ART IN MOTION: WORK BY SIEGFRIED SCHREIBER

February 3 – May 20, 2006
Sight And Sound Meet In The Art Of Siegfried Schreiber!

Special Weekend with Siegfried Schreiber on Fri & Sat, April 28 & 29!


(Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA) The Wood Turning Center is presenting the first major United States exhibition of the German wood artist Siegfried Schreiber. Schreiber combines minimalism with an understated elegance that moves and rocks with the lightest touch. Art in Motion: Work by Siegfried Schreiber opens on First Friday, February 3, 2005 with a reception from 5:30-8:00pm.

Art in Motion showcases Siegfried Schreiber’s huge and tiny forms composed in the palest woods. All speak volumes - some are centered and static inviting observation while others invite viewers to set the component pieces in motion. The kinetic actions of Universe and the Lovers start with the slightest touch of the hand. From across the huge platter, the two vessels slowly revolve, move toward each other, and then spin around and around gaining momentum that lasts for minutes. The fascinating actions end as silently as they started. In Universe, a huge bowl cradles three large ball bearings in perfect internal grooves; the holder sways to start the balls and they roll effortlessly around the tracks. This momentum vibrates through the walls into the holder’s hands.

Meditation bowls placed on ones lap invite caressing and stoking of the flawless surface over and over to produce the ultimate relaxation. On a flat surface the slightest nudge rocks the bowl and changes the meditation to hypnotic motion. The hand-sized sculptures similarly delight through contemporary form and tilting motions. The slightest dust, blemish or even a signature would mar the perfect surfaces and disrupt this rhythm. Identity cards for each piece note characteristics, actions, and care like a birth certificate.

Siegfried Schreiber grew up in Stuttgart, Germany and worked at a wood-working company before earning a degree in education. His new life included teaching in elementary, junior high and vocational college. In 1990, he left teaching to pursue a full-time career in wood art. A year later, an invitation to the Woodworker Summit in Matsumoto, Japan, provided further inspiration. Schreiber has won numerous awards around the world, including the Baden-Württemberg International Design Award "Focus Dialog" in 2004.

The Wood Turning Center is a Philadelphia-based, not-for-profit arts gallery and resource center which promotes the field of wood art, turned and carved. Through educational programs, exhibitions, preservation, promotion, and a permanent collection, the Center encourages artists and cultivates a public appreciation of wood art. Founded in 1986, the Center has become an internationally-recognized source of information and assistance to artists, scholars, curators and collectors.

Art in Motion: Work by Siegfried Schreiber is supported in part by the Friends of the Wood Turning Center, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Philadelphia Cultural Fund and The William Penn Foundation. Corporate Sponsors include Caviar Assouline and Penn State Industries.