Environmental artist to conduct workshop (Sept. 15)

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Internationally known sculptor, Virginia King, kicks off the 2011-2012 season of programs offered by the Holualoa Foundation for Arts & Culture.

King creates large-scale sculptures that are inspired by the ocean and the geographic isolation of her homeland, New Zealand. She will give a presentation of her art 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept, 15 at the Donkey Mill Art Center.

The evening will start with an ohana style potluck. This free and open to the public event is made possible by funding from the Laila Twigg-Smith Art Fund.

King began focusing on sculpture in the mid-1980s, and has worked in stone, bronze, aluminum, stainless steel, earth and wood. Underlying her practice is a concern for the environment, a passion for words and an interest in history and micro-organisms, all of which inspire and inform her work.

Her art evolves through the equally stimulating and variously alternate experiences of exhibiting in galleries and creating site-specific work to be placed directly into the environment.

King’s sculptures have ranged from domestic scale to the monumental. She has created a series of floating works, bridgeworks, soundscapes and earth-based landform sculptures.

They have an organic feel and often contain shapes cut out from their surface, a distinctive device she uses to accentuate the positive and negative spaces of the medium. Many comprise different sections that have been joined by hinges, wooden pegs or woven twine.

King will teach two weekend workshops – 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 16-18 and Sept. 23-25.

The concept is to involve workshop participants in the creation of two interrelated artworks, ephemeral installations that will be displayed and recorded floating in the sea. Students will be encouraged to complete a series of individual and personal components using motifs, iconography and words.

The small artworks will be assembled to form much bigger collaborative artworks. The resulting sculpture will be installed temporarily in the local environment. Tuition is $225 per weekend and space is limited.

The mission of the Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture, a 501(c)3 charitable organization, is to enrich the lives of persons of all ages and abilities through art education. The foundation operates the Donkey Mill Art Center, a gathering place for all to explore, expand and develop their artistic selves in a supportive community.

For more information, call 322-2262 or visit www.DonkeyMillArtCenter.org

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