Rosen Sculpture Competition Now on View

Boone, North Carolina – For the last 34 years, the annual Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition has showcased contemporary American sculpture in outdoor settings across the campus of Appalachian State University. The sculptures in this year’s competition represent a diversity of styles from biomorphic to whimsical to thought-provoking. The artists have expressed their three-dimensional concepts with expert craftmanship utilizing a variety of materials, designs and techniques to create their sculptures.

Each year, an artist is invited to jury the competition and this year juror Rachel Stevens selected the sculpture finalists, nine of which are installed on campus. Due to COVID-19, the live sculpture walk with the juror and announcement of awards that was to have occurred in July 2020 will now take place in July during the 2021 Appalachian Summer Festival (mark your calendars!). Because the tour was not offered in its typical live format, a narrated virtual tour was created so that individuals can participate in a self-guided tour of the eight works located on campus in the vicinity of the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts. Stevens reflected on the impact of sculpture during the challenges of COVID-19 with the simple but universal statement, “With art there is hope.”

The ten sculpture finalists are:

David Boyajian (New Fairfield, CT), Unfurling Rising, 2020; Oxidized Steel
Tom Scicluna (Miami, FL), Scheme, 2012/2020; Concrete parking bumpers, rebar
Hanna Jubran (Grimesland, NC), Light Pulse, 2018; Steel, paint
Rudy Rudisill (Gastonia, NC), Phoenix, 2020; Steel, copper, paint
Wayne Vaughn (Graham, NC), The Dance, 2018; Painted steel, patina steel
Charles Pilkey (Mint Hill, NC), Steampunk Babylon, 2020; Rusted steel, bronze
Matt Amante (Winterville, NC), Teeter Tower, 2019; Painted steel,
Glenn Zweygardt (Alfred Station, NY), Remembering Giotto; 2018; Painted steel, powder-coated steel, stainless steel, bronze
Joan Benefiel (Brooklyn, NY), Hoodoos, 2019; Resin, steel
Gretchen Lotz (Orlando, FL), Blue Nautilus, 2018; Bronze*

*Located at the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum (BRAHM) at 159 Ginny Stevens Lane, Blowing Rock. All 10 sculptures will be on view through May 2022. 

This national juried competition is presented by An Appalachian Summer Festival and the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts and is made possible by the generous support of the Martin and Doris Rosen Giving Fund/Debbie Rosen Davidson and David Rosen and the Charles and Nancy Rosenblatt Foundation. For more information visit: rosensculpture.org. A map and Digital Connections guide, along with the virtual tour are available on the rosensculpture.org website. 

Maps will be available at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts and at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts when they reopen. 

About the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts

The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, named for university benefactors Robert and Lillian Turchin, fulfills Appalachian State University’s long-held mission of providing a home for world-class visual arts programming.  The largest facility of its kind in the region, the center presents exhibition, education and collection programs that support the university’s role as a key educational, cultural and service resource. The center presents multi-dimensional exhibits and programs and is a dynamic presence in the community, creating opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience the power and excitement of the visual arts. Its seven galleries host changing exhibitions featuring local, regional, national and international artists.  

The Turchin Center is located at 423 West King St., in Boone. Hours are 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Tues. – Thurs. and Saturday, and Noon – 8 p.m., Friday. The Center is closed Sunday and Monday, and observes all university holidays. Check the website for schedule changes due to Covid-19.  Admission is always free, although donations are gratefully accepted. For general inquiries, to be added to the mailing or e-news list, to obtain donor program details or to schedule a tour, call 828-262-3017, e-mail turchincenter@appstate.edu or visit tcva.org. The Turchin Center can also be followed on Facebook and Twitter @TurchinCenter.

Sponsors

The Turchin Center receives critical support from a group of outstanding media sponsors that are dedicated to promoting the arts in our region, including: High Country 365, High Country Radio, WFDD 88.5, WDAV 89.9 and WASU 90.5FM.

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