SculptureCenter

History

Founded in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, in 1928 as The Clay Club, it was located across the street from the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Its founder, sculptor Dorothea H. Denslow, invited local children and later other artists to share her studio.

SculptureCenter soon moved to 8 West Fourth Street in the West Village in 1932 and then, in 1948, to a carriage house at 167 East 69th Street on the Upper East Side, where it operated a school with artists’ studios. The offerings included clay and wax modeling, stone and wood carving, welding, figure studies and portraits. There were are also after-school classes for children.

In 2001, SculptureCenter's board closed both the school and the studios, sold the carriage house for $4.75 million and invested the proceeds in reinventing the organization in Queens as a European-style kunsthalle. The board also commissioned architects Maya Lin and David Hotson to transform a derelict brick building into an exhibition space of 6,000 sqft with forty-foot-high ceilings and reinforced-concrete floors.

In 2014, SculptureCenter underwent a 14-month, $4.5 million expansion and renovation led by architect Andrew Berman, including a 2,000 sqft addition, aimed at improving visitor experience and increasing exhibition space to 6,700 sqft, plus a 1,500 sqft enclosed courtyard for outdoor exhibitions and events.

Program

SculptureCenter has presented works by over 750 artists through its annual exhibition program, including Turner Prize winner Charlotte Prodger and nominee Anthea Hamilton, Sanford Biggers, Nairy Baghramian, Tom Burr, Liz Glynn, Rochelle Goldberg, Camille Henrot, Leslie Hewitt, Rashid Johnson, Rita McBride, Catalina Ouyang, Ugo Rondinone, Katrín Sigurdardóttir, Alexandre Singh, Monika Sosnowska, Gedi Sibony, Mika Tajima, and Hugo Boss Prize winners Anicka Yi and Simone Leigh.

As a non-collecting museum, its annual program includes approximately three exhibition cycles of 1–2 commissioning programs by mid-career artists, 10–15 projects and commissions by emerging artists, and 3–6 solo and group exhibitions. SculptureCenter offers free public programs and events including artist talks, performances, film screenings, and publications.

Notable people

Alumni

• Beonne Boronda (1911–2012)
• Frank Eliscu (1912–1996)
• Harry Holtzman (1912–1987),
• Katie Ohe (born 1937)
• Ibram Lassaw (1913–2003)
• Barbara Lekberg (1925–2018)
• Clement Renzi (1925–2009)

Faculty and leadership

• Armand Phillip Bartos (1910–2005) chairperson emeritus
• Dorothea H. Denslow (1900–1971) founder
• Sahl Swarz (1912–2004) welded sculpture teacher

Directors

• 1999–2019: Mary Ceruti
• 2019–2020: Christian Rattemeyer
• 2020–2022: Kyle Dancewicz (ad interim)
• 2022–present: Sohrab Mohebbi

References

References

1. Papanikolas, Theresa and Stephen Salel, Stephen, ''Abstract Expressionism, Looking East from the Far West'', Honolulu Museum of Art, 2017, {{ISBN. 9780937426920, p. 19
2. Randy Kennedy (October 1, 2014), [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/arts/design/sculpturecenter-in-queens-is-ready-for-its-latest-act-.html SculptureCenter Steps Out Into the Light] ''[[The New York Times]]''.
3. Christopher S. Wren (March 19, 2001), [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/19/arts/furor-over-artists-haven-sculpture-center-plans-move-shedding-students-studios.html Furor Over an Artists' Haven; Sculpture Center Plans to Move, Shedding Students and Studios] ''[[The New York Times]]''.
4. Lola Ogunnaike (December 12, 2002), [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/12/arts/a-hub-for-modern-sculpture-settles-into-queens.html A Hub for Modern Sculpture Settles Into Queens] ''[[The New York Times]]''
5. Gabrielle Debinski (June 28, 2019), [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/28/arts/design/sculpturecenter-new-director.html SculptureCenter Names New Director] ''[[The New York Times]]''
6. (August 11, 2013). "SCULPTURECENTER NEARS COMPLETION OF RENOVATION AND EXPANSION".
7. "SculptureCenter - Galleries - Independent Art Fair".
8. "Our Mission – About - SculptureCenter".
9. Reuter, F. Turner. (2008). "Animal & Sporting Artists in America". National Sporting Library.
10. Campbell, Lawrence. (1954). "Lassaw makes a sculpture". ARTnews Associates.
11. Duncan, Erika. (December 18, 1994). "Encounters; 'I Want My Sculpture to Be Only Its Self,' Says Ibram Lassaw". [[The New York Times]].
12. Genzlinger, Neil. (March 3, 2018). "Barbara Lekberg, Artist With a Blowtorch, Dies at 92". [[The New York Times]].
13. Victoria Stapley-Brown (November 13, 2018), [https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/sculpturecenter-s-mary-ceruti-named-as-new-executive-director-of-the-walker-art-center SculptureCenter’s Mary Ceruti named as new executive director of the Walker Art Center] ''[[The Art Newspaper]]''.
14. Sarah Bahr (15 February 2022), [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/15/arts/sculpturecenter-names-new-director.html SculptureCenter Names New Director] ''[[New York Times]]''.