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Two local sculptors see their work in very different ways
Sandy Springs artist wants viewers
to think about lost American roots
STORIES BY MARTHA NODAR
Sandy Springs sculptor
Steve Steinman says the works
in his “Broken Circles” exhib
it are intended to make Amer
icans think.
Steinman believes that
wasting natural resources, de
parting from manufactur
ing goods, and not placing
enough emphasis on human
relations contribute to what
he sees as the loss of Ameri
can pride.
“We have lost our roots as
Americans,” he said.
Now retired from aca
demia, Steinman, 65, said he learned
about art early in life and his love for
sculpture evolved naturally through the
years. But, it is his social consciousness
that underpins his current show at the
Mason Murer Fine Art Gallery in Buck-
head.
“I was raised by parents who grew up
during the Depression, a time when peo
ple did not throw things away,” he said.
“We also knew our neighbors.”
Growing up in a small town, Stein
man said he learned from his
previous generations to value
things and to fix things rath
er than throw them away. He
feels that back then a sense of
continuity flowed from one
generation to the next. That,
symbolically, kept the circle
intact. Now, he says, those
circles are broken.
His parents collected art
from around the world. His
father, a World War II veter
an, also collected tools. Stein
man makes art from broken
objects that find a home in
his studio.
“Steve is trying to tell us through his
art work that we have become a careless
society discarding our treasures,” said Su
san West. “He sees things with the eye
of an artist and wants to raise our aware-
>5
ness.
Carl Smith, an art teacher in Buckhead
familiar with Steinman’s work, said “Jew
els of the Urban Jungle,” one of the piec
es in the exhibit, is made from industrial
artifacts that have been reshaped and jux-
Steve Steinman
Buckhead sculptor designs his pieces
to capture ‘elegance of sensuality’
Buckhead sculptor Robert Kelly works
to simplify forms so viewers of his work
can decide what speaks to them. But he
admits the shapes that speak
most directly to him of
ten are based on the female
body. He says his goal is to
produce abstract works fo
cused on elegance.
“Women are very sensu
al,” Kelly said. “I strive to
bring that elegance of sensu
ality to the viewer.”
The 69-year-old sculptor
says he tries “to celebrate the
grace of the female body and
leave the rest to the viewer’s
imagination.”
Kelly and fellow mem
bers of the Buckhead-based
Atlanta Artist Center present “The Eighth
AAC Multi-Artist, Mixed Media Exhibit
at the Buckhead Library.” The show runs
through May 31, with a reception that is
open to the public on May 11.
In addition to sculptures, the exhib
it includes paintings, collage, photogra
phy, and jewelry, said Cheryl D’Amato,
the AAC volunteer coordinator of art ex
hibits at the Buckhead Library.
For nearly six decades, AAC, a non
profit organization, has focused on pro
moting the artistic development of its
members through workshops, seminars,
exhibits and lectures.
Now retired from having his own
business in graphic design, Kelly said he
began to immerse himself in sculpture
as a hobby about seven years ago at the
suggestion of his wife
of 33 years, Mary Kay,
who thought the medi
um would be a good fit
for him.
Kelly said he tries to
combine the smooth
ness he admires in Con
stantin Brancusi with
the simplicity found in
Henry Moores work—
both European sculp
tors of the 20th cen
tury—and create a
contemporary version.
Among the pieces
in the exhibit are “Li
la-Master,” and “Rachel-New Master,”
two abstract sculptures of female figures
“that invite personal interpretations,” said
AAC member Judith Schonbak.
Some of Kelly’s colleagues and oth
er viewers who have recently become ac
quainted with his work also offer their
own interpretations of these two sculp
tures.
“I was drawn to ‘Rachel’,” Mike As-
bury said. “I perceive her as evocative of
an older era, such as the ‘Roaring Twen
ties.’ Her hair reminds me of the flappers.
She looks as though she may be resting
for a moment in deep introspection be
fore joining others in the fun and frivol-
Robert Kelly
What: Broken Circles exhibit
Where:
Mason Murer Fine Art Gallery
199 Armour Drive
When: through May 11
Admission: Free
taposed.
“I am under the impression Steve
might have used iron in particular in this
composition to perhaps symbolize the
shift from a strong manufacturing nation
we once were to a country more interest
ed in distributing,” he said. “I believe this
piece may reflect Steve’s concern about
our changing position in the world.”
Smith stresses that in his view, the cir
cle, which has become Steinman’s signa
ture, is very important because it symbol
izes continuity, and the juxtaposed pieces
illustrate a break in that continuity.
Steinman emphasized that the mod
ern tendency to throw things away rath
er than repair them has contributed to a
disruption in continuity. So has the incli-
Jewels of the Urban Jungle
by Steve Steinman
nation to let technology interfere with hu
man contact.
“Technology has put us a step back,”
he said. “People don’t talk face-to-face
anymore. It is easier to stay in the shad
ows.
“I see some subtle signs of us trying
to come back full circle and recover our
American pride, but not nearly enough.
We need to re-examine our choices and
build on that.”
LILA-MASTER by Robert Kelly
ity associated with that
period.”
“For me, ‘Lila’ has
a spirit of self-assured
ness in her woman
hood, and ‘Rachel’s’ es
sence is serenity and
peace,” Schonbak said.
“I see both figures as
thinly and beautiful
ly veiled. The veil adds
mystery and entices the
viewer to stop and re
spond.”
Atlanta artist David to be celebrating the ‘goddess’ in every
Swann saw something else. “Kelly seems woman,” he said.
www.ReporterNewspapers.netl MAY3— MAY 16, 2013 | 15
What: The Eighth AAC Multi-Artist
Mixed Media Exhibit at the Buckhead Library
Where: Buckhead Branch Public Library
269 Buckhead Ave.
When: Through May 31
Reception: Open to the public Sat., May 11,
in the library’s Community Room, 3-5 p.m.
Admission: Free
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