Contact: Julia Ferrante (717) 291-4062 | Julia.Ferrante@fandm.edu
Philips Museum exhibit 'Uncommon Denominator' opens Saturday, Sept. 15
LANCASTER, Pa. —A group exhibition featuring the work of renowned sculptor and performance artist James Nestor and 18 of his former students, will be on view Sept. 15-Dec. 1 at Franklin & Marshall College’s Phillips Museum of Art.
A gallery talk and reception for "Uncommon Denominator: James Nestor and His Students," also is planned for 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, in Dana Gallery. The museum is located in the Steinman College Center.
Nestor has taught and lectured throughout the United States, Europe, Central America and China. He retired after 25 years as Professor of Sculpture at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
This exhibition, curated by sculptors Tedd Pettibon, an adjunct instructor of art at F&M and Line Bruntse, an assistant professor of sculpture at Millersville University, brings together 18 of Nestor's former students who are now established artists in their own right, many teaching at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
"The exhibition is both a tribute to a great teacher, and an acknowledgement of his profound impact on the lives and careers of his students," said Phillips Museum Director Eliza Reilly. "The title 'Uncommon Denominator' conveys the idea that although Nestor's teaching provided them all with firm grounding in the principles and practices of art-making, it also fostered great independence and confidence in their own ideas and values."
In addition to three works by Nestor, including the monumental sculpture "Eternity," nthe exhibition features dozens of works in a range of media, including indoor and outdoor sculpture, photography, digital art and video.
The featured artists include Line Bruntse and Ben Cunningham of Millersville and other students from throughout Pennsylvania, New York, Maine and New Mexico.
"The remarkable range of media, methods, and content featured in this exhibition is a testament to fact that Nestor fostered an adventurous, expansive, and experimental approach to art-making in his students," Riley said. "Nestor's own artworks have been non- traditional projects and performances on sites ranging from the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua, to performances in London, Seattle, Venice, Florence and Atlanta."
Nestor received the unusual Doctor of Arts in Sculpture, with a Carnegie Corporation Scholarship from Carnegie Mellon University in 1979. He received a bachelor of fine arts and master of art in studio sculpture from Kent State University.
He has been committed throughout his career to educating and mentoring young artists, initiating exchange programs and guest lecturing at the University of Zagreb, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Opole University, Poland, Riley said.
The Phillips Museum of Art is open 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The museum is closed on Mondays and holidays. The exhibit is open to the public and free of charge.
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