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Mass shooting memorial wins outdoor sculpture competition for Doster

Decorated South Carolinian wins in North Carolina

The winning sculpture by Bob Doster, A Memorial
Bob Doster is no stranger to accolades, and now he has another. The Lancaster sculptor's all-too-timely entry in the 33rd Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition won first place in the late July. A Memorial 2014-2018 "is a memorial to those lost to senseless violence for the years 2014-2018. each figure represents a lost soul rising to the heavens," according to the artist statement. The tragedies this past weekend in Texas and Ohio render the work unfortunately relevant. In the High Country Press, competition juror Bill Brown from Anvil Arts said, “This is a strong thought-provoking piece created in stainless steel that addresses senseless gun violence as it memorializes victims of mass shootings. I believe it is a must-see piece of art.” If you want to do just that, head to Boone, North Carolina and the campus of Appalachian State University. The sculptures are to be displayed until May 2020.
Bob DosterDoster is an award-winning, nationally acclaimed artist who has been creating and teaching for more than 50 years. Prestigious awards include the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor's Award for the Arts in 2006. Doster has been named Keeper of Culture by the York Heritage & Cultural Commission, Hero of the Child by SC First Steps, Small Business of the Years by Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce, CN2 Hometown Hero and received City of Lancaster Mayoral Proclamation. Doster has been featured in publications and broadcasts including Southern Living Magazine, Carolina Arts, Sandlapper, SCETV, Arts Hub, National Welders Magazine, and a myriad of newspapers and travel magazines. Works by Doster can be found in museums, galleries, public art, corporate and private collections worldwide.

Tuning Up: New Doster sculpture + arts teacher honored

Good morning!  "Tuning Up" is a morning post series where The Hub delivers curated, quick-hit arts stories of interest to readers. Sometimes there will be one story, sometimes there will be several. Get in tune now, and have a masterpiece of a day. And now, in no particular order...


Spartanburg spreads the love. There's some new public art in Spartanburg with an unmistakable message. I Love You was unveiled yesterday in the city's Morgan Square. Students from the S.C. School for the Deaf and Blind spent a bit more than a year working with teaching artist Bob Doster, a metal sculptor and 2006 recipient of the Verner Award in the artist category, on the work – the American Sign Language signal for "I love you." An Arts in Basic Curriculum Project grant from SCAC helped make the collaboration possible. Speaking of the Verner Award, please see below. Florence One arts teacher takes home title. Another week, another big win for arts education in the school district: Moore Intermediate School arts teacher Sharri Duncan was named the district's 2018/2019 teacher of the year. (Last week, the district announced a massive investment in arts education, though the two news items are not related. - Ed.) When presented with her financial prize, Duncan – whose parents were both teachers – pledged to spend it on her students. Congratulations, Sharri!

Evergreen (for now): Time is running out!

  • Nominations for the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Awards for the Arts (right) are due Thursday, Nov. 8. All it takes to start the process of awarding an artist, arts organization, business or foundation, government entity, individual, or arts educator/institution one of these prestigious awards for significant contributions to the arts in South Carolina is one letter. Don't wait. Find out more now! (Noms for the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards are due at the same time. Here's info on those.)
  • Applications for $5,000 individual artist fellowships are also due Thursday, Nov. 8. Unrestricted awards will honor achievement in visual arts, craft, music composition, and music performance. Don't miss out!

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The man of steel: Lancaster artist shaping heavy metal and young artistic minds

Artist, students creating a legacy with sculpture at Indian Land school

Harrisburg Elementary School in Lancaster County received a $10,155 Arts in Basic Curriculum Advancement grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission. These grants support ongoing comprehensive planning, strategic projects and implementation of standards-based arts education initiatives. Find out more about the ABC Project. From the The Fort Mill Times Article and photos by Stephanie Marks Martell

Bob Doster at Harrisburg ElementaryHarrisburg Elementary is the latest school in Lancaster County School District to create its own unique legacy sculpture with local artist Bob Doster, who has been working with schools and students since the 1970s. Approximately 150 fifth graders each drew a self portrait on steel. Doster helped them use a plasma cutter to finish the pieces. He will assemble the individual portraits into the final piece, which will be displayed in front of the school. The sculpture is designed to be cumulative, with the option for future students to add onto it in coming years. The project was funded through a state Arts in Basic Curriculum grant. This is Harrisburg Elementary’s first year receiving the grant, which will also be used for professional development for teachers and a puppet show, says Harrisburg Elementary art teacher Melissa Hinson. “All of our schools have worked with Bob,” said Hinson, who first met Doster at a pottery demonstration at Beaufort Elementary. “He does a good job. He’s always willing to be a teacher,” Hinson said. “Bob’s been around students so long now, he’s good at knowing what to say. He knows that this is new to them and it’s great to see that patience modeled.” doster_harrisburg_elem-9164Harrisburg Elementary third grade teacher Jennifer Galbraith recalls working on a project with Doster to create a bench nearly 20 years ago when she was a student at North Elementary in Lancaster. “I remember it was really cool that my bench was there when I was teaching there,” Galbraith said. “A lot of our teachers have been students under him at some point. I run into them all over the state,” Hinson said. “I just wanted the students to meet him. I’m always a big fan of children using materials they wouldn’t normally use. When again are they going to use a plasma cutter? Probably never. They were all terrified, and then they walked away saying, ‘That was great.’”

Two S.C. artists among winners of National Outdoor Sculpture Competition

[gallery ids="12501,12502,12503"] Seventy-five sculpture artists from across the nation applied to the 9th Annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition organized by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department. Two of the 11 artists chosen for the exhibition are from South Carolina: Bob Doster of Lancaster and Kevin Eichner of Hilton Head. The exhibition was presented as a component of the 2014 North Charleston Arts Festival and is displayed at the North Charleston Riverfront Park through March 25, 2015. This unique, 11-month exhibition offers established and emerging artists the opportunity to display their thought provoking, extraordinary sculptures, as well as compete for up to $16,250 in honorariums and awards. "The natural beauty of Riverfront Park offers the ideal setting for each of these remarkable sculptures,” said juror Brad Thomas, director of residencies & exhibitions at the McColl Center in Charlotte, N.C. “I have long been a proponent of art outside the confines of museum and gallery walls. Sculpture in public spaces can serve to intrigue those who may be considered excluded from the world of art. By virtue of its placement, art in public spaces serves as ambassador, possessing the potential to break down perceived barriers of exclusivity and unlock a lifetime of creative thought and inquiry.” The 11 sculptures selected for exhibition are by 11 artists from seven states. Congratulations to the winners of the 2014/15 National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition:

  • An Ode to Architectural Form (painted steel) by Jordan Krutsch - Greenville, N.C (Best in Show)
  • Duet (reclaimed steel) by Kevin Eichner - Hilton Head Island, S.C (Outstanding Merit)
  • Cloud Rain (steel) by Jeffie Brewer – Nacogdoches, Texas (Honorable Mention)
  • Slice of Heaven (concrete & limestone) by Craig Gray - Key West, Fla. (Honorable Mention)
  • Summit (granite, glass, stainless steel) by Antoinette Priene Schultze - Eliot, Maine (Honorable Mention)
  • PC Column (powder coated steel) by Carl Billingsley - Ayden, N.C.
  • Dancer (stainless steel) by Bob Doster - Lancaster, S.C
  • Tumbling Towards the Sun (steel) by Gary Gresko - Oriental, N.C.
  • Growth & Direction (forged & fabricated steel/perforated steel) by Corrina Sephora Mensoff - Atlanta, Ga.
  • Foreversphere (polyethylene) by Matthew Newman - Damascus, Va.
  • The Dance (cor-ten steel) by Davis Whitfield, IV - Sylva, N.C.
View photographs of the 11 works online at NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com. Sculpture sites are located throughout North Charleston Riverfront Park, located at 1001 Everglades Avenue on the former Charleston Naval Base. The park is set on the banks of the Cooper River. In addition to the sculptures, visitors may enjoy 10 acres of walking paths, a performance pavilion, picnic shelter, a fishing pier and boardwalk, an oversized sandbox, and children’s play fountain. The park is open daily during daylight hours. Admission and parking are free. For more information call the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843-740-5854 or email culturalarts@northcharleston.org. Via: North Charleston Cultural Arts Department

Student’s artwork tops sculpture

From the Spartanburg Herald-Journal: (Story by Zach Fox. Photos by Alex Hicks Jr. Click on the SHJ link above to see more photos.)

A Cleveland Academy of Leadership student got to see one of his drawings take shape in the form of a metal sculpture that will be installed in front of the school.
Metal sculptor Bob Doster has been at the school this week working on a sculpture as part of an arts grant from the Chapman Cultural Center. On Friday, he showed a group of first-graders the finished but unpainted sculpture. At the top of the piece, are faces of children, drawn and designed by first-grader Elijah Roseburgh. “I drew my friends because they're my best friends and they're nice to me,” he said, adding that he was very excited to see his design come to life. Doster worked with all grade levels during the past four days to create a sculpture fitting the school's motto “Leader in me.” “The kindergartners did the best job. They're fearless,” he said, adding that older students are more conscious of people watching them. He said the kindergartners were awed by the plasma cutter, the tool he uses to cut metal, and the act of cutting the metal. He said the kindergartners were the best at taking instruction and following his lead. Doster said that he began working with metal as a child, first picking up a torch when he was 8 years old. He's been working with students since 1975 and estimates he's sculpted with more than 100,000 students. Claire Louka, art teacher at Cleveland Academy, said she was excited to have a metal sculptor in the classroom because sculpting, especially with metal, is something most elementary schools don't get to do. “I wanted a metal sculptor because it's not something we can really do in class,” she said. Louka gathered her students together Friday afternoon and had to work to maintain their attention. On Fridays, students can get a little restless, she said. She had the class form a neat line at the door. Once they were quiet and lined-up, the students went outside to see the finished sculpture as the primer covering it dried. The sculpture weighs about 200 pounds and features a tiger and the number seven, symbolizing the seven habits of effective people which emphasizes leadership skills. The number seven also represents School District 7. Elijah beamed with pride when he saw his work at the top of the sculpture. “I like drawing a lot,” he said. “This is cool.”
Via: Spartanburg Herald Journal
 

S.C. teaching artists highlighted on Americans for the Arts blog

The South Carolina Arts Commission was honored to be asked to contribute to an Americans for the Arts blog salon on teaching artists. Many thanks to the four artists highlighted: Bob Doster of Lancaster, Patz Fowle of Hartsville, Francee Levin of Columbia, and Glenis Redmond of Greenville. (Image: Glenis Redmond with student)

Rich in Rewards: Why Teaching Artists Teach Glenis Redmond with studentWhy do some artists decide to teach? For many, the attraction is a desire to connect students to a creative process and to the larger arts community. For others, teaching fuels their work as artists. The South Carolina Arts Commission’s Roster of Approved Artists includes more than 900 artists who have been approved to conduct residencies and performances in schools. Many have been teaching for as long as they’ve been artists. We wanted to know more, so we asked four Roster artists about their experiences. Read the artist interviews here: http://blog.artsusa.org/2014/03/13/rich-in-rewards-why-teaching-artists-teach/

Milly

Sculptor Bob Doster’s impact on students profiled on Palmetto Scene

Artist Bob Doster of Lancaster is a fixture on the artist residency scene in schools around the state. He is a member of the South Carolina Arts Commission's Roster of Approved Artists, he was named an Individual Artist Fellow in 2006, and his work is in the State Art Collection. (Image: sculpture created at Indian Land High School.) From The Lancaster News:
Fort Mill High School sculptureOver the course of a career that spans some 30-plus years, Bob Doster has mentored, taught and encouraged more than 100,000 public school arts students throughout the Carolinas.
That is the premise of a feature on Doster which airs 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, on “Palmetto Scene,” an S.C. Educational Television (SCETV) production.
Locally, the program airs on Comporium cable on Channel 116. SCETV Producer John Bullington said Doster was profiled because of the impact he has made, and continues to make, in the lives of students. “Throughout the state, Bob Doster’s name is synonymous with his metal palmetto tree designs, but I thought it would be good to focus on his work in education,” Bullington said. Palmetto Scene is a new series that profiles, and shares, the special people and places that give South Carolina its flavor. “No one realizes the amount of stuff he (Doster) has done,” Bullington said. The almost five-minute profile focuses on how Doster works with students to help them design metal sculptures for their school grounds. Also featured in the segment are Lancaster, Indian Land and Fort Mill art teachers, Dianne Mahaffee, Teresa Petty and Susan Miller. “One thing I was impressed with is, he (Doster) is no nonsense,” Bullington said. “He works on deadlines because he wants students to know what ‘real-world’ experiences are like.” Doster said he stresses to budding artists the importance of honoring commitments on time, doing a quality job and sticking to budgets. Art may be art, but it is also a business. He also explained why working with students has become a passion to him. “I've always enjoyed the opportunity to let the students be creative on their own,” he said. “With the sculptures, particularly, they start on Monday with just an idea and by Thursday, they have a 3-D sculpture.” Doster said he has worked with school districts in both Carolinas that have “lots of money” for projects, as well as districts with little or no money. Regardless of circumstances, he encourages students to make the most of the resources they have. It’s vital, he said, for students to understand the importance of presenting a project of quality. “I take the talent I have, no matter how good or bad it is, and work with that,” he said laughing. “I tell them, ‘I don’t care how ugly it is because it has your name on it.’ I say this to motivate them to do their best.” Doster said he reminds students their work may not always be accepted. Even when it’s not, they should never give up. “The philosophy I bring is, ‘I expect you to do a grown-up level of work and for every 10 projects you go after, you feel successful if one gets selected,’” he said. Doster said the end result is always the same. “I just like seeing the kids’ faces light up when they accomplish something they couldn’t imagine four days earlier,” he said.
Via: The Lancaster News

Public art nearly ready for installation in downtown Florence

According to SCNow, the City of Florence, S.C., is making progress in installing public art downtown. Artists Patz Fowle, Mike Fowle and Bob Doster are creating large sculptures for the city. (View photos of artists Patz and Mike Fowle at work on their sculpture.)

Blamity blam.

That’s the sound the 20-foot tall steel sculpture named Big Bleu Birdnanna with a kinetic beak and eye piece would make, artist Patz Fowle said along with her husband and artist, Mike.

It is also the sound of progress in the arts, she said.

The local, well-known artistic duo designed and will be soon constructing the giant powder coated, steel sculpture in downtown as the city’s push for public art that began last year gets underway. (Image of sculpture fabrication pictured below.)

“Your eye lands on sculpture and it’s on public art and it brings you back again and again, and I think that’s going to bring people to Florence, even more than they do now,” Fowle said. “And then with the museum and you got the cultural arts corridor and got the Performing Arts Center, and it’s all blam, blamity blam.”

The sculpture, which Fowle describes as if “Alexander Calder gets put in a blender with Pee Wee Herman’s brain and all the people that go along with him and a little Dr. Seuss and a whole lot of us,” will sit in the green space next to the Waters building on South Dargan Street.

Ray Reich, downtown development manager of the city of Florence, said location is the challenge for public art downtown.

“The biggest challenge has been where we looked at locations, and certainly wall art has lot of opportunity and we’re only limited by funds for stuff on open walls, but in terms of actual physical pieces, the problem has been the game keeps changing in terms of development projects coming about,” Reich said. “We can’t put a piece of art there or building there or development there, and so it’s a good problem to have. So as we move forward some property is going private, and we’re talking about art on there with the property owners.”

Another spot that will become the city’s newest gallery space is the southwest part of the wall in the James Allen Plaza where Lancaster-based sculptor Bob Doster will hang a 6-foot circular stainless steel piece of the city of Florence logo. The area will also be home to three, 3-foot disks designed by local students featuring the Carolina wren, the swallowtail butterfly and marsh tacky horses as well as 8-foot tall palmetto tree and crescent moon closer toward where the courtyard meets Victor’s Bistro.

“This project lended itself to student involvement. When at all possible I like to get community involvement in it,” Doster said. “It’s a piece of Florence. I like to do that whenever possible. The kids will come up with some nice ideas, and I’ll work with them to refine it.”

Students from Briggs Elementary, Southside Middle School and Wilson High School provided their versions of the state symbols that is expected to go up next Wednesday.

“My feeling is I hope it brightens up the wall and it gets them thinking about how things can be,” Doster said, who has public art throughout the state. “When you start adding sculptural elements to downtown, it livens up the whole downtown. People see this and want to go around and see it, and it just adds to ambiance for downtown and that’s what I hope people get out of it.”

The projects, which total just under $30,000, are funded in part from Rediscover Downtown Florence membership dollars and part of the Sunday alcohol sale permits, Reich said.

“What we hope is between Sunday alcohol money and the membership money, if we continue to do well in future, we’re it hoping that we’ll have $35,000 to $40,000 every year to acquire public art,” Reich said. “It can take so many different forms, only limited by imagination and funds involved.”

Fowle said Florence is ready for contemporary art in the heart of its historic district.

“You want to walk up to it and come around a corner and see it, and you want to see other people seeing it for the first time, freaking out for the first time,” she said. “Florence is so ready, we are so ready, they’re ready or they wouldn’t have said yes.”

Via: SC Now