Group from Alfred University attends International Sculpture Conference

woman sitting at desk with computer — A worker at the Johnson Atelier Digital Sculpture Studio demonstrates the process of taking a 3D digital print form mold to bronze casting. A group of Alfred University faculty and students visited the studio while attending the recent International Sculpture Conference.

Several faculty and graduate students from the Sculpture Dimensional Studies program in Alfred University’s School of Art and Design attended the 30th International Sculpture Conference, held Oct. 10-15 in Jersey City, NJ.

The group of four faculty and six MFA students attended the conference with funding from an Emerson Foundation Grant. The conference included panel discussions, exhibitions, and keynote conversations. Attendees also toured the prestigious Grounds for Sculpture Park and the Johnson Atelier Digital Sculpture Studio.

The International Sculpture Conference was sponsored and organized by the International Sculpture Center, a nonprofit arts organization founded in 1960 to advance the creation and understanding of sculpture and its unique and vital contribution to society.

Faculty from Alfred University who attended were Coral Lambert, professor of sculpture; Sarah Blood, associate professor of glass; Rebecca Arday, assistant professor of glass; and Erin Taylor, digital fabrication lab specialist. Graduate students in attendance were Heidi Mortenson, Rhiannon Scheidt, Claire Cadorette, C Hancock, Toomas Toomepuu, and Anna Yiaxi Savvidou.

Sculpture faculty tour Jersey City town hall — Several faculty and graduate students from the Sculpture Dimensional Studies program at Alfred University attended the recent International Sculpture Conference in Jersey City, NJ. Pictured above at the Jersey City Town Hall are, from left, faculty members Sarah Blood, Rebecca Arday, and Coral Lambert.

One of the notable moments from the conference was when the group toured the Johnson Atelier, a large commercial production facility for sculpture, where attendees saw demonstrations of the digital tools employed at the facility— which includes 3D printing, 3D scanning, and CNC (computer numerical control) milling.

Conference presentations included "Radical Practices and Expanded Sculpture in Mexico," where panelists who had traveled from Mexico introduced sculptural work there. Panelists spoke about overarching concepts in contemporary Mexican sculpture, such as reinventing traditional motifs, reclaiming the past by making it present today, and trying to make “the invisible, visible.” Other informative panels were held on “Eco Feminist approaches to Land Art” and “The Digital Sculptor’s Studio: Exploring the Convergence of Artistry and Technology,” in which four artists shared the use of digital tools in their artistic practice.

The contingent from Alfred University attended networking events, artist open studio tours, the 2023 ISC Outstanding Student Awards Exhibition, and took advantage of optional art and culture trips to New York City.