Renowned African Stone Sculptor Moses Nyanhongo, Carmel Sculptors Terrie Bennett and Steven Whyte Will be doing Live Sculpture Demonstrations
Additionally, Gallery Sur Supports the all-volunteer Sahwira Fund, to build classrooms at the Maulana School for Orphans in Epworth, Zimbabwe.
- (1888PressRelease) July 25, 2017 - Carmel, CA — Renowned African Stone Sculptor Moses Nyanhongo, Carmel Sculptors Terrie Bennett and Steven Whyte Will be doing Live Sculpture Demonstrations and Displaying their New Works at Devendorf Park and their respective Galleries in Carmel-by-the-Sea Sunday, August 27th, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m
Nyanhongo is a renowned fine art stone sculptor of Zimbabawe's Shona Sculpture Movement, which has captivated art lovers and collectors the world over. Bennett is a second-generation sculptor who has been sculpting professionally for more than 30 years and exhibits at Bennett Sculpture Carmel. Whyte is an internationally renowned sculptor who specializes in massive monuments, including national memorial monuments to Bob Hope, Martin Luther King, Jr., and John Steinbeck.
To celebrate the opening of “Life in Stone,” an exhibition of over 40 new stone sculptures at Gallery Sur in Carmel, the internationally celebrated Nyanhongo will demonstrate his stone-sculpting talents at the free event in Devendorf Park in downtown Carmel. Joining him that day will be Bennett, who will also conduct a live sculpting demonstration in the park.
Just a few blocks away, at his gallery on Dolores between 5th and 6th, Whyte will also be holding a live sculpting demo. Organizers of the event are encouraging people to visit all three demonstrations to see different techniques in use by each artist.
All live demos take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27, and are all free and open to the public.
Moses, part of the well-known Nyanhongo family of stone sculptors, will show the various techniques used in their distinctive sculpting process and will share the deep cultural and spiritual traditions expressed in the stone.
Gallery Sur in Carmel is a North American leader in offering original, one-of-a-kind Zimbabwean stone sculpture. The new “Life in Stone” exhibition, opening Aug. 27 at Gallery Sur, includes Shona sculpture ranging from important traditional works by older, revered artists to contemporary, purely abstract works from younger, internationally acclaimed Zimbabwean artists.
“For the past 23 years, I’ve had the pleasure of representing a handful of world-class stone sculptors from Zimbabwe,” says Braden Coolidge, artist representative and curator of the show. “Each year I hand-pick a selection that focuses on the very finest quality by a select few artists. This year’s collection is truly stunning. Clearly the most diverse and dynamic body of work I have ever seen, and in 23 years I’ve seen a lot!”
Shona artists often draw inspiration intuitively from their traditional culture: the mythology, folklore, rituals and beliefs in ancestral spirits that remain strong influences in contemporary Zimbabwean life. The integral roles of women in society are also a significant source of inspiration, often expressing the importance of the mother and child relationship and the respect for the elder’s wisdom. Both the physical and spiritual relationship with nature is another important theme, reflecting the country’s deep rural roots.
Utilizing beautiful stones in various colors, unearthed by the artists from remote mines and quarries, their distinctive sculptures are hand-carved using timeworn techniques, without power tools, maintaining a close relationship to the stone.
The Shona Sculpture Movement, which first began in the 1950s, is named after the largest tribe engaged in stone sculpting in Zimbabwe. The name Zimbabwe is derived from the Shona word meaning “house of stone.” In the late 1960s, the new art movement born in Africa was celebrated at the famed Musee Rodin in Paris and Shona sculptors caught the attention of the art world.
Bernard Matemera, one of the founders of the Shona movement described the process of working with stone like this:
“The spirits are everywhere in the air, in the rocks. A rock is like a fruit — like an orange or a banana. You don’t eat them without peeling them first. It needs to be opened to be eaten. I open the rocks. The fruit is inside.”
Support the Sahwira Fund at Gallery Sur:
Supported by 10% of the proceeds of all sculpture sales, eight classrooms have been built and are now sheltering many of the 800-plus students at the school. Six more classrooms are planned to meet the demand.
Just announced. Gallery Sur’s “ART FOR EDUCATION" web page at http://gallerysur.com/collections/63114/, is currently offering one-off discounted fine art photographs and sculptures, of which 100% of the purchase of these selected artworks will be donated to the Sahwira Fund through Aug. 31 .
For more information on any of these works, please contact Gallery Sur at (831) 626-2615.
News Media:
Moses Nyanhongo is available for in-person and phone interviews from Aug. 9 through Aug. 19. Please set up your interview by contacting Marci Bracco at (831) 747-7455 or by email at marci ( @ ) chatterboxpublicrelations dot com dot
Gallery Sur
Sixth between Dolores and Lincoln, Carmel, CA
(831) 626.2615
www.gallerysur.com
info ( @ ) gllerysur dot com
About Steven Whyte
Whyte studied at the prestigious Sir Henry Doulton School of Sculpture, which served as a catalyst for a remarkable career in portrait sculpture. The sculptor’s accomplishments in the field were recognized when he was elected Vice President of the Society of Portrait Sculptor.
Whyte’s accomplishments as a portrait sculptor have made him sought-after for public memorials and installations both in England and throughout the United States with subjects ranging from local miners, to soldiers and fire fighters.
He is credited with more than 40 life-size and large bronze figures in Britain and the United States including The Silverdale Mining Memorial; The Lance Sergeant Jack Baskeyfield VC Tribute; The Spirit of 1948; the Dr. John Roberts Monument; the sixteen figure-multi-million dollar National Military Tribute to Bob Hope for San Diego; two over life-size monuments to Dr. Martin Luther King, and a twice-life size portrait figure of 1957 Heisman Trophy Winner John David Crow for Texas A&M at College Station.
In May 2011, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department unveiled Whyte’s four-figure tribute to the fallen deputies of the sheriff's department. The year 2014 saw the unveiling of nine 110% life-size bronze figures for the Cannery Row Monument, in Monterey, a life size (11-foot) Jumbo the Elephant for Tufts University in Massachussetts, and in 2014, installed the largest single bronze sculpture for any college or university anywhere, the $1.7 million Aggie War Hymn Monument for Texas A&M University.
Whyte was awarded the Sports Artist of the Year in 2016 by The United States Academy of Sports and The American Sport Art Museum & Archives. Also in 2016, The Smithsonian Institute chose his portrait bust of U.S. Congressman John Conyers for National Portrait Gallery's permanent collection.
Whyte’s edition work features the drama and evocativeness of his monuments combined with a more personal point of view.
Whyte works in an open studio gallery in the historic artist community of Carmel, California.
Steven Whyte Sculpture Studio and Gallery
Dolores Street at Sixth Avenue in Carmel
(831) 620-1917
http://www.stevenwhytesculptor.com/
About Terrie Bennett
Terrie Bennett is a second-generation sculptor who has been sculpting professional for over 30 years. She first started working in the bronze foundry business with world-renowned sculptors, father Tom Bennett and uncle Bob Bennett.
Terrie was one of the first sculptors to focus on marine mammals in the early 1980s, quickly establishing herself as one of the top marine artists in Hawaii and the Western United States. Over the years she has shown in fine art galleries in California, Hawaii and New Mexico.
Terrie has a passion to teach sculpting to others. She believes in the raw natural creative talent in everyone and especially enjoys sharing the extraordinary sculpting techniques inherited from her uncle and father. She has felt honored to help promote and support talented artists as well as connecting with art enthusiasts from around the world.
Today, her artistic focus is on composing sculptural creations that evoke a sense of connection to the divine nature of our lives as well as imbuing a sense of expanding consciousness. Through meditation and her devotional practice she is guided to create uplifting sculptures that embrace hope, peace and a deep reverence for the Earth and all of its inhabitants. She is currently exhibiting at the Bennett Sculpture Carmel Gallery.
Bennett Sculpture Carmel
San Carlos between 5th and 6th
P.O. Box 2423, Carmel, Ca. 93923
(831) 626-3054
www.BennettSculptureCarmel.com
Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.gallerysur.com
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