An Ode to Architectural Form by Jordan Krutsch (Best in Show)

An Ode to Architectural Form by Jordan Krutsch (Best in Show)

National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition Winners Announced

Sculpture artists from across the nation applied to the 9th Annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition, displayed at the picturesque North Charleston Riverfront Park and presented as a component of the 2014 North Charleston Arts Festival. Organized annually by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique, eleven month exhibition offers established and emerging artists the opportunity to display their thought provoking, extraordinary sculptures, as well as compete for up to $16,250 in honorariums and awards. 

Eleven out of 75 submissions were pre-juried into the exhibition by the juror, Brad Thomas, Director of Residencies & Exhibitions at the McColl Center in Charlotte, NC. Once installed at the exhibition site, Thomas then made his selections for Best in Show, Outstanding Merit, and Honorable Mentions.

“It is an honor to participate in this year's National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition in North Charleston. The natural beauty of Riverfront Park offers the ideal setting for each of these remarkable sculptures.” Thomas stated. He continued, “I have long been a proponent of art outside the confines of museum and gallery walls. In recent years, I have participated in initiatives to acquire sculptures by world-renowned artists for college campuses in North Carolina and served as Chair of Charlotte's Public Art Commission. Through these experiences, I have gained a deep appreciation for how these very public interventions of art activate natural and built environments, as well as our relationship to them. Furthermore, sculpture in public spaces can also serve to intrigue those who may be considered excluded from the world of art. By virtue of its placement, art in public spaces serves as ambassador, possessing the potential to break down perceived barriers of exclusivity and unlock a lifetime of creative thought and inquiry.”

The eleven sculptures selected for exhibition are by eleven artists from seven states. Congratulations to the winners of the 2014/15 National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition:

An Ode to Architectural Form (painted steel) by Jordan Krutsch - Greenville, NC (Best in Show)
Duet (reclaimed steel) by Kevin Eichner - Hilton Head Island, SC (Outstanding Merit)
Cloud Rain (steel) by Jeffie Brewer – Nacogdoches, TX (Honorable Mention)
Slice of Heaven (concrete & limestone) byCraig Gray - Key West, FL (Honorable Mention)
Summit (granite, glass, stainless steel) byAntoinette Priene Schultze - Eliot, ME (Honorable Mention)
PC Column (powder coated steel) byCarl Billingsley - Ayden, NC
Dancer (stainless steel) by Bob Doster - Lancaster, SC
Tumbling Towards the Sun (steel) byGary Gresko - Oriental, NC
Growth & Direction (forged & fabricated steel/perforated steel) byCorrina Sephora Mensoff - Atlanta, GA
Foreversphere (polyethylene) by Matthew Newman - Damascus, VA
The Dance (cor-ten steel) byDavis Whitfield, IV - Sylva, NC

Sculpture sites are located throughout North Charleston Riverfront Park, located at 1001 Everglades Avenue on the former Charleston Naval Base.  The park is set on the banks of the beautiful Cooper River.  In addition to the sculptures, visitors may enjoy ten acres of walking paths, a performance pavilion, picnic shelter, a fishing pier and boardwalk, an oversized sandbox, and children’s play fountain. Park is open daily during daylight hours. Admission and parking are free. The 2014/15 National Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition will be on display through March 24, 2015. For more information or to be added to the application mailing list for the 2015/16 Competition, please call the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843-740-5854 or email culturalarts@northcharleston.org.  For more information and to view photographs of the sculpture exhibition, visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.