Join the Center for Art in Wood for a virtual discussion with Bronx-based sculpture artist Michael Ferris. During his presentation, Ferris will share insights about portraiture, the cultural and art-historical influences behind his unique visual language, and the humble materials that give form to his body of work. Don’t miss your chance to meet the artist behind this singular figurative sculpture and his timeless, larger-than-life portrayal of everyday people. Extra-Human: The Art of Michael Ferris is on view at the Center for Art in Wood through April 24, 2022.
The larger-than-life figurative sculptures of Bronx-based artist Michael Ferris embody a rich fusion of cultural and artistic traditions. Trained as a painter, Ferris embraced sculpture twenty-five years ago and developed an inlay technique inspired by intarsia woodworking from his Middle-Eastern heritage. Ferris’s unique approach to this historical process involves the reclaiming of discarded wood, a method informed by his environmental concerns. He further expands this traditional practice through the use of pigmented grout, which yields a color palette that contrasts with wood’s natural hues.
Michael Ferris’s work has been exhibited widely at museums across the nation and his work can be found in public collections at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, CA; Illinois State Museum in Springfield, IL; and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, AR. Extra-Human, which is guest-curated by Suzanne Ramljak, is the first museum solo exhibition of the artist’s career to be presented on the East Coast.
This event is free to the public. The Center for Art in Wood interprets, nurtures, and champions creative engagement and expansion of art, craft, and design in wood to enhance the public’s understanding and appreciation of it. A suggested donation of $5 per person enables us to provide programs and exhibitions throughout the year.
For questions, contact Katie Sorenson, Senior Manager of Partnerships and Engagement, at [email protected]