F R O M T H E S T A C K S
The
Metalwork
of Albert
Paley
S T O R Y B Y
Christine Kaminsky
“It would be difficult to remain unaffected by his constructions,”
Allan Peterson observed of Albert Paley’s early career in the
April 1973
C ra ft Horizons.
The now-acclaimed metal sculptor
was then focused on jewelry, primarily complex, fanciful
forms, in outsized dimensions.
Paley, who maintains a studio in Rochester,
N Y , transitioned to large-scale sculptural
and architectural metalwork beginning
with the massive
Portal Gates
at the Ren-
wick Gallery. Since then he has completed
more than 50 site-specific works. His monu-
mental sculptures in Rochester—
Threshold,
at the Klein Steel headquarters, and
Senti-
nel,
at the Rochester Institute of Technolo-
gy—are, respectively, the subject of a book
and a
p b s
documentary. Paley’s latest pub-
lic piece,
Evanesce,
towering at 100 feet,
is part of an urban project in Monterrey,
Mexico, and the fabrication of four sculp-
tures for the 24th Street Bridge in Council
Bluffs, ia , is underway.
The recipient of many honors, Paley is
the first metal sculptor to receive a lifetime
achievement award for integrating art with
architecture from the American Institute of
Architects. He was elected to the American
Craft Council’s College of Fellows in 1994.
The artist’s work can now be seen in
a solo show at Grounds for Sculpture in
Hamilton, NJ, until April 18. Another one-
man show will open in May at the Memorial
Art Gallery in Rochester. “Sketches to
Steel: The Design Process of Sculptor
Albert Paley,” scheduled to begin touring
in July through ExhibitsUS A, will present
drawings, studies, maquettes and in-situ
photographs selected from Paley’s archives.
Mildred F. Schmertz, contributing editor
for
Architecture
magazine, notes, “The ulti-
mate meaning in a sequence of Paley draw-
ings is to be found in its outcome: a work
in metal, wrought with consummate skill.” *
To read the entire
Craft Horizons
article,
visit us at americancraftmag.org.
At the heart of the sixth
floor of 72 Spring Street
in New York City is
the American Craft
Council library, one of
the largest collections
in this country of craft,
art and design books
documenting the studio
craft movement from
the 1940s to the present.
The over 14,000 volumes
include the Council’s
67-year publishing
history-all past issues
of
Craft Horizons
and
American Craft. W e’d
like to share some of this
amazing past with you
each issue as we dig
though the stacks. And
if you happen to be in
New York, the library
is open to the public
by appointment.
072 american craft dec/jan io
Find more magazines at www.magazinesdownload.com
