Press Room --

Curators' Response: Abstract Sculpture

The popular Sunday Series continues at the Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery on Sunday, September 20 at 2:00 pm with a free public program entitled “Curators’ Response: Abstract Sculpture.”  Join us for an informal conversation and presentation as Jim L. Zimmer, ISM Lockport Gallery Director, and Jennifer Jaskowiak, ISM Lockport Gallery Curator of Art, explore abstract sculpture and consider its influences on and reflections in the work of L. Brent Kington.  This hour-long event is offered in conjunction with the current exhibition, L. Brent Kington: Mythic Metalsmith, closing September 25.  Reservations are not required, but seating is limited.

Straddling craft and fine art, the bulk of Kington’s later iron work can be classified as abstract.  From the lyrical weathervanes to the more recent spiritual sculptures, the attenuated and exaggerated lines imply and suggest rather than represent a subject or idea. Also, like other abstract artists through the 20^th century, Kington found inspiration through multiple, unexpected sources such as African masks and knives, even comic books, and, of course, the work of other artists.  The curators will identify some of these influences and address their presence in the works on display.

L. Brent Kington: Mythic Metalsmith traces the evolution of this legendary and contemporary metalsmith's art and documents his profound contribution to the resurgence of blacksmithing as an American art form today.  Spanning four decades, the selection demonstrates the breadth of his work in scale, materials, and subject:  from early cast silver and bronze baubles to forged iron and steel weathervanes to contemporary abstract sculptures.  An online version of the exhibition is featured on the Illinois State Museum website at www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/brentkington.

Major support for this traveling exhibition and for the online exhibit has been provided by the Illinois Arts Council, through the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces Initiative.

The Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery is located on the first floor of the historic Norton Building at 201 West 10th Street in Lockport, Illinois, and is fully accessible to all physically challenged individuals.  Regular museum hours are noon until 5:00 pm on Sunday and 9:00 am until 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.  The Museum is closed Saturdays and State Holidays.  Admission is free.  For information on exhibitions and related programs, becoming a member of the Friends of the Lockport Gallery, directions to the museum, or to schedule a group tour of ten or more, please contact museum staff at (815) 838-7400 or visit the museum online at https://www.museum.state.il.us/ismsites/lockport/.