Spring Break
Renowned sculptor to visit OSU
Von Rydingsvard will deliver lecture at 7 p.m. tonight at
Emily Marre
Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: News
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This event is part of the Visiting Artists and Scholars program hosted annually by the OSU Department of Art. Her lecture and the one hour reception preceding are free and open to the public.
Born in Germany in 1942, von Rydingsvar's childhood was heavily impacted by World War II. She spent much of her youth in refugee camps for displaced Poles before her family moved to America in 1950, according to an interview with von Rydingsvard on pbs.org.
She went on to receive her MFA from Columbia University in 1975, after which she began working predominantly with natural media. This organic exploration is exemplified in the massive cedar sculptures that she is best known for.
The materials and motifs seen in von Rydingsvard's abstract sculptures draw upon the time her family spent in refugee camps. Cedar beams used to create monumental sculptures are reminiscent of the floors and ceilings of the displacement camps she spent her formative years in.
The content is meant to elicit an emotive response, one of loss and pain, but also of the dignity of labor and respect for organic materials.
Her pieces are featured in many museum collections throughout the United States and abroad with permanent pieces in the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Jon Maul, Chair of the Oregon State Department of Art, called von Rydingsvard an engaging speaker with works informed by her unique life experiences.
Maul encourages all students to attend the event, regardless of major.
"What is important to know is that art elevates the human condition and is essential to us a culture," Maul said.
Emily Marre, staff writer
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
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