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"Wand 1 and 2"
Craig Frederick
Craig Matthew Frederick, Sculptor
Biography
Craig has been studying, making and
teaching sculpture since 1981. Born and
raised in New Britain, Connecticut, Craig was influenced by the New England
countryside changing with the seasons and filled with rolling hills, valleys cut
by rivers and streams, outcroppings of colored stone, and towering deciduous
and conifer trees. In contrast, his
small urban town was a typical rust belt community suffering from years of boom
and bust. A factory town in its glory
days, it found itself home to people of many different cultures who brought
their skilled labor to the industries.
After the factories left, the town and its people fell into a depression
the effects of which impacted Craig’s life, views and work. His concerns and philosophy are global, and he
believes art is for all people. His
sculptures are informed by these influences and by poetry, existential thought,
psychiatry, mythology, perception, physics and the human figure. In a review of Craig’s sculpture, “Sparrow,”
Steve Starger of The Art Guide writes in the January 2007 issue of the
Northwest edition, “The piece is simultaneously complex and simple, strong and
vulnerable, a visual haiku that releases the poetry immanent in natural
objects.”
Craig holds a B.A. from Skidmore
College where he studied with sculptor, John Cunningham and an M.F.A. from The
University of Pennsylvania where he studied with sculptors, Robert Engman and
Maurice Lowe. Craig’s works are in
private, corporate, and public collections in numerous states and countries. His pieces range in size from maquettes to
monumental structures, and have been exhibited in fine galleries in
Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Texas and New York. Along the way, Craig has worked in three arts
foundries where he continued to hone his skills in methods of casting and metal
hammering and fabrication.
In addition to his own artwork,
Craig has been teaching art since the mid 1980’s in various educational
institutions across the USA including The University of Pennsylvania (Figure
Sculpture), Galveston College (Metalsmithing/Jewelry) and Central CT State
University where he has been teaching art since 2004. Courses taught by Craig at CCSU include
Three-Dimensional Design, Sculpture, Digital Photography, Drawing and Video/New
Media Arts. Craig has also held
Sculpture classes and lectures for groups and individuals in his private studio
and gallery periodically since 1994.
Craig considers the revitalization
of New Britain, Ct and the development of a vibrant arts community in his
hometown as an essential part of his Life Work devoting significant time of
volunteer and design consultation work for over 20 years. Craig is one of the original
four founders of The Greater New Britain Arts Alliance, served as the GNBAA’s
first elected President, and championed the development, construction and
mission of The New Britain Artists Cooperative. Lastly, during this same time
of his life, Craig has served as producer, juror and/or curator for many and
various art shows and institutions in Ct and NY.
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