Media Contact:
John Beisner
504.897.0462
john@bondpublicrelations.com
NEW ORLEANS, LA - April 1, 2015 - On Friday, April 17th 2015, five new sculptures will be added to the Poydras Corridor Sculpture Exhibition presented by The Helis Foundation. Artwork from sculptors hailing from throughout the South and the United States including Dean Ruck (Houston), Greer Farris (Arkansas), Boaz Vaadia (New York) and Carole Feuerman (New York) are making their way to The Crescent City. To celebrate the installation, Sculpture for New Orleans and The Helis Foundation will host a free, public program, "Poydras Corridor Artist Talk" on Saturday, April 18th at 10:00 am at The Ogden Museum of Southern Art (925 Camp Street).
"It's a great privilege to bring together so many unique artists from around the country to share their work in public in New Orleans, the city of art and magic," said Michael Manjarris, Executive Director of Sculpture for New Orleans and curator of the exhibition.
The Poydras Corridor Sculpture Exhibition presented by The Helis Foundation is an unprecedented collaboration of private, civic and institutional partners including Sculpture for New Orleans, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and the City of New Orleans Department of Park and Parkways to create the South's leading rotating exhibition of public sculpture. Since the exhibitions inception in 2013, 22 sculptures by artists of local and international acclaim have been installed on the bustling Poydras Street between the interstate and Convention Center Blvd. Through the generous underwriting of The Helis Foundation, the Poydras Corridor Sculpture Exhibition brings engaging, thought-provoking public art to the city of New Orleans at no cost to taxpayers.
"The Helis Foundation is honored to take part in bringing these pieces to public view," said David Kerstein, President of The Helis Foundation. "We are proud of the work we're doing with our partners to ensure that significant and compelling sculptures created by renowned artists are readily available for all residents and visitors to enjoy."
Five sculptures will be installed on Friday, April 17th on Poydras Street at the following locations:
Dean Ruck, Ourglass between Loyola Ave. and Lasalle St.
Greer Farris, Dorian's Cross between Baronne St. and O'Keefe St.
Carole Feuerman, Kendall Island & Yaima and the Ball between Magazine St. and Camp St.
Boaz Vaadia, David at Convention Center Blvd.
Several works of art will be leaving the exhibition including Jason Kimes' beloved sculptures "Before" and "At Rest" which came to be known as "the coin people" to fans. Additionally, Erica Larkin's "Entrancing," Mia Kaplan's "Swamp Flower," Wesley Wofford's "Reawakening," Russel Whiting's "Man Defeats Chair," and Swedish sculptor Carlo Borer's "No. 386" will be rotating out. David Borgerding's "Sasookasoon" will also be removed, however The Helis Foundation has commissioned a new, original, piece by the artist that will be installed on the Poydras Corridor this summer.
Art enthusiasts, locals, and tourists alike are all welcome to watch the sculptures being installed on Friday, April 17th and are invited to join the conversation at the "Poydras Corridor Artists Talk" on Saturday, April 18th at 10:00 am at The Ogden Museum of Southern Art. To register for the free event, visit http://poydrascorridor.eventbrite.com
About the Artists
Greer Farris - Farris was born and raised in Arkansas, currently living and working in Fort Smith. His talents are multifaceted, as Farris is foremost a potter and sculptor, but also a skilled carpenter who has renovated many homes and buildings. His art can be found all around the country, with "Patronus," arguably his most recognizable piece, sitting on the grounds of the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital in Little Rock.
Carole Feuerman - Feuerman is a world acclaimed, hyper-realist artist hailing from New York City. Feuerman's sculptures have been featured in the Smithsonian Institute's National Portrait Gallery, the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Venice Biennale, amongst other venues. "Kendall Island" and "Yaima and the Ball" are both from Feuerman's "Swimmers" series in which she creates incredibly realistic models of life-size, female swimmers.
Dean Ruck - Ruck has worked and lived in Houston since 1987, originally hailing from Hamden, Connecticut. He's known to work in multiple mediums, resulting in large and small scale sculptures, ambitious installations and two-dimensional "drawings" that he's well known for. Ruck's 2005 collaboration with Dan Havel, "Inversion," is still internationally renowned by design blogs. His work can be seen in venues such as the Hiram Butler Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Cranbrook Art Museum, in addition to numerous private collections.
Boaz Vaadia - Originally hailing from Gat Rimon, Israel, Vaadia now resides and works in New York City. Well known and respected for his large-sized stone and bronze sculptures, Vaadia's work has been installed in both galleries and public spaces across the world, including cities such as New York, Tel-Aviv, London and Philadelphia, in addition to the Twentieth Century American Sculpture Exhibit in the White House Rose Garden. Vaadia cites "working with nature as an equal partner" as a major inspiration of his.
About the Poydras Corridor Sculpture Exhibition presented by The Helis Foundation
Sculpture for New Orleans began shortly after Hurricane Katrina by artist and curator Michael Manjarris with the mission of lifting the spirits of the people of New Orleans through public art and to provide local and regional artists the opportunity to show in a public venue. In cooperation with the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and The City of New Orleans Department of Parks and Parkways, the Poydras Corridor Sculpture Exhibition was launched in January of 2013. The project is generously underwritten by The Diana Helis Henry and The Adrienne Helis Malvin Art Funds of The Helis Foundation.
###