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Maryhill Museum of Art

News Release

April 3, 2008

 

Media Contact: Leslie Wetherell

35 Maryhill Museum Drive

Goldendale, WA 98620

509-773-3733

leslie@maryhillmuseum.org

 

Maryhill Museum of Art Annual Outdoor Sculpture Invitational May 10 - October 31

Exhibition features large-scale works by seven noted Northwest artists


GOLDENDALE, Washington --- Maryhill Museum of Art will present its annual Outdoor Sculpture Invitational May 10 - October 31, 2008. The exhibition features large-scale works in a variety of media by Northwest artists Gregory Glynn, Stuart Jacobson, Alisa Looney, David Miller, Dennis Peacock, Mylan Rakich and Tom Urban. Exhibiting artists and Maryhill's curator of exhibits, Lee Musgrave, will lead an exhibit walk on Saturday, May 17 at 4 p.m. as part of the museum's Members' Day festivities. Admission to the museum's sculpture garden is free.

The museum inaugurated the Outdoor Sculpture Invitational in 1996 to complement its extensive collection of Auguste Rodin sculptures and to give Northwest artists an opportunity to create and exhibit large-scale works.  Lee Musgrave, the museum's curator of exhibits, says "We strongly believe in encouraging the continued development of contemporary Northwest sculpture.

The dramatic views and rugged landscape of the Columbia River Gorge provide a unique setting to experience these sculptures, which this year range from the figurative to abstract, distinctly reflecting each artists' sensibility and influences.

Artist Alisa Looney of Portland says "I draw from years of experimental dance, the place where I find my greatest moments of free expression." Her process starts by creating drawings of live dancers, which she then transforms into three dimensional paper forms, and finally, into large-scale metal sculptures. 

Gregory Glynn lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington and draws inspiration from forces of nature to create organic looking abstract sculptures which, he says, "evoke a sense of a world in flux and reveal a potency that dwells in living forms."

A golden cloud and a shaft of red light are what David Miller of Eugene, Oregon says motivated his travertine stone sculpture. Despite its weight of almost one ton, the piece appears light and billowy. Stuart Jacobson of McMinnville, Oregon also works in stone. Trained in landscape design, Jacobson says he enjoys the resistance and physical challenge of working with stone. "I was inspired by the Moai sculptures of Easter Island and try to give my sculptures a timeless quality, fusing primitive with modern aesthetics." 

At 16 feet high, Quarter Banker by Dennis Peacock, is the tallest sculpture in the exhibit. Peacock, who resides in Shelton, Washington, says "Poetry, subject to my own interpretation and context, works as an initial catalyst." Peacock's characteristic forms - abstract, linear, elongated and graceful - also reference the artist's enduring childhood memory of a large ship beached on the Oregon coast. 

In addition to works in the 2008 Outdoor Sculpture Invitational, visitors to Maryhill can also see sculptures from the museum's collections that are on permanent display: on the grounds -- works by Brad Cloepfil, Tom Herrera, Mel Katz, Heath Krieger, Jill Torberson, Julian Voss-Andreae, Jeff Weitzel and Leon White, and in the museum -- Auguste Rodin.

 

RELATED EVENT:

 

Members' Day at Maryhill - May 17, 2008

Discover Maryhill all over again on this day honoring the museum, its founders, members and friends.  A number of events suitable for visitors all ages are planned throughout the day, including: 

Drive the historic Maryhill Loops Road

11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

In honor of Sam Hill, the museum is opening the historic Maryhill Loops Road for automobile traffic and invites visitors to experience the grandeur of this scenic drive. Maryhill Loops Road. Free!

All About Landscapes

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Come be inspired by Percy Manser's landscapes of the Gorge as well as other traditional and contemporary images of the natural world. Then create your own landscape using oil pastels. The museum educator and volunteers will be on hand to guide you. 

Manser and Dolph -- Mid-Columbian Men of Art

2:00 p.m. 

Delight in this program, developed by scholar Jim Tindall and actor Tom Pencheon, which touches on the relationship between Percy Manser and Clifford Dolph, director of Maryhill Museum of Art from 1938 to 1970. 

Outdoor Sculpture Invitational Garden Walk

4:00 p.m. 

Celebrate the opening of the Outdoor Sculpture Invitational with a garden walk featuring participating artists and curator Lee Musgrave.

Experience the Enchantment: About Maryhill Museum of Art.  Perched on a stunning 5,000-acre site overlooking the scenic Columbia River Gorge, Maryhill Museum of Art contains a world-class collection of artwork that ranges from early 20th century European works to Native American objects.  This award-winning museum, founded by Northwest entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill, opened to the public in 1940.  Outside the museum is an Outdoor Sculpture Garden, Lewis and Clark interpretive panels and a life-sized replica of Stonehenge.

The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 to November 15. Admission fees are $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $2 for children age 6-16. Maryhill is located off Highway 97, 12 miles south of Goldendale, Washington. Drive times to the museum are 2 hours from Portland/Vancouver, 3.5 hours from Bend, 4 hours from Seattle, and 1.5 hours from Yakima. Visit www.maryhillmuseum.org for more information. 

Photography Quarter Banker by Dennis Peacock exhibited in the 2008 Outdoor Sculpture Invitational.

For a 300 dpi resolution photo click here.

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Maryhill Museum of Art | 35 Maryhill Museum Drive | Goldendale, WA 98620 | 509-773-3733
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