Applications Sought for National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition

Spring Azure by Phil Hathcock (2012/13 Best of Show)

Sculpture artists from across the nation are invited to participate in the eighth annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition. Up to 15 sculptures will be juried into the exhibit and compete for cash prizes totaling up to $14,750. The exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Festival, to be held May 3-11, 2013. Applications may be downloaded from the Applications page at NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com. Deadline for submissions is Friday, March 1, 2013.

Organized and presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this 11 month exhibition offers established and emerging artists the opportunity to display their thought provoking, extraordinary sculptures throughout the picturesque North Charleston Riverfront Park. Set on the banks of the Cooper River, Riverfront Park features ten acres of walking paths, a boardwalk and fountain, an expansive lawn with performance pavilion, children's play areas, and picnic sites. The historic site is centered in the Noisette District, the largest urban redevelopment project ever undertaken in the United States.

Janet Kagan, a Founding Principal of the Public Art Collaborative, will jury this year’s exhibit. Kagan has more than three decades of experience in strategic planning with established and emergent art programs, and management of projects representing both artists and agencies. She has held positions in city government; local and statewide non-profit organizations; international architectural and interpretive design firms; and on boards and committees of national and regional arts organizations. She leads and directs design teams, and serves as liaison among artists, clients, public agencies, and elected officials. Since 2010, Kagan and her colleagues have also been creating and directing innovative alliances between nationally recognized artists and small manufacturers in rural counties to foster economic revitalization. She is currently Associate Editor of the International Journal of the Arts In Society, participates on artist selection panels and juries, and teaches about public art to artists and communities. She holds an MA in Philosophy of Art and an MBA.

The National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition will be on display May 1, 2013, through March 23, 2014, at North Charleston Riverfront Park, located at 1001 Everglades Avenue in North Charleston. An opening reception and announcement of awards will be held at the Charleston Area Convention Center on Friday, May 3, 2013. For more information about the North Charleston Arts Festival, the National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition, or other exhibition opportunities, contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843) 740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.

National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition Winners Announced

Transcendence (fabricated & recycled metal) by Corrina Mensoff

Sculpture artists from across the nation applied to the 7th annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition, a component of the 2012 North Charleston Arts Festival. Presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique, eleven month exhibition offers established and emerging artists the opportunity to display their thought provoking, extraordinary sculptures, as well as compete for up to $14,750 in honorariums and awards.

Twelve sculptures out of 43 submissions were pre-juried into the exhibition by the juror, Steven Matijcio, curator of Contemporary Art, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA). Once installed at the exhibition site, the juror then selected pieces to receive awards for Best in Show, Outstanding Merit, and Honorable Mentions.

After making his selections, Mr. Matijcio stated, “My overall notes for the show begin with sincere congratulations to the artists involved. They have managed to animate heavy, monumental materials with an intriguing air of animation, fluidity and the in-between. There are hard-line geometries; anthropomorphic curves; haunting memento mori; and playful industrial follies.” He continued, “I was impressed with the variety, as well as the consistency - public art can so quickly fade into the surroundings if it fails to resonate, and change. The work in this show hums with a sense of life that reveals more, every time the work is re-engaged.”

The twelve sculptures selected for exhibition are by twelve artists from seven states.  Division I includes ten sculptures that are anchored to a concrete pad or in the grass.  Division II includes two sculptures that are secured to a concrete pedestal.



Division I
Spring Azure (stone & steel) by Philip Hathcock – Cary, NC (Best in Show)
Transcendence (fabricated & recycled metal) by Corrina Mensoff – Atlanta, GA (Outstanding Merit)
Flutter Gate II (galvanized steel) by Jim Gallucci – Greensboro, NC (Hon. Mention)
Black & White #5 (steel & enamel) by Matthew Harding – Greenville, NC (Hon. Mention)
Scheme 6 (concrete parking bumpers) by Tom Scicluna – Miami, FL (Hon. Mention)
Pileated Woodpecker Totem (welded steel & natural wood) by Bob Turan – Earlton, NY
Rings (steel) by Adam Walls – Lauvinburg, NC
Mixed Emotions (corten steel) by Davis Whitfield IV – Mountain City, TN
Memento Mori (carved limestone) by Paris Alexander – Raleigh, NC
Dream of Africa (oiled steel) by Carl Billingsley – Ayden, NC

Division II
Coming Home (bronze) by Leo Osborne – Anacortes, WA (Hon. Mention)
Ambit (stone) by Carl Wright – Martinsburg, WV

Sculpture sites are located throughout the picturesque North Charleston Riverfront Park, located at 1001 Everglades Avenue on the former Charleston Naval Base.  The park is set on the banks of the beautiful Cooper River.  Visitors may enjoy ten acres of walking paths, a performance pavilion, picnic shelter, a fishing pier and boardwalk, an oversized sandbox, and children’s play fountain.  The historic site is centered in the Noisette District, the largest urban redevelopment project ever undertaken in the US.

The 2012/13 National Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition will be on display through March, 2013. For more information or to be added to the application mailing list for the 2013/14 Competition, please call 843-740-5854 or email culturalarts@northcharleston.org.  Visit the Cultural Arts Department section of the City’s website at www.northcharleston.org to view photographs, artist statements, and directions to North Charleston Riverfront Park.

5th Annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition Winners

Sculpture artists from across the nation applied to the fifth annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition. Presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique, eleven month exhibition offers established and emerging artists the opportunity to display their thought provoking, extraordinary sculptures, as well as compete for up to $14,750 in Exhibition Honorariums and Awards. Eleven sculptures were selected by the juror, Stuart Hordoner, Artistic Director of the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. Once installed at the exhibition site, the juror then selected pieces to receive awards for Best in Show, 2nd Place, and Honorable Mention.

The eleven sculptures selected for exhibition are by eleven artists from seven states. Division I includes ten sculptures that are anchored to a concrete pad or in the grass. Division II includes one sculpture that is secured to a concrete pedestal.

Division I

• “Mass Murder Machine” (steel, iron, and aluminum) (2nd Place)
  by Doug Barton - Athens, GA
  
  
  
  
• “Prism Arc SC” (painted steel) (Honorable Mention)
  by Carl Billingsly – Ayden, NC
  
  
  
  
• “Cube” (corten steel)
  by Dana Gingras – Moorseville, NC
  
  
• “Fools Buoy” (steel and concrete) (Honorable Mention)
  by Roger Halligan – Chattanooga, TN
  
  
  
  
• “Two Headed Ass” (steel) (Best in Show)
  by George Long – Roswell, GA
  
  
  
  
• “Boat Nest, Elevation of Divergence” (steel)
  by Corrina Mensoff – Atlanta, GA
  
  
• “Between Hope and Despair” (steel and stone)
  by Philip Smith – Columbia, MD
  
  
• “Ball Joint” (cast iron and bronze) (Honorable Mention)
  by Kristy Summers – Carbondale, IL
  
  
• “La Fleur da Vie” (steel)
  by TEKLA – Black Mountain, NC
  
  
• “Inside the Vee” (steel and recycled materials)
  by Bob Turan – Earlton, NY
  

Division II

• “End of Time” (recycled metal)
  by Jim Shultz – North Charleston, SC
  

Sculpture sites are located throughout the picturesque Riverfront Park set on the banks of the beautiful Cooper River. Visitors may enjoy ten acres of walking paths, a performance pavilion, picnic shelter, a fishing pier and boardwalk, an oversized sandbox, and children’s play fountain.

The 2010/11 National Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition will be on display May 1, 2010 – March 25, 2011.

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