September 11 - October 30, 2004

findings

WINIFRED LUTZ – GALLERY JOE

Philadelphia, PA- Gallery Joe is pleased to present findings, new paper works by sculptor and installation artist Winifred Lutz. findings is Lutz’s second solo show at Gallery Joe and is installed in both galleries. findings opens on Saturday, September 11 and runs through October 30, 2004.

The translucency of paper remains a guiding principle for Lutz in much of the work in this exhibition. Sheets with translucent windows reveal ambiguous voids. Cast translucent volumes contain shadows and colors that cannot be defined. However, in findings the focus of the subject matter shifts decidedly to the mystery of the natural world. Some of the objects incorporate found materials, such as avocado hulls and stones, along with hand made papers. Several of the sculptures are only a few inches in length.

In the Vault, Lutz has installed four works made of cast paper and the bark of trees that she has gathered over the years while walking in the woods in various places. Her forms suggest the mythological. Some glow with no obvious source of light and seemingly massive objects miraculously hang in free space, while others appear to transform into mysterious creatures.

Widely recognized for her site-integrated installation sculpture, Winifred Lutz is also renowned for the work she has done in handmade paper over the past 35 years. She is a primary innovator in the field of hand papermaking as an art form. Her travel in Japan and Korea to observe papermaking methods and tools has given her a perspective on the craft that has allowed her to combine European and Asian techniques. These hybrid processes have been the source of various techniques for paper casting, sheet forming and other methods directly related to creating art in this medium. She has lectured nationally and internationally on her unique casting methods.

Lutz’s work has been exhibited in Europe, Asia, North and South America, and Israel. She has done installations at the Brooklyn Museum Grand Lobby, Brooklyn Bridge Anchorage, Institute of Contemporary Art of the University of Pennsylvania, Historic Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia and Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. Her permanent public commissions include the garden at the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh and a memorial for the Pennsylvania Recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor in Harrisburg (with artist Stacy Levy), and a large garden for the Center of Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia. Ongoing public projects include the New Schuylkill River Park (with Stacy Levy) in Philadelphia. Winifred Lutz has been a recipient of many awards including the NEA Visual Arts Fellowship, the PEW Fellowship in the Arts, and a Creative Time Project Grant. She lives and works in Pennsylvania and is currently Professor of Sculpture at Tyler School of Art of Temple University in Philadelphia. In 2000 she was named Laura H. Carnell Professor of Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture.

The hand made papers in this exhibition were created both in Lutz’s studio and at Dieu Donné Paper Mill in New York City.

findings opens Saturday, September 11 and runs through October 30, 2004. The artist will be present at an opening reception on Saturday, September 11 from 3:30 – 5:30 P.M. Regular gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday 12 – 5:30, other days by appointment. For additional information contact Becky Kerlin, 215.592.7752, FAX 215.238.6923. For more information see www.galleryjoe.com