ISC Sculpture Residency in Switzerland with sculptor Heinz Aeschlimann

Feb. 5, 2008 – Baton Rouge, LA. Announced today, The Aeschlimanns have chosen Jonathan Pellitteri, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana as the Student Award winner for the Sculpture Residency in Switzerland. The International Sculpture Center (ISC) has established the Sculpture Residency in Switzerland in cooperation with sculptor Heinz Aeschlimann.

Pellitteri was selected through a competitive process to participate with sculptor Heinz Aeschlimann, and his wife Gertrud, art advocate, collector and art patron in an inter-cultural experience. The program is designed to provide the following for the selected sculptor: Spend four/six weeks with Mr. and Mrs. Aeschlimann at their home/studio in Zofingen, Switzerland. This residency will provide an opportunity to work directly with Heinz Aeschlimann at his studio and atelier. The Aeschlimanns will provide support in the creation of Pellitteri’s work while in residence. At the end of the residency there will be an exhibition venue for work created by Pellitteri during the residency. The Aeschlimanns will introduce Pellitteri to the artistic and cultural community of Switzerland. He will have the opportunity to travel to artistic venues and/or cultural institutions in Switzerland.

At the end of his residency he will write an article about his experience to be published in Sculpture magazine’s Insider (ISC Member newsletter) and on the ISC Website, www.sculpture.org. It is an honor to receive this award for emerging artist.

Pellitteri received his master of fine arts degree in studio art at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He received a bachelor’s of fine arts degree in sculpture from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. Pellitteri’s work has been exhibited in The Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, as well as galleries in Baton Rouge, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Georgia and Connecticut. He is currently the Rosenquist Artist in Residence at North Dakota State University, www.ndsu.edu/finearts. To see more of Jonathan Pellitteri’s work visit www.jonathanpellitteri.com or www.brunnergallery.com.

Author:
J. Shane Mercer

Tonight Jonathan Pellitteri

Sculptor Jonathan Pellitteri will take center stage tonight as the latest James Rosenquist Artist in Residence at North Dakota State University. The Boston-bred Pellitteri will discuss his work at a 5:30 p.m. reception at the NDSU Downtown Campus, Room 114. Most of my work is human-sized, Pellitteri says, meaning about 6 feet tall. His primary media are wood and metal, but he also includes other various materials and uses some found objects. His works are loosely based on 19th-century machinery and scientific devices but also incorporate representations of modern-day technology. Pellitteri was a winner of the 2007 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award by the International Sculpture Center.

NDSU WELCOMES SCULPTOR AS
JAMES ROSENQUIST ARTIST IN RESIDENCE


Jan. 15, 2008 – Fargo, N.D. – NDSU will introduce its James Rosenquist Artist in Residence, sculptor Jonathan Pellitteri, to the community and representatives of local arts groups at a presentation and reception on Thursday, Jan. 24 at 5:30 p.m. at the NDSU Downtown Campus, Room 114. Through the residency program, Pellitteri will work spring semester 2008 interacting with students, holding public lectures and opening his studio to visitors.

“NDSU is delighted to welcome our second Rosenquist Artist in Residence,” said President Joseph A. Chapman. “After its successful launch a year ago, I am thrilled that we are able to continue offering this unique opportunity to students, as they learn from an outstanding artist.”

Pellitteri’s focus as a sculptor is to reach the public with works representing his observations of the world around him. Using his experiences as a mason and carpenter, Pellitteri handles various mediums and processes to introduce new materials and methods into his work. According to Pellitteri, his goal is not to be the impetus for global change, but to quietly intrigue viewers with his sculptures and impart a curiosity of the objects that fill lives and inspire individual evaluations of how they are influenced by them.

Pellitteri received his master of fine arts degree in studio art at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. He holds a bachelor’s of fine arts degree in sculpture from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. His travels have included study abroad in Cortona, Italy. Pellitteri’s work has been exhibited in The Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, as well as galleries in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Georgia and Connecticut.

The James Rosenquist Artist in Residency Program for Visual Arts at NDSU honors James Rosenquist. Born in Grand Forks, N.D., Rosenquist is considered one of the greatest living artists of the Pop Art movement of North America. His work and career are internationally known. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from North Dakota State University in May 2005.

Contact: Carol Renner, 701.231.5174
carol.renner@ndsu.edu
Kay Beckermann, 701-231-9564
kay.beckermann@ndsu.edu


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Kay Beckermann
Promotions Director
NDSU Division of Fine Arts
kay.beckermann@ndsu.edu
701-231-9564

For upcoming Division of Fine Arts events, please visit www.ndsu.edu/finearts.

NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Carol.Renner@ndsu.edu, 701.231.5174
Kay.Beckermann@ndsu.edu, 701-231-9564

*SCULPTOR NAMED JAMES ROSENQUIST ARTIST IN RESIDENCE AT
NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY*

Dec. 4, 2007 – Fargo, N.D. – The Department of Visual Arts at North Dakota State University has announced that Jonathan Pellitteri, Baton Rouge, La., has been named the James Rosenquist Artist in Residence at NDSU. Pellitteri will work spring semester 2008 in the studio dedicated for the program at NDSU’s Downtown Visual Arts Department, interacting with students, holding public lectures and opening his studio to visitors.

“NDSU is delighted to welcome our second Rosenquist Artist in Residence,” said President Joseph A. Chapman. “After its successful launch a year ago, I am thrilled that we are able to continue offering this unique opportunity to students, as they learn from an outstanding artist.”

Pellitteri’s focus as a sculptor is to reach the public with works representing his observations of the world around him. He notes that each time he works in a fresh place, his artwork develops in unexpected and exciting directions. Pulling from his experiences in construction as a mason and carpenter, Pellitteri handles various mediums and processes and introduces news materials and methods into his work. “The ability to pass my research on to students of the university as I create a new body of work is an alluring part of this residency,” said Pellitteri. He will exchange his ideas on processes, materials and the creation of a cohesive body of work in his studio at the NDSU Downtown campus, culminating the semester with an exhibit and the donation of a piece of his work to the James Rosenquist Artist Residency Collection.

“The Artist Residency program at NDSU continues to offer students and the community an opportunity to learn unique artistic methods,” said Thomas Riley, Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at NDSU.

Pellitteri received his master of fine arts degree in studio art at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. He holds a bachelor’s of fine arts degree in sculpture from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. His travels have included study abroad in Cortona, Italy. Pellitteri’s work has been exhibited in The Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, as well as galleries in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Georgia and Connecticut.

The James Rosenquist Artist in Residency Program for Visual Arts at NDSU honors James Rosenquist. Born in Grand Forks, N.D., Rosenquist is considered one of the greatest living artists of the Pop Art movement of North America. His work and career are internationally known. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from North Dakota State University in May 2005.

NDSU introduced the James Rosenquist Artist in Residency Program in 2006 with its inaugural artist, Hedi Schwöbel, of Ludwigsburg, Germany. One of her artistic installations included sculpted salt blocks placed in area pastures with cattle near Casselton and Leonard, N.D. Some area farmers curious about her work engaged in an impromptu conversation about art during a visit by Schwöbel and NDSU faculty in May to the Leonard, N.D., Café. “People in the café were really excited to meet Hedi because her project was of great interest and amazement in the general area,” said Kris Groberg, an assistant professor who accompanied the group. The unscheduled art discussion was so well-received that the group was invited back to the Leonard Café for a return trip this fall.

“The Rosenquist Artist in Residency Program allows NDSU to show its dedication to the arts,” said Philip Boudjouk, vice president for research, creative activities and technology transfer, which is funding the program. “The initial success of the program illustrates its benefits to students, as well as to area communities.”

BACKGROUND

The International Sculpture Center is proud to present the winners of the 2007 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award. This year's award program attracted a record number of nominees. From a pool of 339 nominees from over 140 schools, the jury comprised of Allyson Baker, Executive Director of Socrates Sculpture Park Long Island City, New York; Tom Csaszar, an artist and writer from Philadelphia, PA; and Steven Siegel, a sculptor from New York, selected 21 winners and 12 honorable mentions.

The ISC would like to thank those who have participated in this year's program and those who have supported us this year though generous donations. The success of this program would not be possible without the kind support from Grounds For Sculpture.

The International Sculpture Center will honor this year’s winners at its annual awards presentation and private reception showcasing their sculpture works at the Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ. The show will run from October 6, 2007 to April 27, 2008. Winners will receive a biographical profile and photograph of their work featured in Sculpture magazine; a chance to win a Residency in Switzerland to study with distinguished sculptor Heinz Aeschlimann; inclusion of their award-winning sculpture works in a color Fall/Winter exhibition catalogue sponsored by the Grounds for Sculpture; and a free one year membership at the ISC.

ART RECOMMENDED 10 30 07
Descent: Conceptual Installation by Jonathan Pellitteri
Some conceptual art installations look like science projects, but up-and-coming Baton Rouge sculptor Jonathan Pellitteri injects this Descent expo with a healthy dose of poetic mystery as well. Occupying the oval gallery formed by the CAC's spiral ramp, Descent is a time-based piece employing rope, sacks of coal and pulleys in a curious relationship with a canopy of woven branches. Pellitteri says Descent, 'allows the properties of water to guide the evolution of an object. As water slowly seeps, drips and evaporates from the linen sacks the delicate balance will be disturbed, causing the canopy of sticks to drift toward the floor Filtered through coal, the water solidifies underlying deposits of clay to produce a record of the event." High tech it ain't, but its odd elegance hints at the design experiments of Leonardo and Piranesi, among others. " D. Eric Bookhardt
Through November 15
Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp St., 528-3800; Links: CACNO &
Gambit Weekly: Best of New Orleans.com - Art Recommended

EMERGE PROJECT ARTIST: Jonathan Pellitteri
CAC Galleries: October 6 - November 10, 2007
Gallery Hours: Thurs.-Sun. 11am - 4pm
Admission: $5 General admission // $3 Students & Seniors // FREE for CAC members and children under 15 every day.
Opening Reception & Capital One's Art for Arts' Sake Celebration, Saturday, October 6, 6pm - $10 admission, Free for CAC members.
Jonathan Pellitteri, Descent
As part of the CAC's new Emerge Project, featuring emerging and established New Orleans and Gulf Coast artists, Jonathan Pellitteri presents Descent.
(On view in the Shell Oil Company Foundation Gallery)
For information, call (504) 528-3805.

Wednesday, February 28, 2007, 7pm
Open Slide Night
Bring ten slides of work to show
(open to undergraduate seniors and above)
Moderator: Mitchell Gaudet
Jonathan Pellitteri will be speaking and showing work.