Two Day Workshop – Figurative Wood Sculpture: Heroes and Hedgehogs with Artist Susan Hagen

Figurative Wood Sculture: Heroes and Hedgehogs | May 20 – 21, 2022 | 10:00 am – 3:00 pm | Glen Foerd 5001 Grant Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19114

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In collaboration, Glen Foerd and the Center for Art in Wood present Figurative Wood Sculpture: Heroes and Hedgehogs with artist Susan Hagen. During this two-day workshop, participants will use milled lumber and wood scraps (including beads, sticks, and found objects) to create small-scale sculptures of animals, humans, and imaginary creatures – while considering icons of popular culture and manifestations of the sublime. Slide presentations will familiarize participants with approaches to figurative wood sculpture throughout history. Basic wood sculpture processes will be taught, beginning with sketches and maquettes, and including basic joinery, carving, and whittling. Knowledge of drawing and basic woodworking is useful but not required. Students should have a strong desire to share ideas and discover new things.

Portrait of Susan Hagen

Susan Hagen is a Philadelphia artist, writer, and educator engaged in social and environmental issues. Ms. Hagen received a BFA in Sculpture from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and an MFA in Sculpture from the Cranbrook Academy of Art.

Over the years, Ms. Hagen’s distinctive carved-wood sculptures and drawings have been exhibited in numerous venues throughout the U.S. Her work was recently highlighted in a one-person show at The Drawing Room, an art project space in Philadelphia, and it has also been featured at Adventureland Gallery in Chicago, and at the Center for Art in Wood and Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. Ms. Hagen is a fellow of the Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ballycastle, County Mayo, Ireland, where she has been in residence three times. She has also been an artist-in-residence at the McColl Center for the Arts in Charlotte, NC and the Ragdale Foundation, Chicago. Other honors include artist’s grants from the George Sugarman Foundation, the Leeway Foundation, and the Independence Fellowships in the Arts.

Ms. Hagen is a Professor at the Bucks County Community College in Newtown, PA, and has taught workshops at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Anderson Ranch in Colorado and Penland in North Carolina. She has curated numerous exhibitions and written hundreds of articles about art for publications and blogs, including the Philadelphia City Paper, Woodwork magazine, Turning Points, and the Artblog.

ABOUT GLEN FOERD

Glen Foerd, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located on 18 acres at the confluence of the Poquessing Creek and Delaware River. It is the only remaining riverfront estate in Philadelphia open to the public. The estate was saved from demolition by a coalition of dedicated neighbors in the immediate community. They formed the non-profit Glen Foerd Conservation Corporation to manage and operate the estate, which is leased from Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. Glen Foerd stewards an eclectic riverfront estate for the enjoyment and educational benefit of the community. Drawing from the estate’s architecture, art, material culture, and history – as well as its gardens and waterways – Glen Foerd provides inclusive experiences that spark curiosity and support Philadelphia’s natural and cultural ecosystems. The estate grounds are free to the public and open every day from dawn to dusk.

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR ART IN WOOD

The Center for Art in Wood is a museum of contemporary art, craft, and design in the material of wood. The Center presents the work of emerging and established artists from the United States and abroad and offers thought-provoking exhibitions, a permanent collection of over 1,100 objects and works of art, publications and documentation, events and workshops, and a library with over 26,000 artist files, books, and documents that span the history of craft. The Center also brings artists and researchers from around the world to Philadelphia every year to attend its unique Windgate Artist Residency Program.

If you have questions, please contact Katie Sorenson, Director of Outreach and Communications at [email protected].