Lobby Exhibits - Pacific Design Center

Ben Godward

Ben Godward presents Between Light and a Hard Place, an exhibition of new sculptures combining wedges of stratified polychrome resin with welded steel forms. The works address Pacific Design Center’s boldly colored red, green and blue sculptural shapes through their asymmetrical, intense painted fragments that balance gracefully upon steel. The work also references the modern landscape; the yellow of highway safety and the blue of sky reflecting glass curtain wall. Elements of light and space movement are present with the weight and permanence of minimalism. The perfection of both are muted as upon closer inspection the hand of the artist is present and imperfections rejoiced. Godward’s artworks ultimately highlight an interaction of forms that combine color and sculpture in which painterly chaos of resin drips, pours and splashes is tempered by sculptural unity. Ben Godward lives and works in Brooklyn NY. He received his M.F.A. in Sculpture from the State University of New York at Albany and won the 2007 Outstanding Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture. He has shown extensively in New York including such galleries as Transmitter, Marc Straus, Elijah Wheat Showroom, Slag, Famous Accountants and NorteMaar. Godward has also completed large outdoor public art projects at Franconia Sculpture Park, MN and Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens, NY. His work has been featured in The L Magazine, The Brooklyn Rail, Sculpture magazine and on WNYC Radio.

Brandon Stieg

Brandon Stieg is a sculptor whose love of the natural world and industrial relics of the past influence his creations. From a young age, he was fascinated by the mysteries of our reality and the imaginary worlds he could create in his drawings. Stieg majored in studio arts and architecture at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Since then, he has dedicated his life to honing those skills, working in metal and wood, and asking the hard questions that give his work meaning. His metalwork is hand-forged, formed, and fabricated in steel, copper, brass, and bronze. Due to the level of detail and finish he can achieve in these mediums, his work is often mistaken for bronze castings, and as a result, Stieg's work is recognized around the world among metal artists and collectors alike. Stieg's wood carving work is the Yin to the Yang of his meticulous metal craft and contrasts significantly in style and approach. Characterized by smooth surfaces and curvilinear forms with an emphasis on balance, his work celebrates the inherent beauty of the wood's grains and patterns and the creativity of the natural environment. Stieg’s work is conceptual in nature and explores the human experience and the many questions we share as we navigate our reality. He currently resides and works in northern California.

Julio Sims

Julio Sims brings a unique voice to public art through his ability to combine site-specific elements (architectural, historical, cultural) and add a surprising, often humorous twist where viewers slowly reveal meaning through their physical exploration. This approach mirrors his belief that the sublime, revelatory and divine are often in plain view, yet commonly overlooked. ICARUS’ ASCENT: Humanity holds an irresistible need for creative expression. ‘Universal energy’, ‘creative flow’, ‘divine inspiration’ all allude to instances when we experience ourselves as channels for a powerful, limitless source beyond our individual selves. Yet, if one is ungrounded, the creative flame can singe the moth or melt Icarus’ wings. Visit www.juliosims.com for more information.

Betsy Enzensberger

Betsy Enzensberger is a Southern California-based pop artist who is known for her whimsical resin sculptures. Her flagship Original Melting Pops™ series has had international recognition and acclaim. She has exhibited with galleries domestically in Los Angeles, Miami, Des Moines, Dallas, Charlotte, and New York, and internationally in Hong Kong, London, Stockholm, Belgium, Hamburg, Singapore, and Byron Bay. For further information or sales inquires please contact the artist at betsy@betsyenzensberger.com.

DeWitt Godfrey

DeWitt Godfrey is a sculptor working in Hamilton, NY who creates large scale sculptures. His work employs carefully conceived structural processes, combining cutting edge digital technologies with custom craftsmanship, all grounded in empirical knowledge and experimentation. Natural geometries and systems - plant spores, seashells, honeycombs – inspire his sculptures; and through his unique process of packing and stacking of conic and cylindrical steel forms, simple rules give rise to extraordinary complexity. Godfrey serves as the Peter L. and Maria T. Kellner Endowed Chair in Arts, Creativity, and Innovation at Colgate University. A graduate of Yale University (BA in Art) and Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh, Scotland (MFA/sculpture), Godfrey was also a member of the inaugural group of CORE Fellows at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Godfrey has received numerous grants and fellowships, including the National Endowment for the Arts Artist’s Fellowship, the New York Foundation for the Arts Artists Fellowship, the Japan Foundation Artist’s Fellowship, and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Artist Fellowship. Godfrey’s work can be found in several private and public collections including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Brooklyn Museum, Portland International Airport (PDX), and Art OMI. Learn more about the artist at www.dewittgodfrey.com.

Call for Artists

The PDC accepts exhibition proposals from artists and galleries on an ongoing basis. For information contact Art Advisor, Helen Varola, at helenvarola@gmail.com or visit helenvarola.com.

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