October 9 – December 19, 2009

(Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA) The Wood Turning Center is pleased to announce the October 9, 2009 opening of Steve Madsen: A World in Wood which runs at the Center through December 19, 2009. Organized by Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ, this exhibition is the first to present three decades of evolving work by playful wood artist Steve Madsen. The exhibition displays pure wood boxes created with the care of fine furniture through large colorful contemporary sculptures fit to separate rooms and vitalize whole buildings.

Born in1947 in Oxnard, California, and now residing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Madsen is a self-taught woodworker who has received national acclaim for both his furniture and sculpture work. Best known for his meticulous multi-media inlay boxes with lidded compartments and drawers made in the 70’s and early 80’s, Madsen’s work has evolved into colorful sculptural and functional furniture pieces -taking from Art Deco design and Surrealist influences.

In 1981, Madsen was honored with a National Endowment for the Arts Craftsman’s Fellowship. His work is in the collection of the Museum of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM; The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX; Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI, as well as other private collections across the US and internationally.

"We live as if in a dream. Information and images race through our lives so fast that we never really gain purchase on them. Everything is high-energy, high strength, high maintenance, high stress, high volume, high-pressure, high test…even high speed internet isn’t fast enough anymore.

But when I am in my studio everything becomes orderly and controllable. As the concept becomes more focused, the ideas and possibilities expand, coming so fast it is difficult to choose one path. Ultimately the end result is a ‘snap shot’ of the momentum of the moment. Nothing ever resembles the original drawings but rather a journey to the final conclusion.

Inspired by everything around me, I still try to retain my own unique personal vision. My work has always focused on craftsmanship and joinery but lately I have been much more interested in imagery and content. Trying to tell a story by making observation or statement through the pieces I’m working on has become essential." - Steve Madsen


The Wood Turning Center

At its Old City, Philadelphia location, the Center features international contemporary wood art in changing exhibits, a permanent collection showing the breadth of the wood art field, a research library, and an eclectic mix of merchandise in the Museum Store. The Center is open Tuesday – Friday, 10am – 5pm and Saturday 12pm – 5pm. Admission is free. Donations support the Center’s educational mission. For more information, please call 215-923-8000, email or visit www.woodturningcenter.org.

Programming at the Center is supported in part by generous funding from the following Foundations, Sponsors and Cambium Circle Members: Joel Assouline, Lee Bender, Fleur Bresler, Bruce and Eleanor Heister, Henry Jordan, Neil and Susan Kaye; Bruce Kaiser, Deena and Jerome Kaplan, Stephen C. Keeble and Karen Depew, Tim and Sheryl Kochman, Len and Norma Klorfine, Alan LeCoff, Albert and Tina LeCoff, Ed Levy, Judson Randall, Greg and Regina Rhoa, Norton Rockler, National Endowment for the Arts; Pennsylvania Council on the Arts; Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; Philadelphia Cultural Fund; anonymous foundation, and Friends of the Wood Turning Center. Corporate Sponsors include Oneway Manufacturing, Packard Woodworks, Penn State Industries, rakovaBRECKERgallery, and Stubby Lathe USA, Inc.

The Wood Turning Center participates in First Friday Openings in conjunction with the Old City Arts Association

The Wood Turning Center is a nonprofit art and educational organization whose mission is the encouragement and enhancement of individuals creating art from wood and other materials with a primary focus on turned and carved wood objects, and promoting public appreciation of such art.


Contact: Ron Humbertson
Email:
Images available upon request

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