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Leo Sewell (born ) is an American " found object" artist. His assemblages of recycled material are in over 40 museums and in private collections worldwide.


Biography

Sewell was born in
Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
, United States and moved to Philadelphia in 1974. As a child in Annapolis, he "recalls the 'excitement of tinkering' with stuff he discovered and recovered during walks in the woods and visits to the naval-community dump." As an adult, Sewell earned a B.A. in Business and an M.A. in Art History at the University of Delaware, where he wrote his Masters thesis on the "Use of the Found Object in Dada and Surrealism". However, he never had formal studio training, which places him in the Visionary art category. Sewell's art follows naturalistic themes, and animals feature prominently in his creations. His collage-like sculpture is assembled from metal, wood, and plastic that he collects from trash, yard sales, and
flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously-owned (second-hand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...
s. For some commissions, he uses objects, often of sentimental value or with personal meaning, contributed by the patron who has commissioned the art. Sewell has produced over 4,000 works over the last 50 years. His art has been seen on children's television shows, including ''
Captain Noah Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
'' and '' Mr. Roger's Neighborhood'', and features in the permanent collections of 23
Ripley's Believe It or Not! ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' feat ...
museums worldwide, as well as in museums such as the American Visionary Art Museum (Baltimore, Maryland), the Chicago Children's Museum (Chicago, IL), the
Garbage Museum The Garbage Museum was a waste management themed museum in Stratford, Connecticut, United States. Constructed and opened in 1994, the recycling facility and museum was constructed for a cost of $5 million and funded through a group of 19 local mu ...
(Stratford, CT), the Museo de Sera International (Madrid, Spain), the Please Touch Museum (Philadelphia, PA), and the Shonandai Cultural Center (Fujisawa, Japan). His work is also collected by corporations including NBC and Nike, Inc, and Sewell has produced public art works for institutions, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and local state environmental protection offices. In 1997, Sewell showed in "Hello Again!", a recycled art focused show which opened at the Oakland Museum and travelled throughout North America. The show, curated by
Susan Subtle Susan Subtle (December 30, 1941 – May 11, 2020) was an American curator, columnist, and product developer; known for her curatorial work focusing on recycled and outsider art. Subtle lived and worked in Berkeley, California until her death i ...
, featured Sewell alongside other artists
Mildred Howard Mildred Howard (born 1945) is an African-American artist known primarily for her sculptural installation and mixed-media assemblages.Baker, Kenneth"Artist Intrigued by Interaction of Materials, Ability to Revise at Will", ''San Francisco Chronicl ...
,
Mark Bulwinkle Mark Bulwinkle (born 1946, Waltham, Massachusetts) is an American graphic artist and sculptor who works in cut steel. He received a BFA from the University of Pittsburgh in 1968 and an MFA in printmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute in 19 ...
,
Clayton Bailey Clayton George Bailey (March 9, 1939 – June 6, 2020), was an American artist who worked primarily in the mediums of ceramic and metal sculpture. Early life and education Clayton George Bailey was born on March 9, 1939 in Antigo, Wisconsin. In ...
, Claire Graham,
Jan Yager Jan Yager (born 1951) is an American artist who makes mixed media jewelry. She draws inspiration from both the natural world and the lived-in human environment of her neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, emphasizing that art is a reflect ...
, Remi Rubel,
Pippa Garner Pippa Garner (born 1942 outside of Chicago, Illinois), formerly known as Philip Garner, is an artist and author known for making parody forms of consumer products as well as custom bicycles and automobiles. Notable publications written by Garner i ...
, and others. Sewell is a member and co-founder of the artists' group called the
Philadelphia Dumpster Divers The Philadelphia Dumpster Divers are a group of about 40 Philadelphia-area based artists, collectors and friends who work largely with found objects and recycled materials. They are notable for their extensive works and group efforts throughout a ...
. One of Sewell's sculptures of two life-sized adults in a sitting position was reportedly found in a basement rec room of Barry & Honey Sherman, a Toronto couple who were victims of a yet to be solved double-homicide. https://www.toronto.com/news-story/9772948-barry-and-honey-sherman-s-bodies-were-found-posed-like-the-sculptures-in-their-basement/


References


Bibliography

* Alterio, Michael Moran.
An artist creates with found objects — found at the flea market
" ''FleaMarketZone.com: Sumner Communications (Bethel, CT)'' 26 Apr. 2011. * "Artists Turn Trash to Treasure to Help Save Garbage Museum." ''Milford Mirror (CT)'' 8 Apr. 2010, News: 9A. ''NewsBank''. Web. 14 Aug. 2010. * Burrell, Jackie. "Candy Sculpture at San Jose’s Tech Museum." ''Contra Costa Times: Blogs (Walnut Creek, CA)'' 27 Oct. 2009, Apparently Speaking: Np. ''NewsBank''. Web. 14 Aug. 2010. * "Eco Arts: Sculptures Made from Found Materials Display the Beauty of Recycling." ''Instablogs.com'' 15 Oct. 2009. ''General OneFile''. Web. 14 Aug. 2010. * Firmin, Pam. "From Gulfport, with Junk: Sculptor Sees Art Everywhere." ''Sun Herald, The (Biloxi, MS)'' 25 April 2006, Local-Front: A2. ''Newspaper Source''. Web. 14 Aug 2010. * "Garbage Museum Shows Art Made from Others' Trash." ''Stratford Star (CT)'' 22 Apr. 2010, News: 11A. ''NewsBank''. Web. 14 Aug. 2010. * Grundahl, Nancy. "Leo Sewell's 'Found Objects' Exhibiting at EPA." ''Environmental Protection Agency''. 5 Jan. 2004. Web. 13 August 2010. * Jackson, Danielle. "Recycling Your American Pride." ''Waste Age'' 32.12 (2001): 50. ''Vocational and Career Collection''. Web. 14 Aug. 2010. * Kenny, William. "Kids Won't Hear "Hands off!' - at the Please Touch Museum." ''Northeast Times (Philadelphia, PA)'' 6 Nov. 2008: n. pag. ''NewsBank''. Web. 14 Aug. 2010. * McCoy, Bett Norcross. "The Art of Junk: Sculptor Scavenges Trash to Create Works of Art." ''Press of Atlantic City, The (NJ)'' 20 Jan. 2000, Lifestyle/Art: B1. ''NewsBank''. Web. 14 Aug. 2010. * O'Connell, Kaelin. "Philadelphia Artist Leo Sewell Is One Man Who Truly Believes that One Person's Trash Is Another's Treasure.." ''Gloucester County Times, The (NJ)'' 5 May 2007: n. pag. ''NewsBank''. Web. 14 Aug. 2010. * Rosenberg, Amy S. "Give Me Your Toys: A Scavenger Sculptor Hunts for the Perfect Playthings so that Lady Liberty Can Lift her Lamp beside the New Please Touch Museum." ''Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA'') 8 May 2007: City-D, Features magazine: E01. ''Newspaper Source''. Web. 14 Aug. 2010. * "Sculptures Prove One Man's Junk Can Be Art." ''Brattleboro Reformer (VT)'' 16 Aug. 2001, n. pag. ''NewsBank''. Web. 14 Aug. 2010. * "Trash Museum Worth a Visit Sculpture Represents Connecticut's Annual Waste per Person: Schoolchildren, Other Visitors Find Garbage Exhibitions Eye-opening." ''Free Lance-Star, The (Fredericksburg, VA)'' 19 Apr. 2009,: n. pag. ''NewsBank''. Web. 14 Aug. 2010. * "Visionary Arts Museum Returns to its Inspired Roots - Art Review." ''Sun, The (Baltimore, MD'') 5 Oct. 2008, Final, Arts & Entertainment: 3E. ''NewsBank''. Web. 14 Aug. 2010.


External links




Please Touch Museum Liberty Arm & Torch
* ttp://www.udel.edu/PR/Messenger/97/3/JUNK.html University of Delaware Messenger Articlebr>Leo Sewell Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sewell, Leo Artists from Philadelphia Living people 1945 births Recycled art artists