The Straube Center, in Pennington, will be hosting a group art show, “UnNatural Beauty,” featuring artists who specialize in the art of sculptures. These four artists, Eric Schultz, Dawn Arena, Glenn Murgacz, Peter Drago, use their hands to create masterpieces using all different materials including recycled items used to form new and unique pieces.
The opening reception is being held tomorrow Friday, January 22, from 7pm-9pm on the 2nd Floor of I-108 building Gallery and the exhibit will run from January 22 – April 15th.
The event is free and all are invited to attend with no RSVP is necessary. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served. The Straube Center Gallery a non-profit gallery and all proceeds from sales go directly to the artists.
Below, please see artist bios:
Eric Schultz was born in Trenton, New Jersey in 1976. Schultz works predominantly in the medium of metal, found object sculpture, but loves to experiment in making art of any kind. Eric has a deep, artistic fascination with junk and the detritus of life. He finds inspiration from animals, people, ancient myths, good stories, and don’t forget trash.
After graduating from Tyler School of Art , Eric realized his need to address the environmental issue of recycling, by transforming waste into sculptural treasures. The “green” aspect of Eric’s’ sculpture is integral in his artistic process, as well as music and humor.
For the last 20 years he has had a series of sculpting commissions, shows, demonstrations, classes and residencies in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area. Working as the preparator for Sculpture Foundation and Grounds for Sculpture from 2008 to 2015, Schultz honed his set building, large sculpture construction, art handling and artist consultation skills. One of his commissions was to transform a 1976 VW “Beetle” into a “Love Bug” which is perched on the roof of the Childrens Discovery Museum in Cherryhill, NJ. Eric recently won first place in a juried “Upcycled” sculpture show at Artworks Gallery in Trenton, NJ. Grounds for Sculpture awarded him an artist in residence project to create a 16′ found object “Sleeping Giant”, in which he collaborated with volunteers and an assistant artist, Ruthann Perry.
Schultzs’ artwork can be found in a myriad of public an private art collections. He currently has a studio at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ as well as, in his home in Philadelphia, Pa.
“Gourd Skin Man” by Dawn Arena
New Jersey based artist Dawn Arena employs relief and sculpture as a means of lending physicality to ethereal inner feelings. Although an autodidact, Dawn Arena is a highly sophisticated artist whose work has been largely influenced by nature and her surroundings. She has had many successful solo and group exhibits throughout Manhattan NYC over the past 20 years. Among Arenas most impressive works are several large steel public sculptures throughout New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Dawn is currently working on a sculpture drive through her hometown of South Brunswick New Jersey. When finished peop
le will be able to follow a map through the town to see the various sculptures with stories. Her works are in many private homes, some celebrity homes, professional offices and municipal sites throughout the United States.
“Tropical” by Glenn Murgacz
Glenn Murgacz is best known for his work with steel and copper. This New Jersey based artist draws his inspiration from the works of Picasso and Giacometti. Murgacz is most fascinated by the human form and creates it in natural, ethereal and primitive representations. The works are surprising, provocative and delightfully unpredictable. His pieces have been as diverse in size as in style, ranging from tiny delicate dancers and woodland faeries, to massive keg toting beer gods and spear bearing warriors. Most pieces are designed to work in outdoor environments with the intention to weather with the elements. Murgacz is known for his four stainless steel sports figures on the facade of the Woodbridge Community Center, his work with local Montessori School students in several collaborative sculpture projects, welding work with high school students, exhibits in local restaurants and his 14 foot tall sculpture, Exhibit, Work Shop and Demonstration at the Barron Arts Center in Woodbridge, NJ. His work is in several private collections as well. Educated at Middlesex College and Fairleigh Dickenson University, Murgacz is a self taught artist with a passion for the creation of monumental sculptures for open spaces. All of the sculptures in this exhibit are created from found objects and recycled metals.
Peter Drago, a young artist from Trenton. Typically a metal worker focuses on the relationships between nature, the human race, and our ever expanding universe.
For more information on the Straube Center: www.straubecenter.com.
