Five Renowned Graduates Exhibit Sculpture

UD Art News: Oct. 16, 1998

Five renowned graduates exhibit sculpture in tribute to retiring mentor, Joe Moss

For press release information, contact: Beth Thomas, (302) 831-8749 [email protected]

Five highly accomplished graduates of the sculpture program in the University of Delaware's Department of Art will return to their alma mater Oct. 20 to participate in an exhibition that honors the sculpture program and Joe Moss, UD professor of art and the program's director for the last 29 years. Moss of Newark, Del., plans to retire this year.

"Spine: A Sculpture Exhibition Celebrating the Sculpture Program at the University of Delaware" will be on display from Oct. 20-30. Works can be seen at the Recitation Hall Art Gallery, the Hollingsworth Building Viewing Space, and the grounds of Old College, all located at the corner of Main Street and North College Avenue in Newark, and at the botanical garden in front of Townsend Hall on Route 896, Newark.

"The name of the exhibit started out as a joke," David Meyer, exhibit coordinator and one of the represented artists, said. "Everyone who works in sculpture has a bad back. Then, the more we thought about the people who would be in the exhibit-all former teaching assistants-we realized that they are part of the backbone of the program."

Featured in the exhibition will be works by sculptor Roy Wilson, UD '77 and '80, of Philadelphia; Jim Paulsen, UD 86, professor of sculpture at Towson University in Towson, Md; Indianapolis sculptor Greg Hull, UD '91; Larry Buechel, UD '94, studio and technical director of the Grand Arts in Kansas City Mo.; and sculptor David Meyer, UD '96, head exhibition designer at the UD Gallery.

All of the sculptors exhibiting in the show are former graduate teaching assistants in the sculpture program and all have successful careers in art. Listed among their accomplishments are a Fulbright Scholarship; a commission memorializing the people killed in the Oklahoma City bombing; a memorial to Amelia Earhart; exhibitions and commissions in the U.S., Europe and Asia; and much more.

"While studying under Professor Moss I learned a great deal about a world of ideas and form that had previously been invisible to my eye," Wilson said. "Art is a tough business to make a living in, but its practice exceeds all others in offering the priceless powers of individual expression, self-reliance, inventiveness, and the ability to see beyond your own spot in the universe. I appreciate what I received from contact with professors and students of the art department. I appreciate Joe Moss' trust, support and willingness to share his creative time and energy with his many students," he concluded.

Moss says, "This show is a true testament to the strength of our program. It includes some interesting, exciting work full of creative ideas. I have had the privilege of working with some of the finest young artists and people. My biggest problem has always been to be able to give as much as I received." Paulsen, who has received commissions for his work around the world, says, "Working with Joe Moss re-directed my life, and my two years of study at the University of Delaware were two of the best years of my life."

There will be receptions for the artists on Friday, Oct. 23 from 5-7 p.m. at the Recitation Hall Gallery and at the Hollingsworth Building. On Thursday, Oct. 22, the artists will give a slide lecture and hold a panel discussion at 7 p.m. in Room 101, Recitation Hall. The public is invited to all events and admission to all is free.

For gallery hours or more information on "Spine," call (302) 831-4640 or (302) 831-6027.

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