George Sherwood (February 6, 1954 - ) is an American

kinetic Kinetic (Ancient Greek: κίνησις “kinesis”, movement or to move) may refer to: * Kinetic theory of gases, Kinetic theory, describing a gas as particles in random motion * Kinetic energy, the energy of an object that it possesses due to i ...

and

environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

sculptor.

Biography

Sherwood was born on February 6, 1954, in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

, and grew up in the Connecticut coastal town of Fairfield. As a child, he found inspiration in nature from sailing trips with his father. In 1976, he was awarded a BFA degree by the

Hartford Art School Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

. In the 1970s, he was interested in the art of movement, as practiced by theatrical groups such as

Mummenschanz __NOTOC__ Mummenschanz is a Switzerland, Swiss mask theater troupe who perform in a surreal mask- and prop-oriented style. Founded in 1972 by Bernie Schürch, Andres Bossard (August 9, 1944 – March 25, 1992), and the Italian American, Italian-Am ...

Pilobolus ''Pilobolus'' is a genus of fungi that commonly grows on herbivore dung. Life cycle The life cycle of ''Pilobolus'' begins with a black sporangium that has been discharged onto a plant substrate such as grass. A herbivorous animal such as a ho ...

, and the Celebration Mime Theatre. He developed a theatrical performance animated by humans manipulating large animated props, sculptures, and masks. In 1984, he earned an engineering degree at the University of Vermont, and then did early work with the

MIT Media Lab The MIT Media Lab is a research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, growing out of MIT's Architecture Machine Group in the School of Architecture. Its research does not restrict to fixed academic disciplines, but draws from ...

developing what would become

LEGO Mindstorms Lego Mindstorms is a hardware and software structure which develops programmable robots based on Lego building blocks. Each version includes computer Lego bricks, a set of modular sensors and motors, and Lego parts from the Technic line to ...

. During this time, he encountered the wind-powered kinetic sculpture of

George Rickey George Warren Rickey (June 6, 1907 – July 17, 2002) was an American kinetic sculptor. Early life and education Rickey was born on June 6, 1907, in South Bend, Indiana. When Rickey was still a child, his father, an executive with Singer S ...

, which inspired him to create his own kinetic artworks. Sherwood’s sculptures are "based on movement that is both subtle and obvious. At times it appears his sculptures do not move at all, and at other times they are a flurry of activity reminiscent of the tall swaying plumes of late-season cimicfuga in an autumn breeze.” His work is made exclusively of stainless steel, the reflective qualities of which integrate the sculpture into its environment. Wind speed and direction, shades of light, time of day, precipitation, and seasonal color transform the qualities of light and movement. As stated by curator June LaCombe, his sculpture, “exemplifies art for an ecological age". Further, she states, “ herwood’ssculpture celebrates botanical forms and patterns in nature with proportional harmony".June LaCombe, sculpture curator, Wind and Light, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine. Although most of his best-known sculptures are intended for installation outdoors where they are activated by the wind, Sherwood has begun to create delicate indoors sculptures activated by random air currents. Sherwood lives and works in

Ipswich, Massachusetts Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,785 at the 2020 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island. A reside ...

. Sherwood is a member of

Boston Sculptors Gallery The Boston Sculptors Gallery is a cooperative sculpture gallery in Boston, Massachusetts. Unlike a traditional commercial gallery, Boston Sculptors Gallery is owned and operated by local, New England artists and exhibits contemporary sculpture in ...

and the

Royal Society of British Sculptors The Royal Society of Sculptors is a British charity established in 1905 which promotes excellence in the art and practice of sculpture. Its headquarters are a centre for contemporary sculpture on Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London. It ...

Collections and awards

Sherwood's work is part of the permanent collection at the

Atlanta Botanical Garden The Atlanta Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located adjacent to Piedmont Park in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Incorporated in 1976, the garden's mission is to "develop and maintain plant collections for the purposes of display, ...

(Atlanta, Georgia), the

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden in Boothbay, Maine. It was opened in 2007.

(

Boothbay, Maine Boothbay is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,003 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Back Narrows, Dover, East Boothbay, Linekin, Oak Hill, Ocean Point, Spruce Shores, and Trevett. The Boothbay regi ...

), the Southern Vermont Art Center (

Manchester, Vermont Manchester is a town in, and one of two shire towns (county seats) of, Bennington County, Vermont. The population was 4,484 at the 2020 census. Manchester Village, an incorporated village, and Manchester Center are settlement centers within ...

), and the

Currier Museum of Art The Currier Museum of Art is an art museum in Manchester, New Hampshire, in the United States. It features European and American paintings, decorative arts, photographs and sculpture. The permanent collection includes works by Picasso, Matisse, Mon ...

(

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Hamp ...

). In 2004, he exhibited at

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park in Cornish, New Hampshire, preserves the home, gardens, and studios of Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907), one of America's foremost sculptors. This was his summer residence from 1885 to 1897, his perma ...

Cornish, New Hampshire Cornish is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,616 at the 2020 census. Cornish has four covered bridges. Each August, it is home to the Cornish Fair. History The town was granted in 1763 and contained a ...

, and in 2009 at the

Rose Kennedy Greenway The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is a linear park located in several Downtown Boston neighborhoods. It consists of landscaped gardens, promenades, plazas, fountains, art, and specialty lighting systems that stretch over one mile through China ...

in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2007 he was awarded the Lillian Heller award for Contemporary Art at

Chesterwood Chesterwood is a hamlet in Northumberland, in England. It is situated a short distance to the north-west of Haydon Bridge on the South Tyne, west of Hexham. It includes a number of "Bastle Houses" from the 17th Century, originally built to prot ...

Stockbridge, Massachusetts Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,018 at the 2020 census. A year-round resort area, Stockbridge is h ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherwood, George 20th-century American sculptors Living people 1954 births University of Hartford alumni University of Vermont alumni People from Fairfield, Connecticut 21st-century American sculptors Sculptors from Connecticut