Sydney Reichman Exhibit May 25-July 7
Release Date: 5/1/2001. Expired: 7/7/2001
Sculptor Sydney Reichman will be displaying a collection of her freestanding sculptures and dimensional wall hangings in the Visual Arts Gallery of The Renaissance Center May 25-July 7. The opening reception, which is free and open to the public, will be 4-7 p.m. Saturday, June 2.
A Nashville native, Reichman journeyed to Israel and Europe in 1969 in search of a purpose and personal spiritual identity. Having felt a strange but familiar connection to the ancient, historic landscapes, it was here that she began her life’s journey as an artist. Returning to Tennessee, she was committed to clay as a medium in the 1970s studying the ceramic arts in workshops and through independent studies.
It was through the study of the ceramic arts that Reichman’s work took her from the interpretation of one of a kind vessel forms, to a more monumental version of clay that moved into the architectural realm. Soon she discovered a 60-acre piece of land near Nashville where she transformed a briar-filled swamp into a studio home and sculpture garden, building her own home to become a natural part of the site. This outdoor setting serves as the background for free form metal sculptures. The experience of building and carving the land back into a naturally harmonious and lush state then moved into painting and metal sculpture.
“The figures I create are of two kinds principally,” stated Reichman. “The first are the primitive indigenous ancestor messengers, watching, witnessing and protecting. The others are seekers, thrust toward the earth and sky, continually searching. It is these very themes that are a constant, and balance our journeys in an incredibly changing ecological landscape.”
Her metal sculptures first took root in large figurative forms that are both abstract and expressionistic. Reichman’s magnificent copper forms or her sinuous clay columns seem to leap in the air like dancers. Further exploration and work in metal resulted in immense pod-like, leafy winged and abstract bird forms. Now in the terrain where the figures merge with nature, the pieces seem to become a part of natural landscape. Regardless of whether the pieces are earth bound, on ponds or in the air, the focus became interaction of art with nature.
Today, Reichman’s integration of house and studio has grown into a sculpture garden. Her relationship to her environment, the recovery and healing of the land, has profoundly impacted and enriched her work as an artist.
Reichman continues, “Inspiration comes from rocks, trees, rivers, mountains and the caves of Tennessee, as well as the spirit land of the Middle East and American West. I believe these are all living breathing entities and hold the history and energy of all that has been witnessed. This does not need to be evident as the viewer is the completion of the work just as the audience completes the performance. Much of my work uses elements of wind and water to create meditative and interactive environments.
“It is my challenge to explore these ideas while creating harmonizing and contemplative environments, images and experiences. Through my artistic methods I hope to bring others and myself into an awareness and connection to our world of nature so that we may better heal and protect this amazing universe we all share.”
The Visual Arts Gallery features artists in solo exhibits every 4-6 weeks. The gallery is free and open to the public. For more information on this exhibit or other events at The Renaissance Center, call (615)740-5600.
Visit the Visual Arts Gallery page for more about the gallery.
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