The Rosen Sculpture Competition and Exhibition is a national juried competition presented annually by An Appalachian Summer Festival and the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. Since its establishment by Martin and Doris Rosen in 1987, the Rosen Competition continues a tradition of showcasing contemporary American sculpture in outdoor settings across the campus of Appalachian State University. This year, ten sculptures have been selected. Cash prizes are awarded to three artists whose work is chosen by the juror and will be announced at the annual sculpture walk and awards reception– a highlight of every summer festival season.
To celebrate the 33rd anniversary of this dynamic program, join competition juror Bill Brown on an educational outdoor tour of the 10 selected sculptures from this year’s competition. The tour concludes at the Schaefer Center with an awards reception.
Made possible by the continued support and generosity of the Rosen Family: The Martin & Doris Rosen Giving Fund/Debbie Rosen Davidson and David Rosen/Charles & Nancy Rosenblatt Foundation.
A Memorial, Bob Doster. Winner of 33 Annual Rosen Sculpture Competition
Sculptures
- Fiddlehead; David Boyajian
- Back Home Again; Derek Chalfant
- Merlin’s Compass; Robert (Bob) Coon
- A Memorial; Bob Doster
- Learn to Fly; Brian Glaze
- Earth, Water, Fire, Wind; Hanna Jubran
- Rybee House; Stephen Klema
- When the Spirits Soar; Beau Lyday
- Child’s Play Revisited; Shawn Morin
- Adam Meets Eve; Glenn Zweygardt
About the juror
Bill Brown is a sculptor and painter who lives and works in Linville, North Carolina. His sculptures are featured in many private and public collections and have appeared in numerous exhibitions and invitationals in museums and galleries across the United States. Brown has participated in artists’ residences at Penland School of Crafts, the Vermont Studio Center and the Windgrove Center in Australia. He often shares his extensive knowledge of sculpture at various conferences and educational facilities. Brown’s sculpture series, “Refugee” is currently featured at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts in Gallery B.
About the curator
Mary Anne Redding is the curator and creative director of the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University. Mary Anne has more than thirty-years-experience working as a curator, archivist, librarian, educator, and arts administrator. Prior to joining the Turchin Center, Redding was the Curator of the Marion Center for Photographic Arts and the Chair of the Photography Department at Santa Fe University of Art & Design. Previously, she was the Curator of Photography for the Palace of the Governors/New Mexico History Museum.
She holds a B.A. in English Literature from Ohio University, an M.A. in Arts Administration from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, an M.L.S. from the University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana, as well as an advanced certificate in Museum Studies from Arizona State University. She has written and published numerous essays on photography and contemporary art and also actively guest curates exhibitions at museums around the country.
Since the summer of 2014, at Appalachian State University, Redding has curated the organization’s numerous exhibitions including associated programming. She has worked closely with the university’s Department of Art, Appalachian Studies and a wide variety of other campus and community groups to make gallery resources available to all.
About the Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition
This nationally recognized juried competition, established in 1987, has long been credited with enhancing the cultural landscape of the High Country region, while serving as a highlight and point of pride for the university’s summer arts festival, An Appalachian Summer Festival. Reflecting the vision and generosity of Martin and Doris Rosen, an extraordinary couple whose lives were shaped by the spirit of public service and philanthropy, the competition brings a remarkable array of contemporary sculpture to our campus and community. Each year, ten sculptures are selected for exhibition, and are situated in outdoor, public settings across the university campus. A cash prize is awarded to the artist whose work is chosen as each year’s Rosen Award winner, which is announced by the juror at the popular Annual Sculpture Walk, a highlight of every summer festival season. In the last several years, two additional sculptures have been selected. One is installed on campus at Appalachian House and another at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum. Over the years, the exhibition program has earned an international reputation for showcasing the finest in contemporary sculpture, and has become a source of inspiration for thousands of visitors, area residents, and members of the university community who enjoy access to a diverse and ever-changing selection of outdoor sculpture each season.
Martin & Doris Rosen
Vision, generosity, and a pursuit of excellence are some of the many qualities that characterized the lives of Martin and Doris Rosen. From their years devoted to building a successful business, to their lives after retirement, revolving around family, philanthropy, and a commitment to the arts, this exceptional couple left an indelible mark on the communities in which they lived and worked. Thanks to the continuing generosity of the Rosen Family, Martin and Doris’s legacy of support for quality visual arts programming has been continued by their children, and enables this beloved exhibition program to continue to develop and flourish. In July 1997, the Rosens donated Hephaestus, a large commissioned sculpture by Bruce White, to Appalachian State’s Permanent Collection, and it adorns the Rivers Street frontage area of the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts to this day. On the occasion of the Rosens’ 50th wedding anniversary in October 1999, their children established the Martin and Doris Rosen Scholarship to assist rising junior or senior art majors at Appalachian State. Tireless supporters of the arts, the Rosen Family has given so much of themselves over the years to ensure that the arts remain a strong foundation of campus and community life in the High Country. We wish to extend to them our deepest appreciation.
Contact us
Please address all inquiries to:
Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition
c/o Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
PO Box 32139
423 West King Street
Boone, NC 28608
828-262-3017