Artist-in-Residence Sparks Groton's Creativity
Students noticed something different the moment they emerged from the Chapel on Tuesday morning. A sculpture sat quietly, provocatively, under a tree, piquing curiosity and wonder.
New Haven-based artist Silas Finch is on campus this week, courtesy of Groton's artist-in-residency, the Mudge Fellowship. His exhibit, "Afloat," will be on display in the Brodigan Gallery throughout the Winter Term.
Much of Finch's work transforms found objects, what some might consider junk, into sculpture. On his first day at Groton, he already was inspiring students in visual arts classes to find the beauty and whimsy in unlikely materials. One student shoved forks into discarded handlebars, perhaps inspired by Finch's demonstration that a fork in a pipe could approximate a fist. One girl chose a metal steamer from a large table of materials and broke off its wing-like stems, while another transformed wire and old bicycle parts into a bull.
New Haven-based artist Silas Finch is on campus this week, courtesy of Groton's artist-in-residency, the Mudge Fellowship. His exhibit, "Afloat," will be on display in the Brodigan Gallery throughout the Winter Term.
Much of Finch's work transforms found objects, what some might consider junk, into sculpture. On his first day at Groton, he already was inspiring students in visual arts classes to find the beauty and whimsy in unlikely materials. One student shoved forks into discarded handlebars, perhaps inspired by Finch's demonstration that a fork in a pipe could approximate a fist. One girl chose a metal steamer from a large table of materials and broke off its wing-like stems, while another transformed wire and old bicycle parts into a bull.
The students used basic tools in their work, as does Finch. The artist has been described as having "a gift for re-imagining the curious debris of the ordinary world." The juxtaposition of pieces that might seem incongruous at another's hands somehow makes sense when arranged by Finch.
The Groton community and the public met the artist and viewed his exhibit at a reception in the Brodigan Gallery on December 6. "Afloat," described as "a combination of Geppetto fashioning metal Pinocchios and Thomas Edison indifferent to utility" will be on display until February 22, 2013. The Mudge Fellowship was established by the Mudge Foundation in 1992 to enhance exposure to the arts for all Groton students.
See photos of Silas Finch working with Groton students on our Live page.
See photos of Silas Finch working with Groton students on our Live page.
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