Sculpture has been used as a form of human expression since prehistoric times. Ancient peoples created human and animal figures carved from stone, wood, or bone for spiritual or religious purposes. The tradition of carved sculptures was especially popular in the Mediterranean. As civilizations grew, monumental-scale sculptures became popular and sculptures became more realistic, often memorializing rulers or functioning as part of religious life.

With the advancement of science and technology, the materials and techniques available to sculptors evolved. Artistic trends swayed by socio-economic movements influenced the themes and images portrayed in 3-dimensional forms over the centuries. Today, sculptures come in a wide variety of materials including wax, stone, fabric, glass, wood, plastic, clay, and found materials. These materials may be carved, molded, cast, wrought, welded, sewn, assembled, thrown on a potter’s wheel, or otherwise shaped and combined to create 3-dimensional sculptures that exemplify diverse concepts.

Raku is a method of firing ceramic pottery taken from a 16th-century Japanese process in which the ceramic piece is removed from a hot kiln and placed into combustible materials. The smoke and flames create unique colors and patterns through carbon off-gas. For local Michigan artist, Judy Geerts, who specializes in copper-flash Raku, the process of a Raku firing is the perfect balance of science and art. Geerts enjoys finding the exact balance needed to create beautiful colors on her pottery.

View Additional Works by Judy Geerts in the Database

Wansso Kim was born and raised in South Korea where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics from Seoul National University of Science and Technology. Kim also spent a semester abroad at GVSU. Working with clay has a personal significance for him, connecting him to his nationality and Korea’s historical roots in the production of ceramics. His work makes connections between Korea’s past and today’s modern society.

View Additional Works by Wansoo Kim in the Database

Local Anishinaabe artist Jason Quigno’s sculptures all start out the same way, as a block of natural soapstone, alabaster, limestone, marble, basalt, or granite. From there he sculpts with the movement of the stone, creating an apparent flow from something rigid. By polishing some areas and exposing the stone’s raw texture in other areas, he creates both balanced abstract forms and harmonious naturalistic forms. 

View Additional Works by Jason Quigno in the Database

Dale Chihuly is known for stretching the limits of glass with his big ideas and challenging color palettes, yet Chihuly did not begin his artistic practice working in glass, but rather with weaving. During an art class at the University of Washington, Chihuly incorporated glass shards into one of his woven tapestries, an experiment which led him to blow his first glass bubble. In 1971 Chihuly co-founded the Pilchuck Glass School in Washington. After injuries sustained in a bodysurfing accident, Chihuly was no longer able to hold a glassblowing pipe, but hired others to do the labor of executing his ideas, continuing the tradition of glass blowing within the Pilchuck Glass school.

While trained in classic techniques, Cyril Lixenberg opted to explore modern materials like Corten steel and silk screen prints. Having lived and worked in Amsterdam for most of his life, Cyril Lixenberg discovered Michigan by chance when he was invited to do a one-man show at the University of Michigan. Following that exhibition, Lixenberg traveled to Michigan on several occasions and created a strong bond with the local arts community and college students. He has a number of large-scale public works of art in West Michigan including two on GVSU campuses. 

James Clover, born in Iowa in 1938, is an internationally known sculptor and educator. Inspired by the structures of jazz music, Clover's sculptures are usually made of bronze and steel to form shapes that build upon each other to reach toward the sky.

Michigan artist Elona Van Gent's sculptures draw inspiration from natural history and surrealism. Van Gent's works are known for their mechanical-like inventions that never seem to have a distinct function. Today she works heavily with computer programs to create even more complex and incredible forms. 

As a young man in the Soviet Army, Dimitry Kaminker worked as an assistant to artists creating public sculptures for the Russian government. Wanting to express his own artistic style, Kaminker created artwork in the sub-basement of the government studio. He gathered recycled and discarded materials to create sculptures that the authorities would never have permitted him to exhibit. Playing with the sometimes-contradictory combination of myth and reality, Kaminker’s artwork can have a humorous side but is meant for thoughtful reflection on history and modernity. 

Jin Soo Kim, born in South Korea, came to the United States at the age of 24 to study art. She studied at Western Illinois University, Macomb, while supporting herself as a nurse.  Kim prefers to work in installation art, most of which is largely autobiographical. The autobiographical nature of her work is said to be a result of her dual cultural identity, comprised of both her "sensitivities to the disparities between the impoverished South Korea of her youth, and the culture of abundance in America.”

Jeff Colby used mixed media and collage to create art on the theme of his own personal and emotional struggles. In his work, he united themes of hope with horror, beauty with tragedy, and a curiosity for life. After his diagnosis of HIV in the 1990s, Colby's work tended to be more emotional and physical because of the turmoil brought about by his illness. Colby died shortly after his major exposition at the Chicago Cultural Center in 1996.

Rick Schaafsma is a retired police officer who served on the streets of Grand Rapids from the late 60s through the mid-90s. Using the pen name "ARCH" taken from his high-arched basketball shot, Schaafsma draws a range of fanciful figures including his "CopToons" with the hope that children will look at police officers in a positive light beginning at an early age.

Ann Baddeley Keister's main resources for inspiration for her textile-based art were travel, museum study, and her design library of photographs of art, architecture, and food. Keister combined several textile art techniques, such as beading, embroidery, quilting, and weaving within her art. Her quilts, tapestries, and fabric-based art have been widely exhibited and published.