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/ Exhibitions / 34th Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition

34th Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition

June 1, 2020 – April 15, 2021(This exhibition has passed.)

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, nine sculptures have been selected, with an additional work of sculpture installed at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM).

Due to COVID-19, the 34th Annual Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition has been modified. Juror Rachel Stevens will host a virtual tour of this year’s sculpture finalists on July 25 2020 at 10 am. The award winners will be announced during the 2021 Appalachian Summer Festival. Cash prizes are awarded to three artists whose work is chosen by the juror.

This program is made possible by the generous support of the Martin & Doris Rosen Giving Fund/Debbie Rosen Davidson and David Rosen and the Charles & Nancy Rosenblatt Foundation.

Light Pulse by Hanna Jubran, 34th Annual Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition

Light Pulse by Hanna Jubran, 34th Annual Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition

Sculptures

The Dance, 2018

Wayne Vaughn
Graham, NC

Painted steel, patina steel
7.5’ x 4’ x 4’

Artist statement

Nature and industry inspire my work. I strive to bring animation, balance and intrigue to my work, playing with gravity, but keeping trust between the piece and its landscape. My hope is that my work invites the viewer to play, question, and respond. It is a great honor to have my work recognized. I love to bring animation to cold hard steel. My greatest satisfaction is bringing a smile, inciting a conversation or inspiring a new creation.

About the artist

Wayne Vaughn is a builder, musician and sculptor. As an apprentice to a master carpenter, Vaughn enjoyed a successful building career that spanned four decades. Music plays an important part in his life as founding member of the 30-year-old Triangle Brass Band. Rooted in this combination of physical skill and know-how, dedication, and creative pursuit, his career as sculptor was fostered. Very quickly his bold, geometric, large-scale works began winning awards and the attention of regional and national shows.

For more information, visit www.thesculpturefarm.com

The Dance

About the juror

A native of the Northeast (Connecticut, Maryland and New York), Rachel Stevens received her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and her MFA from Syracuse University. She attended The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture while still an undergrad at MICA. Rachel’s passion for art serves as a flying carpet of sorts, inspiring travels to many countries around the world, including a Fulbright to Nepal. While in Nepal, Rachel studied ancient copper casting techniques practiced by Newari Buddhist icon makers and sojourned to sites that are sacred to Buddhist and Hindu pilgrims. These experiences culminated in her collaboration with the copper artisans of Sulav Studios, in Patan, Nepal, and the creation of two contemporary installations that conceptually and aesthetically blend elements of East and West. Rachel remains active with the Fulbright program. She served as a Program Reviewer from 2007-09 and was appointed a Fulbright Ambassador in 2010. In this capacity she promotes the Fulbright program to university communities and artist residencies across the United States. Rachel exhibits her sculpture nationally and is represented by Zane Bennett Gallery in Santa Fe, NM. She has received numerous grants and awards, including a Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant. She lovingly restored a historic adobe duplex located in downtown Las Cruces, NM that serves as her home base and studio. Rachel has taught sculpture at New Mexico State University since 1994.

Virtual Sculpture Walk with the Juror

About the Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition

Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition logo

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.

Martin & Doris Rosen

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

828-262-7520

reddingm@appstate.edu