A few thoughts at the tail end of tough year.
Soccer was cancelled here in NY as this week’s blizzard made the bright green field indistinguishable from the surrounding park land. The inveterate and indefatigable soccer players who represent a contingent of world citizenry here in NY are cooling their heels as the temperature warms to near 40 here in the city that never sleeps.
Blizzards / Hazards: One note on blizzards: not since John Lindsay’s apparently inept handling of the 69 blizzard – now known as the blizzard bungle, have we seen a mayor take heat in the cold like Mike Bloomberg – It’s been a tough week in local NY politics.
StudioEIS News
I haven’t written for a while. Not a surprise if you consider the fact that 2010 has been a withering year - one of the toughest in our 35 years of object making, sculpture production and life lived by the seat of one’s pants.
I suspect no one working in any creative endeavor was immune to the ravages that came down the pipe line this past year? Strangely enough, we were insulated from much of the early recession hardships, only to discover that the supply line was choked for fuel, which meant projects became few and further between about a year ago.
That said, things are picking up and as we wind down to ring in the New Year, here’s what’s happening, been happening and about to happen at EIS.
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New Projects:
New York Historical Society:
StudioEIS is at work on a new commission for the Central Park West entrance and West 77th Street entrance for the new New York Historical Society, opening in November of 2011. EIS has been commissioned to create two bronze sculptures of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
About two months ago I visited the Frederick Douglass National Historic site in Anacostia in Washington DC and had a very memorable back stage tour of the Douglass home, where I was allowed to photograph some of his clothing, shoes, canes, and death mask. We also gleaned some useful measurements from his clothing as we embark on this new sculpture of the great abolitionist.
StudioEIS has been commissioned by the Smith Family Foundation and the New York Historical Society, to design and produce bronze sculptures of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass for the façade of the refurbished Historical Society building on Central Park West in Manhattan. This work will be unveiled on November 11, 2011.
StudioEIS is working closely with the curatorial staff at NYHS.
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National Infantry Museum:
StudioEIS is in early stage development on two new projects for the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning in Georgia. The studio was commissioned to produce 50 sculpted figures for the museum when it opened in June of 2009
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Museo del Deporto, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
StudioEIS continues its association with this wonderful museum and our friends in Guaynabo. The studio continues to work on this project that now boasts the largest display of sports figures in the Caribbean. This year we did portrait figures of: Roberto Alomar, Carlos Ortiz, and Diego Lizzardi.
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Abraham Lincoln One Man, Two Views - Ends Run
Abraham Lincoln One Man; Two Views, designed and built as a traveling exhibition By Elliot and I and StudioEIS staff opened at Montgomery College in Maryland last March and then traveled to Dumbo in Brooklyn, ending it’s run at the National Military Park and Visitor Center in Gettysburg just after Thanksgiving this year. Thousands of people saw the show and catalog was produced in association with Montgomery College.
This year StudioEIS worked on a number of projects, large and small.
You may be interested in seeing some of this work by visiting websites associated with these institutions.
University of South Alabama Archaeology Museum, Mobile Alabama – EIS produced 3 figures for the exhibition
Autry National Center, “Home Lands: How Women Made the West” A traveling exhibition- ran through August of this year at the museum in LA, and then began a three city tour. StudioEIS produced a number of figures for this exhibition.
Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, Calgary, Canada - opening spring 2011. EIS has been commissioned to produce 7 portrait figures of some of Canada’s greatest sports heroes like Silvie Bernier, Ron Turcotte, and Phil Edwards.
National Mississippi River Museum and Acquarium, Dubuque, Iowa
StudioEIS designed and built 7 life sized figures for displays at this museum
NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte NC.
NASCAR was a great challenge. Portrait figures made to look like aluminium of the 6 founders of NASCAR- now names indelibly marked in the conscious minds of the millions who follow racing.
The National Museum of Natural History at Smithsonian Institution
Kennewick Man is the name for the skeletal remains of a prehistoric (Paleo-Indian) man found on a bank of the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington, USA on July 28, 1996. The discovery of Kennewick Man was accidental; a pair of spectators (Will Thomas and David Deacy) found his skull while attending the annual hydroplane races.[1]
One of the most complete ancient skeletons ever found, bone tests have showed the skeleton to be somewhere between 5650 and 9510 years old. These findings triggered a nine-year legal clash between scientists, the federal government and Native American tribes who claim Kennewick Man as their ancestor. The long dispute has made him an international celebrity.
StudioEIS was commissioned to work with the great team at the National Museum of Natural History to produce a forensically accurate head based upon the skeletal remains found in 1996. This is the same team we worked with on the exhibition, Written in Bone.
Virginia War Memorial: This year StudioEIS worked closely with the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond to produce a number of historical figures for this great institution.
UPS Television Commercial
Believe it or not, we do on occasion break out of the classical figurative tradition. Here you see a 12 foot foam leg made to look like the “artist’s mannequin.” This bravura piece of sculpting and faux painting was created for a 5 second shot for a UPS television commercial last autumn
Chairs for Hard Times: finally some design high jinks by Ivan and BJ Ervick – There are 4 of these chairs currently and we’re planning several more, two products currently in development. This idea emanated quite literally out of these hard times – Could one chair be divided and have some useful purpose for more than 1 person.
Copyright Ivan Schwartz
Wishing you all a very happy new Year. Please visit us at www.studioeis.com
