Sculpture Program Hosts "Lookout" Screening with Martin Puryear
"Lookout" at Storm King Art Center / Photo by Jeffrey Jenkins for Chronogram
The Sculpture program celebrated International Sculpture Day on April 27 with a screening of the documentary "Martin Puryear: Lookout," as well as an Open Sculpture Studio reception. Puryear himself made a surprise appearance at the event, where he introduced the film—which documents the creation of "Lookout," his latest sculpture—as well as the project's mason, Lara Davis.
Associate Professor Emily Puthoff, who spearheaded the screening and reception with support from Assistant Professor Michael Asbill, called the event "one of the highlights of my career."
"Celebrating International Sculpture Day with this film screening is uniquely touching and synergistic for me today," Puthoff said to the audience at the screening. "When I was shown Martin Puryear’s piece entitled 'Sanctuary,' I was struck so deeply by its quiet elegance, anthropomorphic and stoic humor, and poetic resonance that I knew I needed know what this thing called 'sculpture' was, and how to be a sculptor. Thirty years later, I am deeply moved to have the privilege to share Martin Puryear’s work with you and the next generation of sculptors."
From left: Puthoff, Puryear and Asbill
Puryear's "Lookout," a creation nine years in the making, was completed on-site at Storm King Art Center. It stands 19 feet tall and consists of more than 50,000 bricks, according to a Chronogram article about the sculpture.
With 90 portholes in the walls and ceiling of the sculpture, "Lookout"—which was created using the ancient Nubian vault technique—is "a beguilingly curved synthesis of tunnel and dome that first invites the viewer to step inside, and then to—look out," wrote David Noland for Chronogram.
At the screening, Puthoff acknowledged and thanked its various sponsors, including the Sculpture Program, School of Fine & Performing Arts, Student Art Alliance, Checkerboard Film Foundation, and Storm King Art Center. The event was also supported by International Sculpture Center; the Departments of Art, Art History, and Black Studies; the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art; and Unison Art Center.
