NSS Community Exhibition: The National Sculpture Society in Texas and Oklahoma

Juried by Angela Mia De la Vega, FNSS; LaQuincey Reed, NSS; and Kent Ullberg, FNSS

Works by Reynaldo Alaniz, Carol Cook, Kathie Cox, Michelle Crider, Darrell Davis, Angela Mia De la Vega, Mick Doellinger, Paul Ray Effinger, John Guest, Jimmy Hill, Harold Holden, Donella Lay, Nancy Little, Robert Pratt, LaQuincey Reed, Allison Streett, Caris Turpen, Kent Ullberg, Garland Weeks, and Deran Wright.

December 2, 2022 - January 28, 2023

Program Gallery

The diversity of material and subject matter includes artworks in bronze, aluminum, steel, ceramic, gypsum, stone, wood and resin, featuring animal and human portraiture as well as fantasy and sea-based subject matter.

The show highlights a variety of art, styles, and interests of the Texas and Oklahoma NSS Community. Allison Streett, from Crowley, TX, hopes her sculpture sparks a dialogue amongst gallery visitors on the topic of art. "One of the functions of art that most interests me is its ability to make space for conversations," says Streett. "According to Leo Tolstoy, this communication through art 'is a means of union among men, joining them together in the same feeling, and indispensable for the life and progress toward well-being of individuals and of humanity.' It is my hope and privilege to participate in this process through the work of my hands." Jimmy Hill, from Azle, TX, is an award-winning musician as well as an accomplished visual artist. Through sculpture, painting and song writing, Hill explores the depths of the human experience. "Art for me is staying in every moment, letting go for dear life, and when you are inspired to create something, you use the mediums that you have on hand." Wood carver, Michelle Crider, explores the patterns she finds in the extraordinary -- and the ordinary -- environs of her hometown of Weatherford, TX. "I see abstract shapes and movement in nature and try to express that through design with wood. I have experimented with other mediums but like the organic nature of wood." The assortment of subject matter and media exhibited accurately represents the diverse backgrounds and disciplines of NSS Community members.

A Jury of Awards will meet at a later date to decide four prizes and will include Darrell Davis, FNSS; Garland Weeks, FNSS; and Andrew Eschelbacher, PhD., Director of Collections and Exhibitions, Amon Carter Museum of American Art (Fort Worth, TX). The prizes include casting awards, NSS Associate membership, a photography package, social media and print advertising promotions, and a People's Choice Award. National Sculpture Society is grateful to Pyrology Foundry & Studio, Bastrop, TX, for underwriting the costs of the exhibition, and to all the prize donors for their generous support.

The NSS Ambassador Community Program is an initiative that is helping the NSS organization reach an expanded audience of sculptors across the country on a grass roots level. Each community serves as a resource for NSS members, interested artists, and the public. Ambassadors are the primary contact for each NSS Community, in collaboration with the NSS offices in New York City. They help facilitate communication amongst the members of their communities and organize meetings and events with the group. Ambassadors share information about the National Sculpture Society and its various programs, such as educational workshops and classes, exhibitions, publications, prizes and awards, and other opportunities that encourage sculptors and promote sculpture.