Exhibition Dates: January 9 – February 27, 2016
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 9 from 6–8 pm
Gallery Location: 432 Julia Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 10 am–5 pm
Contact Info: 504.522.1999; arthurrogergallery.com
The Arthur Roger Gallery is pleased to present From a Distance, an exhibition of recent sculpture by Gene Koss. The exhibition will be on view at Arthur Roger Gallery, located at 432 Julia Street, from January 9 – February 27, 2016. The gallery will host an opening reception with the artist in attendance, Saturday, January 9 from 6-8 pm.
From a Distance, 2015 | Cast glass and core ten steel | 150 x 69 ½ x 228 inches
From a Distance features recent sculpture by renowned glass artist Gene Koss that reveal evolutions of earlier themes as well as new. Drawing inspiration from New Orleans and the rural Wisconsin landscapes of his youth, Koss masterfully constructs cast-glass forms paired with found or fabricated steel, creating works that examine balance, light and mass. The sculptures range from small-scale to monumental, some of which weigh several tons.
The featured sculpture in Koss’ sixteenth exhibition with the gallery is inspired by the views from the Crescent City Connection in New Orleans. The cantilever of the nineteen-foot long sculpture, From a Distance, addresses the precarious feeling of being suspended over the Mississippi River. Other works include a large-scale Chapel inspired by roadside memorials in the United States and abroad, and Crevasse, Series 1, No. 2, a result of the artist learning about and viewing the giant crevasse in the earth created by the 1922 intentional Mississippi River levee breach in Poydras, LA. The exhibition also features numerous smaller-scale, pedestal sculptures made of glass, steel and found objects.
Gene Koss received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin at River Falls in 1974. He then earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Tyler School of Art, Temple University, in Philadelphia. In 1976, he moved to New Orleans to develop a new glass facility and program for Tulane University, and subsequently became head of the department. Since that time he has been greatly involved in the development of the city’s glass artistry and is known for developing one of the most important programs in North America. He is the recipient of several awards including the National Endowment for the Arts, The New Orleans Community Arts Board and Pace-Willson Art Foundation grants. His work has been exhibited at the New Orleans Museum of Art; the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans; the Masur Museum of Art in Monroe, Louisiana; the Sculpture Center in New York City; as well as the International Biennale for Contemporary Art in Florence, Italy. His work is in many prominent collections including the Pan American Life Collection in New Orleans and the Corning Museum of Glass in New York.