Sculptor Steven Siegel, known for making art out of what
many might regard as trash, will speak on his work on Tuesday, Feb.
19, at 6 p.m. in the Reamer Campus Center Auditorium.
Siegel, of Red Hook, N.Y., considers himself a
traditional artist who gravitates toward unconventional materials
and methods. Often relying on community support for
materials and construction, he uses things like discarded newspaper,
plastics and shredded rubber to create sculptures that sit in
bucolic outdoor settings that change or corrode over time. A
committed environmentalist, he is quick to point out that he creates art,
not political statements: “I'm fascinated by fundamental
questions of aesthetics – how and why do we find beauty?”
Siegel studied at Pratt Institute, Hampshire College
and the University of Colorado. He is a 2002 artists' fellowship
recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts.
The talk is sponsored by the Mandeville Gallery at
Union College's Nott Memorial, and the Environmental Clearinghouse
of Schenectady.