susan abraham
Mediums Used
An evolving process of carved constructions (some functional, some simply objective), Susan Abraham`s sculpture and utilitarian objects in stone express a combination of classical technique and reverence for the material with a contemporary whimsy and psychological edge. Forms and surfaces reminiscent of taut skin, pressed folds of flesh, and natural elements in motion create a framework within which the viewer can respond. Although traditionally trained in stone carving, from quarried block to fine polishing by hand through apprenticeships with Minoru Niizuma and Arturo diModica in the 1970s, and working alongside numerous artigiani in Pietrasanta, Italy throughout the 1980s, her stone sculpture and functional objects respond to the past with a 21st century sensibility.
As a passionate believer and proponent of Sculpture Symposiums, she has been involved in a number of public sculpture projects, both domestically and on an international level, from 1975 through the present. From carving in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia under the auspices of the Museum Without Walls in the First International Stone Sculpture Symposium in 1975, to carving an 8` x 14` bench out of 3 pine trees in the Klakkbaken Forest in Sigtuna, Sweden in 2000, to carving a River Bedroom in marble and limestone for the City of Yonkers in the Sculpture Meadow on the Hudson in 2003, and creating a 6-ton black marble sculpture in Monterrey, Mexico at SIEMM 2007 – the opportunity and freedom to live and work onsite in the landscape with other sculptors, and interact with the public during the carving and finishing process – is a tremendous gift for any sculptor to be given. And leaving the work created for the site on the site in plain sight, is a great gift for any sculptor to be able to give back.
Sculptures by susan abraham
Credentials
Qualifications
1976-78 Post Graduate Special Student - Sculpture. Columbia University, NYC.
1975 BFA cum laude - Program in the Arts-Sculpture. Barnard College, Columbia University, NYC.,1976-78 Post Graduate Special Student - Sculpture. Columbia University, NYC.
1975 BFA cum laude - Program in the Arts-Sculpture. Barnard College, Columbia University, NYC.Exhibitions
yes
Publications
Publications
New York Times (Sunday, August 4, 2002)
The Journal (Westchester)
The Resident (Westchester)
New York University College of Dentistry publications:
Nexus Magazine (2005)
Nexus Magazine (2003) Issue on Aesthetics.
Nexus Magazine (2002)
Nexus Magazine (2001)
ArtSpeak,Publications
New York Times (Sunday, August 4, 2002)
The Journal (Westchester)
The Resident (Westchester)
New York University College of Dentistry publications:
Nexus Magazine (2005)
Nexus Magazine (2003) Issue on Aesthetics.
Nexus Magazine (2002)
Nexus Magazine (2001)
ArtSpeak
SUSAN ABRAHAM
Stone Sculptor
EXPERIENCE and SYMPOSIA
2008 5th International Stone Sculpture Symposium - Balatonfured, Hungary. Carved a 1, 000 lb block of Croatian limestone over a 12-day period near Lake Balaton, 1 meter x 80 cm x 60 cm.
2007 SIEMM - International Stone Sculpture Symposium in Monterrey Marble. Carved a 6-ton block of black marble, 1 meter x 2 meters x 1 meter in Huasteca mountains, Nueva Leon, Mexico, October, 2007. Sculpture exhibited in Museum of Contemporary Art, Monterrey, Mexico.
2005 Commission to create a stone sculpture in honor of the 14th Dalai Lama`s visit to Stanford University.
2003 `River Bedroom` - Site specific installation, Sculpture Meadow on the Hudson, for the City of Yonkers.
`River Bed`, `Endtable Embankments`, and walk-through `Wave Mirror`, marble and limestone. Yonkers, NY.
2000 International Wood Sculpture Symposium, Sigtuna, Sweden. Carved a 14`x8` sculpture/bench in pine, Klakbakken Forest, Sweden. Purchased by the Hotelkristina Conference Center, Sweden, as a public sculpture in the environment.
1995-96 Guest Instructor - Stone Carving. School of Visual Arts, NYC.
1995 Stone Sculpture Symposium `Art on Main Street` - Yonkers, NY, H.U.D. grant. Created a 13-foot limestone and slate sculpture/bench on the Hudson Riverfront. Instructed participating inner city high school students in stone carving.
1990-94 Special Guest Lecturer - Graduate School of Figurative Art, New York Academy of Art, NYC. `Stone Carving - Method, Magic and Marble`.
1990 Stone Carving Instructor - Five Towns Music and Art Foundation, Hewlett, LI.
1989 Marble Restoration - Victor Carle Antiques, NYC; St. Patrick`s Cathedral, The Lady Chapel, NYC; Bethesda
Fountain Restoration Project, Central Park, NYC.
1988 Initiated, organized and participant in three-day symposium carving local stone in Woodstock, NY.
1983-1995 Established a studio workspace in Pietrasanta, Italy.
1977 Assistant to sculptor Arturo di Modica, NYC.
1976 Guest of International Stone Sculpture Symposium, Baltimore, MD. Completed a marble sculpture in an urban environment.
1975 Participant in First International Stone Sculpture Symposium, Harper`s Ferry, W VA, sponsored by Museum Without Walls. Completed an environmental 1-1/2 ton marble sculpture in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
1975-77 Assistant to sculptor Minoru Niizuma, NYC.
SUSAN ABRAHAM
Stone Sculptor
Professional Affiliations
Organization of Independent Artists
The Poverty Awareness Coalition
Stone Sculpture Society of New York (one of the founding members, 1976-1986)
Maya Lin, Louise Bourgeouis, Isamu Noguchi
2003 - Sculpture Meadow on the Hudson, Yonkers, NY. River Bedroom with River Bed, Endtable Embankments, and Walk-Through Mirror - Marble and Limestone.
