[ Brian Szott ] I'm Brian Szott Art
Curator at the Minnesota Historical
Society.
We're in art storage in the
lower levels of the History Center in
St. Paul.
Today I want to talk a little
bit about some sculptures all of which
are recent additions to the permanent
collection.
While the Minnesota
Historical Society has more than six
thousand works of art in its collection,
we have only a hand full of sculptures.
These three recent acquisitions are
an attempt to remedy the situation.
The first that you're looking at is a
1930's WPA funded sculpture by artist
Ingrid Edwards.
Like many women
artists associated with the WPA,
she was only active during that eight
year period of time so we don't know
much about her.
She did a mural for
the Duluth Zoo during the WPA and
a mural-like painting entitled
"Communication" and this work
"Mother and Child" both of which
were housed in the Ah-Gwah-Ching
Medical facility for more than 70
years before being transferred to the
Minnesota Historical Society in 2007.
This sculpture is made of cast polished
aggregate, a perfectly modern
material.
Oddly, we have an identical
twin to this piece in our collection but
it is cast in a ceramic terra cotta
material.
The next work we're looking
at is by Evelyn Raymond.
Born in 1908
in Duluth, she was described in the
1981 article as a bold artist but a shy
woman.
This work too is a work of a
mother and child in the modern
tradition; generously rounded forms,
abstract figure, sitting holding a child
in her lap.
She attended the
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
in the 1920's but left abruptly in protest
to a faculty appointment to 1930.
She's quoted as saying this about
another work but I think it applies to
this sculpture as well.
"I strove to
depict to the best of my abilities, the
intelligence and beauty in the face
and to give the figure the strength
and vigor she has possessed."
Another favorite quote of mine
describes her background.
It's this:
"I was born in Duluth in 1908
from French and Canadian stock.
I think those particular people
have a lot to do with Minnesota
and I like being a Minnesotan.
I think artists should have roots."
The final piece we're looking at
is by Steven Woodward a
contemporary artist, entitled
"Dictionary" dated 2005.
Steven has had a 25 year career
as a public artist doing large scale
commissions throughout the region
and as a sculptor, doing small scale
work like this one.
Like many
contemporary artists of his generation,
he is concerned about the conflict and
tension between culture and nature.
This piece is constructed of found
birch bark and the most man made
of wood products, plywood.
He includes as growth on the birch
bark; cutout dictionary pages.
What better symbol of
culture than a dictionary?
