mysterious nature of this wild animal. The monumental moose headed figure, striding along the river walk, will be a symbolic landmark. The overall feeling of the piece will be transcendent and magical.

Collaboration:
The collaboration between Moerlein and Dodson is born from a love of the wild. Moerlein takes inspiration from events in the natural world that leave visual marks which strike a narrative chord in the artist. Dodson takes inspiration from the mysterious nature of animals that spark her imagination. Together these artists seek to create a piece that will surge up from the earth as if it was a creation of nature.

There will be a reception with the artists on Sunday June 6th at Greeley House on Front Street in Nashua, NH at 2:30p.

Moose Myth drawing by Andy Moerlein, pencil on paper, 2010

Moose Myth

In the beginning,
a grid of all Earth’s possible fragrances
was encoded into a glyph of a Moose etched upon a rock.
Her own breath begat it as beast.

The heady suspense of being alive
pulsed its alertness into the erection of ears.
A percussion of antlers spread wide
to resound the essence of listening.

Sight, the seedbed of thought,
was blocked by the swelling hill of nose
as the Bull inhaled the love of the Planet.

A poem by Charlanne Kallay
In artistic collaboration
With sculptures by Donna Dodson

*Update: The Nashua Telegraph covered this piece in a recent front page article.

White Elephant

2010-05-16T22:17:00.015-04:00

BIG ART and small art
Correlated exhibitions of large-scale and small-scale sculpture on the front lawn of the Emerson Umbrella and in the Emerson Umbrella Gallery. Outdoor exhibition includes works by Michio Ihara, Dmitri Hadzi, Tomas Bernsten, Murray Dewart, Donna Dodson, Joe Montroy, Ethel Poindexter, Tim Rowan, Stacy Latt Savage, Carolyn Wirth and Bret Woodward. Indoor exhibition includes sculpture and sculptors’ maquettes, photographs, paintings and drawing. Opening Reception Thursday, May 20 from 6 to 8 pm. BIG ART will be on view May 15th through November 1st, 2010. small art May 15th through June 7.

The Gallery hours are:
Monday-Saturday: 9 am – 5 pm
Sunday: 1 pm- 5 pm
Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts
40 Stow Street
Concord, MA 01742
978.371.0820
info@emersonumbrella.com

Update: 'Sculpture in the Grass: Emerson Umbrella Lawn Seeded with Large Works of Art' was reviewed
By Betsy Levinson on May 20, 2010 in the Concord Patch.

White Elephant

The Elephant is force enough in time to carry on.
No species was canny enough, voracious enough, audacious enough to assist her from existence.

Out of pleasure she’s fashioned immortal.
There she’s learning the value of play.
There she leaps up in forever joy
and thumps down, a calf, once again, on the clay.

The White Elephant has evolved tangible hope
and emanates its blessing.
Pitched at the point where existence was dawning
she guides into Passion the bored, yet still seeking.

Extinction would make her more interesting to many
but she’s not going to do that to us,
for her memory of origins discloses
that what we want to discover rose up out of dust.

A poem by Charlanne Kallay
In artistic collaboration
With sculptures by Donna Dodson

White Elephant, 8 ft tall, styrofoam & cement, 2010

Panda Bear

2010-05-03T07:52:00.007-04:00

Studios Without Walls 2010: May 1st- June 13th, Temporary Sculpture along the Muddy River. Closing reception, Sunday June 13th, 1-5pm. Donna Dodson, Panda Bear, cement, styrofoam, paint.

The Panda Bear will travel to the Mill Brook Gallery, Concord, NH May 30th-October 17th for "The 13th Annual Invitational Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit." Sunday, May 30th 2-4pm: "Opening Celebration" For more information visit www.themillbrookgallery.com.

Poem by Charlanne Kallay:

Panda Bear

There’s been a seizure between her ears
excavating a fossil word
“adapt”.

Gloves of influence
cuff her instinct.
Her heart opens.

Excitation swells
as if her soul
is pushing out her skin.

She’s luminous.

Update: The Panda Bear was reviewed on Thats Boston as 'The most striking piece of the exhibit,' http://www.thatsboston.com

Studios Without Walls 2010

2010-04-25T18:09:00.011-04:00

Studios Without Walls 2010:
Temporary Sculpture along the Muddy River

I will be exhibiting my first large scale outdoor piece with Studios without Walls. I am posting several images, courtesy of Andy Moerlein, that show the process of making the piece including laminating two 8'x4'x2' billets of styrofoam, carving the giant panda bear, covering the piece in surface bonding cement& painting the piece. There are also a few images of the model or wood maquette of the Panda Bear, that measures approx. 16" tall, at the end of this post. Check my blog in a few days to see some images of the finished piece that will measure approx 8 ft tall, www.donnadodsonartist.blogspot.com.

Exhibition: May 1-June 13, Riverway Park, Brookline/Boston, MA
Hosted by Brookline Department of Parks and Recreation
Opening Celebration: May 1-2, 11AM-6 PM
Artist tours by Studios Without Walls hourly during Brookline Open Studios
Closing Reception: Sunday June 13, 1-5PM, Walkthrough with Artists & Park Ranger 2PM
Jazz Concert: The Joel Press Quartet, Sunday June 13—3-4:30PM
Exhibition is visible during daylight hours

Directions: The Riverway, Longwood T-Stop on the MBTA Green Line) Emerald Necklace-Riverway Park runs between Park Drive, Boston; the Riverway; Longwood Ave; and Chapel St., Brookline. Public access is at Park Drive, Chapel St., Longwood Ave. or Netherlands Road. On- street parking available in Brookline. Information: contact iNFO@studioswithoutwalls.org / 617-327-5171 /
www.Studioswithoutwalls.org

Participating artists include: Muriel Angelil, Myrna Balk, Camilo Cardenas, Donna Dodson, Louise Farrell, Janet Hansen Kawada, Karen Klein, Milan Klic, Bette Ann Libby, Lyn MacDonald, Elizabeth Michelman, Andy Moerlein, Joan Schwartz, Barbara Vogelsang, Jeanne Williamson, and Jim Wright.

For the third year, sculptors of Brookline-based STUDIOS WITHOUT WALLS return to exhibit temporary outdoor installation and sculpture along the banks of the Muddy River in Frederick Law Olmsted’s historic Emerald Necklace- Riverway Park. Sixteen artists present outdoor works in dialogue with their environment, community, and the world of art. The artists work in a variety of nontraditional materials---concrete, ceramic, Styrofoam, plastic sheeting, snow-fencing, metal, wire, recycled fibers, bone and feathers. Their forms are equally diverse, from elephants in the bush to translucent rocks; to poetic puzzles, oversized flowers and fungal invasions in the semi-natural parkland of Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace. Covering a broad range of subjects, the works subvert natural forms, decry environmental spoliation, invoke fertility and decay, up-end expectations of gravity and support, explode aesthetic theories, and provoke imaginative reverie.

STUDIOS WITHOUT WALLS has exhibited public art projects fostering individual expression for over ten years. The group also presents visual arts and cultural programming to students, seniors, and community groups in Brookline and Boston. Sponsors of its outdoor installations since 2007 have included the Brookline Commission for the Arts, the Brookline Parks and Open Space division and Environmental Education Program, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, the Friends of the Muddy River, the Brookline Greenspace Alliance, the MassAudubon Society, Friends of the Carlton Street Footbridge, Church of Our Saviour, Brookline Arts Center, and the Olmsted National Historic Site.

On Sunday, June 13 at 3PM, a closing concert sponsored by Chobee Hoy Associates will be held near the Longwood T-Stop. Members of the Joel Press Jazz Quartet will perform straight-ahead jazz under the direction of Brookline/Brooklyn’s seasoned saxophonist Joel Press. Press has played jazz with roots and companionship in the music of Duke Ellington and John Coltrane for over fifty years.

"This program is supported in part by a grant from the Brookline Commission
for the Arts,, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts
Cultural Council, a state agency."

Elephant Parade

2010-03-23T00:01:00.007-04:00

For Immediate Release

Elephant Parade: Art by Donna Dodson on exhibit at New Hampton School’s Galletly Gallery

New Hampton, NH, March 13, 2010 – New Hampton School’s Galletly Gallery is pleased to host sculpture by Donna Dodson from April 1 through May 1, 2010. The public is cordially invited to an opening reception on Friday, April 2, from 5:30 to 7 pm. The reception will feature the “Elephant Princess” jewelry collection by Knight&Hammer Jewelers, inspired by Dodson’s work.

Elephant Parade is a gathering of 15 elegant wood sculptures of the female form with elephant heads. They range in size from 1 to 4 feet tall. Dodson uses the flow of the natural wood grain with the form of the sculpture to reveal and enhance the girl, woman, queen or goddess within. Their mouths are closed, symbolizing the mysteries they embody. Created as archetypes, these figures evoke a personal experience for the viewer. “My artwork celebrates the mystical relationship between human beings and the animal kingdom," says Dodson. "The challenge is to fuse feminine sensuality, sexuality and soul with a well-proportioned figurative vocabulary."

In November of 2009, Dodson exhibited a similar series of work, Elephant Tribe at the Boston Sculptors Gallery in Boston’s SoWa arts district. Says Dodson: "Both installations play upon themes of family identity and individualism, group dynamics, rank and order, kinship and clan, totem, mascot, personal spirituality, feminism and wild animals.”

The Elephant Princess jewelry collection is designed by Joseph Knight of Knight&Hammer Jewelers. For Knight, Dodson’s work "merged ancient cultural ideology with modern linear lines." Sharing a commitment for a better world, Dodson and Knight partnered with Dr. Stuart Pimm, founder of Saving Species. The “Elephant Princess” series, in necklace and earrings, is a limited edition series whose sale benefits "Saving Species." All jewelry is created by American craftsmen in fine sterling silver.

For more information, visit www. KnightandHammer.com and SavingSpecies.com. The Elephant Princess jewelry will only be on display at the reception, Friday, April 2.

Poetry written by Charlanne Kallay will accompany the elephants on parade. There will be a poetry reading and gallery talk on Friday April 2nd during the reception.

The Galletly Gallery is located on the second floor of New Hampton School’s Moore Center. The gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm and on Saturdays from 9 am to noon. For directions and more information, please call 603-677-3513 or visit www.newhampton.org.

Update: The NY blogger, Joanne Mattera featured me as one of 3 sculptors to watch. I'm in good company with Nancy Azara and Ursula Von Rydingsvaard this month.

Prom Queen, 31" tall, poplar wood & paint, 2009
Photo credit: Clements Howcroft Photography

Go Green

2010-03-08T09:03:00.004-05:00

Members' Open Exhibition:
Go Green

On view March 5 - April 18, 2010
Potluck opening reception March 12, 2010 at 6pm

A new exhibition at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) features work by emerging and established artists from within the PAAM membership. "Go Green," includes pieces that reference environmental awareness and/or are predominantly green in color.

Red Panda, 24" tall, wood & paint, 2005
Photo Credit: Bruno Giust

Celestial Elephant

2010-02-02T07:48:00.003-05:00

Celestial Elephant, 8' tall, snow sculpture, 2010 by Donna Dodson & Andy Moerlein, Black Mtn Ski Resort, Jackson, NH. [Invitational-Snow-Sculpting-Event]

This was my first event making a snow sculpture. I worked with my friend and fellow sculptor, Andy Moerlein on this piece. We heard about the event from Anne Alexander, a Maine sculptor and we consulted with her partner from last year, Sandy Moore who has inspired many people to try their hand at making snow sculptures. The event takes place from noon on Friday-noon on Sunday. Each team starts out with an 8ft cylinder of snow that was packed into a round form on site that measured 4 ft diameter. No colorants, power tools or armatures are allowed in the sculpture but the finished piece can be of any height and can spread out to 12 ft diameter. There were 12 teams- some novices like us and some experienced snow, ice and sand sculptors as well.

The snow this year was made on site at Black Mtn ski resort since there was not enough natural snow to hold the event on the common in the town of Jackson. The snow was soft to carve. We used hatchets, snow saws, and finished our piece with rough grit sandpaper belts. We worked on ladders as well as on our hands and knees. Keeping warm in the 0 degree weather was one of the biggest challenges but we had perfect sunny weather all weekend long. We experimented with water, slush and ice details as well. Snow does not hold fine details well but the surface is very dynamic and working at a monumental scale was very exciting. There are snow sculpture contests all over New England, North America and the world. We might try another event or try our hand at ice or sand sculpture in the future.

We decided to create a white elephant out of the snow, so we did some research...

A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth.

To possess a white elephant was regarded as a sign of justice and power, peace and prosperity. The tradition derives from tales which associate a white elephant with the birth of Buddha, as his mother was reputed to have dreamed of a white elephant presenting her with a lotus flower, a symbol of wisdom and purity, on the eve of giving birth.

Because the animals were considered sacred and laws protected them from labor, receiving a gift of a white elephant was both a blessing and a curse: a blessing because the animal was sacred, and a curse because the animal had to be retained and could not be put to much practical use.

In the Pali scriptures it is duly set forth that the form under which Buddha will descend to the earth for the last time will be that of a beautiful young white elephant, open-jawed, with a head the color of cochineal, with tusks shining like silver, sparkling with gems, covered with a splendid netting of gold, perfect in organs and limbs, and majestic in appearance.

Elephant Tribe: Installation shots

2009-12-14T22:12:00.013-05:00

L to R: Earth Mother, Elephant Matador, Plain Jane, Samurai Warrior and Elephant Queen

L to R: Earth Mother, Elephant Matador, Plain Jane, Samurai Warrior and Elephant Queen

Elephant Tribe by Donna Dodson at Boston Sculptors Gallery, 2009
L to R: Elephant bride, Iron Lady, Silver Fox and Madam Elephant

White Elephant, Prom Queen, Trumpeting Elephant [in the center] Golden Elephant and Elephant Clown

L to R: Elephant Clown, Asian Elephant, Elephant Princess

"Elephant Walk"; a one-of-a-kind necklace/belt and "Elephant Princess"; in a necklace [pendant] and earring set

Knight&Hammer jewelry designer, Joseph Knight was immediately captivated by Donna Dodson's sculptures. For Knight, it merged ancient cultural ideology with modern linear lines, and resonated with the core tenants of his own design aesthetic. Dodson & Knight began their collaboration with the goal of taking her modern tailsmen and interpreting them as desirable statement jewelry for today's woman. Sharing a commitment to better the world, led them to partner with Dr. Stuart Pimm, founder of Saving Species. Knight&Hammer and Donna Dodson are proud to present "Elephant Walk"; a one-of-a-kind necklace/belt and "Elephant Princess"; in a necklace and earrings, as the first limited edition series benefiting Saving Species. All jewelry is created by American craftsmen in fine sterling silver.

For more information:

www.SavingSpecies.org

www.KnightandHammer.com

Boston Sculptors Gallery

2009-10-06T09:43:00.008-04:00

Donna Dodson: Elephant Tribe
November 11-December 20, 2009*
* Extended until December 24, 2009
Opening reception: Saturday November 14th, 3-5pm
SOWA First Friday Reception: December 4th, 5-8pm
Gallery hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 12pm-6pm

Boston Sculptors Gallery is pleased to present ‘Elephant Tribe:’ Donna Dodson’s first solo exhibition of her carved wooden sculptures. This show presents 16 different interpretations of an elephant headed female form. For Dodson, the elephant represents power, sensitivity, strength, and wisdom. These feminine archetypes or goddess figures represent her vision of womankind.

The Hindu elephant god Ganesh inspires Dodson’s work but all of her figures are female. Her studies of African sculptures and Native American totems inform her elephants. In the process of carving, the ears are developed realistically but in the form, Dodson implies headdresses, helmets and hair-dos. Dodson’s monolithic and serene sculptures are enhanced by the use of paint whereby color transforms wood sections into objects such as tusks, gloves and hair. Dodson is inspired by Jessica Stockholder’s interplay of color and form in her art work as well as Cynthia Moss’s field studies of African elephants. The sculptures of Deborah Butterfield, Daisy Youngblood, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Elizabeth Catlett and Rona Pondick influence her style.

Dodson uses logs of osage orange from her grandfather’s farm in Illinois, and ash, pine, and maple from New England. Each piece of wood speaks to the artist in a different voice. She sculpts with a chainsaw and a belt sander as well as chisels, rasps, and files. The wood’s surfaces are smoothed out with sandpaper, colored with paint or pigment and finished in varnish and wax. Her pieces range from one to four feet tall, and one to two feet in diameter. These iconic goddesses are crafted in the manner of fine woodworking similar to the sculptures of Brancusi, Moore, and Puryear. They are unique objects and each piece has a magical presence.

Donna Dodson graduated cum laude from Wellesley College in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts. Her pre-med studies and her passion for Egyptian art led her to study wood sculpture with Joseph Wheelwright at his studio in Boston in 1995 and then stone sculpture at the Carving Studio in Vermont. She continued her studies in sculpture with Peter Haines at his studio in Cambridge where she learned how to abstract and resolve bronze forms. Since 2000, Dodson has been honored with solo shows in New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Kansas, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Dodson enjoys public speaking, and has been a guest speaker in conferences, panels and forums at the Boston Public Library, University of Rhode Island, School of Visual Art and Stonehill College. In May 2007 she started the Art Salon Boston at her studio to meet artists of all disciplines and host monthly conversations on topics of interest to artists in Boston and beyond.

Elephant tribe will be shown concurrently with the sculpture of Peter DeCamp Haines.

Trumpeting Elephant, 39" tall, osage orange wood, pigment & paint, 2009

The Mystical relationship between human beings and the animal kingdom by Donna Dodson

2009-09-15T10:33:00.020-04:00

I graduated cum laude from Wellesley College in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts. My pre-med studies and my passion for Egyptian art led me to study wood sculpture with Joseph Wheelwright at his studio in Boston in 1995 and then stone sculpture at the Carving Studio in Vermont. I continued my studies in sculpture with Peter Haines at his studio in Cambridge where I learned how to abstract and resolve bronze forms. Since 2000, I have been honored with solo shows in New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Kansas, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. In May 2007 I started the Art Salon Boston at my studio to meet artists of all disciplines and host monthly conversations on topics of interest to artists in Boston and beyond.

I met Karen Frostig at the National Women’s studies Association conference in Oakland, CA in 2006, “Locating Women’s Studies: Formations of Power and Resistance.” We were both participating in ‘Intersections: Locating Acts of Courage’ an art exhibit at the Joyce Gordon Gallery exploring the intersections between art and women’s studies that was sponsored by the National Women’s Studies Association and the Pacific Region of the Women’s Caucus for Art. Karen Frostig is the co-author of Blaze: Discourse on Art, Women, and Feminism with Kathy Halamka, both of whom were co-presidents of the Women’s Caucus for art in Boston when I was a member. At the salon, I got to know Karen Frostig better and she suggested I participate in an art exhibit whose theme was ecofeminism which I had never thought of until she made the connection for me by saying that ecofeminists were interested in and draw inspiration from the pagan [earth] gods/goddesses and wiccan spirituality, that promote harmony, balance with the environment [nature and animals]. So that inspired me to participate in the ARM conference.

My artwork celebrates the mystical relationship between human beings and the animal kingdom. My vision is to create standing animal-headed figures of the female form that are sculpted in wood. The challenge is to fuse feminine sensuality, sexuality and soul with a well-proportioned figurative vocabulary. The natural grain of the wood interacts with the form and shape of my sculptures in a fluid way. I often stylize each piece to enhance the girl, daughter, woman, mother, queen or goddess within. The mouths, or in some cases beaks, are closed symbolizing the mysteries they embody. These figures are sculpted in sizes ranging from one to four feet tall. I use color in both subtle and bold ways to activate each piece. They are created as archetypes, and each one invites a personal experience from the viewer. The creative process that brings me to the completion of each work of art presents tremendous challenges, making my art a lifelong study with lessons for my eyes, hands, mind and spirit.

My Introduction to Egyptian art came from my grandfather who had a connection at the University of Illinois Art Museum that took us on a tour of their vault when they were preparing for a traveling show of mummies. I remember thinking the mummies were the painted boxes, and did not make a connection to the wrapped up and preserved bodies inside the boxes. My introduction to Egyptian goddess figures was from an image I saw of Genevieve Vaughn’s commission for a temple dedicated to the Goddess Sekhmet in the journal Woman of Power.

The presence of the goddess in art was reinforced by reading Robert Graves, the White Goddess that untangles and fleshes out the puzzles, riddles, rhymes of poetry that reinforce/ disguise this fierce goddess presence, whose mystery underlies/explains a vital life force and system of belief. I became very inspired by and interested in the visual language of animal/human hybrid goddesses like Sekhmet (lion headed goddess figure) and Tauret (hybrid hippo/lion/crocodile midwife goddess figure) who are strong yet sensual, primal yet refined, fierce yet beautiful.

My art work also takes its inspiration from the Falcon headed (Horus) Baboon headed (Hapi) and Crocodile headed (Sobek) Egyptian male gods and from them I create female counterparts/goddess figures. This is a vision of my work that my art teacher suggested.

On a very basic level, these animal headed gods and goddesses resonate with the feelings I had as a kid of feeling connected to the stray cat we adopted as a pet. On a more philosophical level, my female interpretation of male figures is very Asian (yin/yang) in that everything has a male/female counterpart. Not unlike Ann Lee, or Mother Ann, leader of the spiritual community of the Shakers, who believed that Jesus was the male incarnation of God and she believed she was the female incarnation of the Holy Spirit which was radical at that time.

There were no feminine icons in Christianity or in protestant religion that I grew up with. I am not catholic and I don’t feel a connection to the Virgin Mary. I don’t have a personal relationship with her story or her image. I have a very Feminist aunt who rejected God the Father and challenged me to find and define god for myself. She was reading a lot of Mary Daly’s books at the time and shared her thoughts. Authors often say I write the books I want to read, and I make the kind of art I want to see. But, if I was so inspired by Egyptian art, why do I work in wood and not stone?

As a kid, I spent a lot of time climbing trees and in the tops of the branches, swaying in the wind, I felt connected to the tree, the earth, and the universe. I use logs of Osage orange from my grandfather’s farm in Illinois, and ash, pine, and maple from New England. Each piece of wood speaks to me in a different voice. I sculpt with a chainsaw and a belt sander as well as chisels, rasps, and files. The wood’s surfaces are smoothed out with sandpaper, colored with paint or pigment and finished in varnish and wax. My pieces range from one to four feet tall, and one to two feet in diameter. These iconic goddesses are crafted in the manner of fine woodworking. They are unique objects and each piece has a magical presence.

My career as an artist began with poetry that evolved into drawing and then sculpture. I draw with my left hand which is also my non-dominant hand. That was suggested to me as a method of self- expression and with it came the emergence of an image, a dancing pig, an unflattering image of myself, although it was a happy image and from there, I began to hope that the trajectory of my life as an artist could be a process of re-envisioning the parts of myself that I didn’t like.

I believe creating art is a form of magic in that it taps into the miracle of creation, communicating with the unseen/spirit world. When I began making sculpture, I found the passion I had been looking for in the other career paths I had explored up to that point in my life, such as doctor, social worker, and political activist.

Georgia O’Keefe, Judy Chicago, and Harriet Hosmer were some of my key inspirations, guides and mentors. I began making found object assemblages of faces, totem poles and crude figures that morphed into wood sculpture when I met Joe Wheelwright and was introduced to woodcarving. Through Joe, I was introduced to artists/sculptors such as Constantin Brancusi, Henry Moore, Isamu Noguchi and Martin Puryear. From Joe, I learned the tradition of direct carving- where the artist is envisioning /pulling the figure from the log, as Michelangelo did.

I was inspired by the refined, stylized Inuit art forms & Native American concepts- totem animal, spirit guide, family/clan, harmony with spirit of life, use of color, wood craftsmanship.

Wood is strong on the vertical axis/weak across the grain, which is why I choose to make standing or striding figures that are upright, intact, dignified & heroic within and without.

After Pegasus, my figures became much more autobiographical i.e. imbued with a personal meaning/significance but they also represented something larger- the elusive feminine qualities of womanhood- such as sexuality, sensuality, gender.

My visual inspirations were from Indian art- Ganesh and his human parents- the male figures look so feminine- there doesn't seem to be such a divide or polarity between men and women in Indian art. There seems to be more continuity of gender between the sexes.

Male features in the animal world are more colorful to attract females whereas for humans- females dress themselves up more elaborately and ornately to attract males. When the form emerges and begins to resolve itself, the piece will start to become alive.

My artwork explores subtle/elusive feminine qualities- and a hybrid/anthropomorphic language, which gets away from realism/race/ethnicity/ stereotypical depiction of female beauty or women as sex objects to something larger- each piece, has a benevolent presence like a stuffed animal.

There is something inherently ironic Creating goddess figures using macho power tools although, everywhere you look, you can find like-minded people who share your interests. Over the summer, we were fortunate to go see Timber Tina & the Lumberjills in Ellsworth Maine. Her show was a display of athleticism, feminism & sportsmanship of men & women; competing in the traditional arts of axe throwing, hot sawing, pole climbing and log rolling. Watching Tina perform was very encouraging to me as a woman and a sculptor in the art world.

In Egyptian art, there is a religion and pantheon of gods and goddesses that make up their mythology- that is not what I am doing. Mine are sculptural objects, spiritual icons, personal totems, w/a personal mythology, culture of me [individual], but also something larger=women. This reminds me of something my minister once said about the evolution of your spiritual path, whereby you come to terms with yourself, then your family, your community, and the world.

My collectors display and interpret my work in very personal ways- one man bought one and his daughter got pregnant so he bought one for each one of his daughters as fertility symbols.

In preparing this talk, I came to realize Mothers are sacred, holy, archetypal yet also individuals who are girls and daughters that become women and wives. My work contains these identities.

Motherhood is one aspect of sexuality & fertility as is sexual pleasure, sexual health, seduction, attraction, eroticism, maturity, identity, self-knowledge, spirituality, theology, divinity, worship, power, physiology, biology, sensuality, miracles, mythology, fate, a story that plays out in life. Not being a mother myself, I have explored the concept of pregnancy & birth in only a few of my pieces with the information I've gathered from my friends who made the journey themselves. For them, it changed their concept of their sexuality up to that point in their life and completed their identity.

A prime motivation to become a sculptor was to gratify my mother and make her proud of me in my life choices and my life's work. Prior to that I had been very involved with poetry and the religion of the mind- but with sculpture, I became very interested in the language of the body and religion of the body.

I've read some of the classic feminist tomes, Betty Friedan, The feminine mystique and more recently Manifesta by Jennifer Baumgartner and Amy Richards about 2nd wave feminism.

I've followed Jungians more than Freudians on psychoanalysis because the Jungians seemed more transcendent or spiritual, i.e. Nor Hall, The Moon and the Virgin and Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women who run with the wolves. In their writing they talk about female archetypes.

I've read Elaine Pagels [Adam, eve and the serpent] for an intelligent interpretation of the bible, Marija Gimbutas [Language of the Goddess] for an insightful and articulate interpretation of archaeology and Elinor Gadon [The once and future goddess] for a thorough visual history of art.

I met Elinor Gadon at the WCA conference in Boston in 2005 when she was awarded a lifetime achievement award. I saw her again at the NWSA conference in 2006 and have followed her work and scholarship and art exhibits with great pleasure at the Women’s Study Research Center at Brandeis in Waltham. She recently curated, Tiger by the Tail! Women Artists of India Transforming Culture that was very well received by art, feminist and academic communities.

I am currently working on a solo show of my work that will be on exhibit at the Boston Sculptors Gallery Nov-Dec 2009. This show will present 16 different interpretations of an elephant headed female form. For me, the elephant represents power, sensitivity, strength, and wisdom.
These feminine archetypes or goddess figures represent my vision of womankind.

The Hindu elephant god Ganesh inspires my work but all of my figures are female. These are not literal studies of Ganesh- but original artworks from my imagination and each one is unique.

My studies of African sculptures and Native American totems inform my elephants. In the process of carving, the ears are developed realistically but in the form, I imply headdresses, helmets and hair-dos. My monolithic and serene sculptures are enhanced by the use of paint whereby color transforms wood sections into objects such as tusks, gloves, and hair.

Elephants form matriarchal* societies, and I have been inspired to create a series of elephants by the scholarship & field studies of Cynthia Moss at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya, Africa. As she writes about in her book [Elephant memories: thirteen years in the life of an elephant family], I spend time studying the animal until I get its essence and find the soul of the animal. I work from a collage of elephant photographs that I paste up while working on a sculpture. I develop different compositions of elephant forms using Indian & African elephant features. Indian female elephants have smaller ears, rounded heads and they have no tusks, but female African elephants have large tusks, square heads and large, floppy ears.

*Matriarchy (or gynecocracy) refers to a gynecocentric form of society, in which the leading role is taken by the women and especially by the mothers of a community.[1] [From Wikipedia]

Matriarchy encompasses inheritance- class- status- dominance- rank- privilege. My mother came from a higher class than my father b/c her family were land owning farmers- although my dad had two unmarried aunts who were college educated and they sent he and his brother to college and they both completed master’s degrees- my mom also had an unmarried aunt in the military who achieved the rank of Major in the Air Force. She helped my mom earn a bachelor’s degree.

Elephants appear in popular culture, as Babar, the elephant headed character in children’s books created by the French author, Jean de Brunhoff; Dumbo, the cartoon elephant that could fly created by Walt Disney, and as the Republican Party symbol created by Thomas Nash.

My Madam Elephant figure is a sort of [female uncle Sam] I see Elephants as figureheads, and with Elephant Bride, Asian Elephant, Iron Lady, Elephant Queen, I am honoring the world leaders such as Madam Chiang Kai-Shek, Indira Ghandi, Margaret Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth. But once they go beyond abstractly honoring these figureheads, they come back to representing one of the relationships I hold most dear to my heart, the relationship I have with my mother.

[This paper was presented on October 25, 2009 in Toronto at York University during the Mothering & Environment conference sponsored by the Association of Research on Mothering]

Gallery Ehva

2009-09-15T10:23:00.006-04:00

Donna Dodson, Andy Moerlein, Fawn Potash, Rob Westerberg

July 3-15, 2009
Opening Night Soup & Bread: Pumpkin Soup and Dill Chive Sourdough Bread
Friday July 3rd, 6p-8p

Gallery Ehva
74 Shank Painter Road
Provincetown, MA 02657

Empress Penguin, cherry wood & paint, 26" tall, 2005
Photo Credit: Bruno Giust

Pecha Kucha Night

2009-09-15T09:40:00.017-04:00

Pecha Kucha Boston 10
Wednesday May 27th
Mantra, 52 Temple Pl, Boston (near Park St T)

What is Pecha Kucha Night?
(courtesy of the website)

'Pecha Kucha Night, devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham (Klein Dytham architecture), was conceived in 2003 as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public.

Pecha Kucha (which is Japanese for the sound of conversation) has tapped into a demand for a forum in which creative work can be easily and informally shown, without having to rent a gallery or chat up a magazine editor. This is a demand that seems to be global – as Pecha Kucha Night, without any pushing, has spread virally to over 100 cities across the world. Find a location and join the conversation.'

I showed some images of my new series of elephant headed goddess figures: Prom Queen, poplar wood & paint, 31" tall, 2009; Elephant Queen, white cedar & paint, 19" tall, 2009; Elephant Matador, cherry wood & paint, 20" tall, 2008; Elephant princess, white cedar & pigment, 19" tall, 2008; Golden elephant, osage orange & paint, 36" tall, 2008; Iron Lady, polychrome wood & paint, 38" tall 2007; White elephant, polychrome wood & paint, 23" tall, 2007; Asian elephant, yellow pine & paint, 32" tall, 2007; Elephant bride, cherry wood & paint, 19" tall, 2005; Madam elephant, cherry wood, 38" tall, 2004 (Photo Credit: Bruno Giust)

The Art Salon Boston: Open House & Open Studio

2009-03-10T12:10:00.024-04:00

Featuring the artwork of...
Jocelyn Almy-Testa
June August
Gloria Carrigg
Robin Chandler
Clara Angelina Diaz
Donna Dodson
Kathleen Fink
Chuck Lathrop
Jeannine Hunter Lazzaro

Saturday & Sunday, March 28th & 29th, 11a-6pm at Donna Dodson's studio, 93 Forest Hills Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. For more information call (617) 983-2059 or email donnadodsonartist at gmail dot com.

The Art Salon Boston is an open group of artists in the greater Boston area that meets monthly to discuss all aspects of the visual arts, poetry, music, architecture, crafts, dance, performance, theater, creative writing and share opportunities, announcements of upcoming shows and information on technical resources.

*Update: Jessica Burko has written about the upcoming Art Salon Boston Open House & Open Studio Event for the Boston Arts Examiner, Here's the link to the article.

Earth Mother, 20" tall, mulberry wood, 2009

Provincetown Artist Registry

2009-03-06T11:07:00.006-05:00

I was chosen as artist of the month for March by the Provincetown Artist Registry which 'is a directory of artists who have come to this town--some have lived here for years, some only passed through, some came and came back and came back again. Each has added shape, color, texture and spirit to our rich and shifting artistic landscape.' To see my artwork that I have shown with the Provincetown Art Association and Museum over the years, click here. For more information about Provincetown, click here.

Ugly Duckling, 30" tall, polychrome & laminate wood, stone base, 2005
Photo Credit: James Zimmerman

Boston World Partnerships

2009-02-24T08:59:00.009-05:00

I was recently invited to join Boston World Partnerships as a Connector in the Creative Capital sector of the economy of the city of Boston. Today, James Smith wrote an article in the Boston Globe that features the Boston World Partnerships and announces the website launch, called 'Boston nonprofit looks to link global innovators.'

Career Apple Inc.

2009-02-14T13:40:00.020-05:00

I was recently interviewed for a profile page on Career Apple Inc. To read about my beginnings as an artist, my inspirations as a sculptor as well as why I love my work, what a typical day is like, what the challenges are and what the upside is to my career click here. I also discuss my education and training, how I got started and what traits it helps to have as an artist and as an entrepreneur.
Photo Credit: George Hovorka

Boston Media Makers

2009-02-02T09:34:00.050-05:00

I attended my first Boston Media Makers meeting in January 2009 and met alot of really cool people who are into making media with everything from twitters to blogs, podcasts to video logs, photos to films, social media to online networks, web 2.0 to wiki. The group was hosted by Steve Garfield who is also the founder of the group and the online community of Media Makers. After the meeting, C.C. Chapman asked me if I took commmissions and I said yes. He wanted me to interpret the tattoo of a shaman he has on his arm as one of my sculptures. Here's an image of his tattoo that was inspired by the work of the artist Bill Worrell .

I chose a piece of wenge for the shaman I was commissioned to create for C.C. Chapman. This is the second male figure I have created in my series of animal headed-human bodied mythological figures and I enjoyed the challenge to interpret the ancient symbol of the shaman. We discussed the Native American interpretation as a deer headed figure, which made sense since white tailed deer are native to North America and New England. Since it is wintertime, I chose to carve the head without the antlers since deer shed their antlers at this time of year and re-grow them in the springtime. With this in mind, I created the shaman to embody regeneration and renewal.

Instead of the spiral of eternity, I chose to let the wood grain speak for itself since wood has its own language. Instead of the ritual cloth around the neck, I chose a long robe for the deer such as the kind a priest or a prophet might wear. This might be seen as a holy symbol or as a spiritual guide since a shaman is concerned with the spirit world.

I chose to articulate the eyes since the shaman is a ‘seer’ and to exaggerate the ears since finding one’s way or true path in life involves ‘listening’ to hear your own voice, and to hear the truth that others are speaking. The piece was delivered to C.C. Chapman at the February 2009 meeting of the Boston Media Makers and Steve Garfield took some videos of the unveiling and posted them on Qik and Youtube.

Images: Shaman, 11" tall, wenge, 2009 by Donna Dodson

Tattoo image courtesy of C.C. Chapman's photostream on Flickr

Bill Worrell is represented by Karin Newby Gallery in Arizona

Providence Art Windows

2008-08-20T15:35:00.033-04:00

Matriarchs and Goddesses of the Modern Era:
Artistic Collaboration
with Charlanne Kallay
September 18-November 21
University of Rhode Island
Providence Campus Library
80 Washington Street
Providence, RI 02903

Opening reception,
September 18th 6-8 PM

Artist talk by the sculptor Donna Dodson, Thursday November 13th at 1pm

Meet the Artists during Gallery Night: Providence 2008 on Thursday October 16th & Thursday November 20th, 5-9p

Madam Elephant, 38" tall, polychrome cherry, 2003

Gallery at 38 Cameron

2008-06-13T12:20:00.006-04:00

Sarah Dobkin & Donna Dodson
July 1st- September 26th

Opening reception:
Friday July 11th, 7-9pm
Artist Talk @ 8pm

Gallery at 38 Cameron
38 Cameron Avenue, Suite 100
Cambridge, MA, 02140
tel: 617-492-2848
gallery@38cameron.com

Gallery Hours:
Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12pm-5pm or by appointment

Golden Elephant, 36" tall, polychrome osage orange, 2008

Boston Sculptors Gallery

2008-06-04T07:46:00.007-04:00

New Member's Work
June 25 - August 1
Artists' receptions:
July 11th & August 1st
5:00-8:00 p.m

Boston Sculptors Gallery
486 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02118
Wed- Sun 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.
For more info:
617-482-7781

Walrus Mother, 24" tall, mesquite burl, 2008

Elegant Elles

2008-06-04T07:30:00.014-04:00

Wood Sculptures
by Donna Dodson

June 22nd-Sept. 5th*
Artist's Reception:
Thursday, July 10th 5-8
*Extended to Nov 9th
Mill Brook Gallery
& Sculpture Garden
236 Hopkinton Road
Concord, NH 03301
Tuesday-Sunday: 11-5
and by appointment

For more info:
603-226-2046

Golden Lionness, 36" tall polychrome osage orange, 2007

A New World

2008-05-07T09:01:00.011-04:00

2nd Annual Members Show
May 27th-June 21st 2008
Reception Saturday,
June 14th, 3-6p
119 Gallery
119 Chelmsford St
Lowell, MA 01851

Whether it's beauty or harmony, politics or the environment- Artists have their fingers on the pulse. Are these only utopian ideals? 119 Gallery presents its members' visions of 'A New World'

Tiger Frog, 25" polychrome yellow pine, 2006

Spring into Summer

2008-05-05T11:36:00.011-04:00

The National Association of
Women Artists presents

SPRING INTO SUMMER
May 22- July 17th, 2008

N.A.W.A. Gallery
80 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1405
New York, NY 10011

Opening Reception,
Thursday May 29th, 4-7pm

For more information,
email: office@nawanet.org
telephone: 212.675.1616

Baboon Mother, 24" tall, kou, 2008

expanded sculpture 2

2008-03-31T11:19:00.005-04:00

expanded sculpture 2:
bebe beard, donna dodson, vivian pratt, alicia renadette, andy zimmermann

April 8 - May 3, 2008
Reception: May 3, 3 – 6 pm

119 Gallery offers a provocative display of technical facility in its second expanded sculpture showcase. Specializing in electronic media, the gallery embraces traditional and new media with equal zeal. Featuring a contrasting collection of sculpture by five artists, expanded sculpture 2 juxtaposes sculptures of wood, metal and other "traditional" materials with video sculpture and three-dimensional "prints."

119 Chelmsford Street Lowell, MA 01851
tel. 978.452.8138
http://www.119gallery.org
Hours: 12-5, Tuesday - Saturday

Image: Lilac Rhino, 26" polychrome ash, 2003
Photo Credit: Cliff Pfeiffer

Wild Life/ Wildlife : An artist's response

2008-02-24T15:43:00.015-05:00

Wild Life/Wildlife Exhibit Opens March 25 at The Gallery at Mount Ida College

The Gallery at Mount Ida College will present Wild Life/Wildlife, an original exhibit featuring artists’ expressions of the essence of ‘wildlife’ as it relates to the natural world. The works will be on display from March 25 through May 4, 2008, in The Gallery, located in Carlson Hall.

Image: Mutt God, 24" polychrome cherry, 2004
Photo Credit: Jeff Baird

Love is for Lovely People

2008-02-04T09:33:00.000-05:00

Victory Hall Inc. Presents
Love is for Lovely People:
Artists look at matters of the heart in modern life

February 14th through March 19th 2008
Opening Reception, Thursday
February 21st 2008, 6-8pm

Victory Arts Projects
77 Hudson Sales Center
101 Hudson St. 17th fl.
Jersey City, NJ 07302
Telephone: 888-555-3022

The theme of this exhibit, Like a Doris Day movie from the late 1950s or an easy listening song from the 70s, looks at love in our contemporary society. We ask artists and viewers to consider modern love and relationships, and the cultural and commercial expressions that result. The clash of beauty and kitsch, the items we buy to give our partner (both natural and manufactured), the images that represent love in films, cartoons, commercials and on greeting cards, the purchases that result- weddings honeymoons, houses, condos, - all can be topics for artistic investigation.

White Elephant, 23" polychrome wood, 2007

The Red Carpet Series

2007-11-05T09:24:00.003-05:00

December 4th to 29th, 2007
Opening Reception:
Saturday, Dec. 22nd, 6-9pm

The Fountainhead Gallery
32 West 28th St., 3rd Fl
New York, NY 10001
(between 6th Ave & Broadway)

Gallery Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday
11a-8p and by appointment
Telephone (212) 685-8507

White Sow, 22" tall, polychrome ash, 2005
Photo credit: Bruno Giust

Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club

2007-09-21T11:13:00.001-04:00

111th Annual Open Exhibition
October 2-26, 2007

Preview Reception:
Friday October 12th
5:30-8pm

National Arts Club
15 Gramercy Park South
New York, NY 10003
(212) 475- 3424

Gallery Hours: 1-6pm

Image: Elk Goddess, 32" tall, polychromed cherry, 2004
Photo Credit: Peter Haines

the little gallery under the stairs

2007-06-16T09:21:00.001-04:00

Goddess: modern perspectives on the ancient archetype

June 23- July 28, 2007
Opening reception,
Sat. June 23, 2-4pm

The Little Gallery
Under the Stairs

LynnArts Inc. Building
25 Exchange Street
Lynn, MA 01901
617-281-1935

Image: Squirrel Goddess, 18" polychromed/laminated red oak
Photo Credit: Cliff Pfeiffer

Avian Archetypes

2007-05-18T09:52:00.001-04:00

Wood Sculptures by Donna Dodson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Barry Maloney | Age: 41 | Dedham, MA | Dissolver Magazine, Volume 16
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The imagery of artist Donna Dodson brings to her viewers a multitude of impressions; most notably novelty, humor, and playfulness, yet also grace, power, and emotional stability. Generally spare in construction, her works are refined to their most basic structure, yet they run the gamut of stylistic qualities, reminiscent sometimes of Eskimo or Native American art, other times of Egyptian standing figures, still other times of American folk carvings, toy like imagery, or religious statuary. Adventurous, thoughtful, and playful, this series by Donna Dodson -- produced between 2002 and 2005 -- seems to create an iconography for a contemporary mythology of female, bird-headed, and often human-bodied sculptural forms. The figures, which stand between 15 to 31 inches in height, are hand-carved out of tree trunks and hand-painted by the artist. Below, we give our impression of this collection of work.

~ Caribbean Queen, (2004) A humorous, high-breasted, gull-in-a-gown with just a splash of cherry red on shoulder. Egyptian in feel, she is reminiscent of their god Thoth gone mellow.

~ My favorite, Dancing Crane (2004) is a graceful abstract whose bulb-like, upperward directed head is focused on the sky. A gowned female figure, with lovely wood patterning, is carved and composed with sophistication; though if she is dancing, it is with her spirit, not her bodily form.

~ Bold and imposing, Empress Penguin (2005) is a solid-bodied cartoon in 3-D; spare in conception, yet full-bodied in stature and personality. Again, the artist chooses to work in the female gown form. A cone-like yellow beak plays against the ebony wing sleeving, with many happy accidents in a well-chosen wood grain.

~ Goose Goddess (2002) is a duck-decoy gone mad, graphically conceived and boldly executed with minimal -- yet vibrant -- color.

~ Green Falcon (2003) looks upward and off to the horizon, her winglike arms hanging loosely at her side, knobby human knees come from beneath her gownbody, with small shoes standing at attention. We feel respect for this creature, a natural mother-goddess form reminiscent of Alaskan Eskimo woodcarving. Her eyes seem to look not only into the distance, but inward also, contemplating her future or perhaps the good of her kind.

~ Mother Hen (2005) is one of my favorites of this series, with the artist obviously delighting in the orange headed crest of her subject, the chess-piece like construction of this ornamental chicken is a pleasure to the viewer. Blonde wood accents the playful contrast of green against yellow beak.

~ Pregnant Owl (2003) is aloof and imposing. This sculpture of a standing female owl is incredibly stable, minimally colored in black and cobalt blue against blonde wood grain, the just visible bump on the belly lets us know that this creature is with child. This artwork's subject is herself conceptually containing another life form. Can we not imagine a small wooden baby owl carved out within her?

~ Seagull Cinderella (2002) is less well-conceived than others of the series, but plays more subtly with color and grain.

~ Ugly Duckling (2005), a schoolgirl-looking figure with a bold duckling beak, small breasts, and short frock with duck feet in a typically Egyptian pose -- nonetheless, the piece is more folk in conception, in the best sense.

On this particular theme of work, Donna Dodson has said: "In the animal kingdom, it would be the male birds that have the brightest and most colorful plumage who are able to attract a female mate; whereas in the human world, it would be the females who are the most beautiful and have the most enhanced features that attract the opposite sex. It's for this reason that I enjoy reversing these ideas in this series of bird-headed goddess figures. One of my collectors bought three of my pieces -- one for each of his daughters -- as a wedding present. He came to believe they were fertility figures because each of his daughters became pregnant soon after receiving this gift."

Donna Dodson will be exhibiting a small selection of her work in the South of Washington Street Art Walk (SoWa Art Walk) on Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20, 2007 from 11:00am to 6:00pm at 460 Harrison Ave in the South End neighborhood of Boston. For more information on this event, visit www.sowaartwalk.com.

Photo Credit on Green Falcon, Pregnant Owl and Seagull Cinderella: Cliff Pfeiffer
Photo Credit on Caribbean Queen, Dancing Crane, Goose Goddess: Jeff Baird
Photo Credit on Empress Penguin and Mother hen: Bruno Giust
Photo Credit on Ugly Duckling: James Zimmerman