Gallery Talk for La Famiglia with Mark Sfirri

Gallery Talk for La Famiglia with Mark Sfirri | Sat, Nov. 2, 2024 | 11:00 – 12 pm ET | In-person at the Museum for Art in Wood

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Join the Museum for Art in Wood for an in-depth conversation with artist and woodturner Mark Sfirri for his current exhibition La Famiglia. Mark Sfirri will share his way of thinking about the definition of family and its meanings through different lenses: families that are chosen vs. born into; families of species (trees and wood types) and identities; and familial strife and unconditional love, support, and dysfunction. The artist’s adoption of a spontaneous, “flow state” approach in his turning, carving, and surfacing processes represents a coming to terms with generational passing. The artist will walk us through his installations of sculpture that consider communities comprised of families with their histories, ethnic backgrounds, biases, and quirks—all trying to coexist in new and evolving worlds.

Following the gallery talk, a book signing will take place for the accompanying full-color catalogue, published by the Museum for Art in Wood. The catalogue includes essays by artist Miriam Carpenter and writer and curator Craig Edelbrock, writings by Sfirri, and documentation on the works in the exhibition.

Mark Sfirri is an esteemed figure in the world of woodturning and woodworking. Born with an innate passion for craftsmanship, creativity, and artistic collaboration, he is renowned for his innovations in art in wood.

Sfirri earned a BFA and MFA in Furniture Design at Rhode Island School of Design, where he began to explore ways to incorporate lathe-turned parts into furniture and turned some double-rimmed platters, one of which was his first off-center turning. As an MFA student, he made a set of six dining chairs constructed of off-center turned elements, which planted the seeds for his future experimentations in multi-axis spindle turning.

Sfirri’s work has been exhibited in prestigious galleries and museums worldwide, and is held in numerous public collections including the Museum of Arts & Design (NY), Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh, PA), the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (DC), the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MN), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (CA), Yale University Art Gallery, the James A. Michener Art Museum (Doylestown, PA), and the Museum of Art in Wood (Philadelphia, PA). As a maker, researcher, and writer, he has conducted demonstrations and lectures throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

In addition to his role as an artist, Sfirri is professor emeritus at Bucks County Community College (Newtown, PA), where he taught fulltime for nearly 40 years. He has received three national awards: the “Distinguished Educator Award” in 2010 from the Renwick Alliance and, in 2012, the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Collectors of Wood Art, and this year receives the prestigious “2024 AAW POP Merit Award” from the American Association of Woodturners.

This event is free to the public. The Museum 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.

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Questions? Please contact Katie Sorenson, Director of Outreach and Communications at [email protected].