Artwork that is almost sure to cause the viewer to pause, stare and ponder is on display at the Hammond Regional Arts Center in the heart of Historic Downtown Hammond.
The current show, the Marjorie Morrison Sculpture Biennial, opened with a reception April 12.
This year’s show, which featured sculptures from artists who practice their craft mainly on the Northshore, featured a variety of creations most of which elicited close scrutiny and serious study by those viewing the pieces.
The majority of the sculptures spread throughout the gallery’s main floor were not traditional statutes with which sculpture is more generally associated. The artists who submitted their works tended to create their pieces using metal in many colors, shapes, sizes and configurations.
Curator for the exhibition, the eighth in a series, was Ryan Gianelloni, a New Orleans artist who had his work displayed at the Hammond Gallery in the past.
"We have some very powerful pieces on display and many of them make great statements," Gianelloni said. "What visitors will see at this exhibit is a collection submitted by some very talented sculptors. For an ‘open call’ show, there are some special creations that should certainly enjoy considerable attention.”
Gianelloni said the visual arts scene is very much alive in the region. “New Orleans has been the center of the visual arts for the entire state more years than anyone can remember and the arts movement has spread out from there to this area and other parts of the state. Residents of this area should really appreciate what the artists working in this area are accomplishing,” he said.
The sculpture that seemed to draw the most attention was Luba Zygarewicz’s, “Ristorere,” a mobile suspended on a small metal pipe that stretches about nine feet long down to the floor of the room. The piece is very large, with a width of about 10 feet. Hanging from the pipe suspended on wires are metal pieces of many kinds such as wrenches, forks, cams, small wheels, clamps, pieces of chain and other objects. Where the strands of objects touch to floor are piles of blackened, melted glass.
Zygarewicz said “Ristorere,” means “restoration,” and, “to rise again,” and that is what her sculpture is all about. She said she envisioned the creation while attending a workshop in California a number of years ago. She visited a site where a wildfire had destroyed dwellings and she decided to comb through the remains and search for metal objects.
“This was a dirty, stinking job but I was determined to find whatever I could that would tell a story about those who had lived there. I had some buckets and I kept filling them with the things that I found. Once I had recovered all these objects, I cleaned them and began putting the pieces together. I laid it all out on a floor and started attaching my finds to the wires that would bring it all together,” she explained.
Zygarewicz said she makes a serious attempt to reuse objects in her art. “This is part of my belief in sustainability,” she said. Further, she added that in her creation she was trying to bring back the memories and dreams of those who had lived in the building before it was destroyed by fire. “What I try to do with my art is create a tapestry of what life is for others. With ‘Ristorere,’ I was retelling the story of those who had lived through that fire and stating that something of their lives could be remembered” she said.
Jim Grice, recognized as the winning artist at the last sculpture show, had several of his creations on exhibit including one piece titled, “Earth, Wind and Rain.” Grice said he mainly works with aluminum and brass and his creations offer a clean, neat composition that evokes a sense of something special and somehow urgent. Grice said he has been a serious artist since 1956, creating dozens of sculptures over the years. His work is often viewed in special shows and in area galleries.
Artist Julia Glass was the creator of two significant pieces on display. Visitors entering the gallery can’t help but notice her sculpture, “Communication.” The towering piece featuring many colors and different materials draws viewers up close to study the many small items that are relative to communicating in today’s world. A second creation, “Live and Let Live,” is an equally colorful metallic woman reclining in a lounge chair.
Visitors to the gallery should plan to spend a considerable amount of time studying these and other creations that evoke various reactions and speak to the creativity of the sculptors who submitted their works for the exhibit.
The exhibition honors the legacy of Marjorie Morrison, wife of former U.S. Rep. Jimmy Morrison and longtime advocate of the arts.
The exhibit will remain on display through May 30. The Hammond Regional art Center is open from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.