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John Van Alstine

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John Van Alstine (born 1952) is an American contemporary art sculptor and former assistant professor of fine arts. He taught drawing and sculpture at the University of Wyoming in Laramie and the University of Maryland in College Park. He works primarily in stone and metal, creating abstract sculptures. His work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the US, as well as Europe and Asia.

Personal life and education

John Van Alstine was born in 1952 in New York and raised in the Adirondack region of the state.[1] He attended St. Lawrence University from 1970–1971. In 1973, he received a scholarship to attend the Blossom Festival School, where he studied sculpture with Richard Stankiewicz and Richard Hunt.[2] In 1974, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kent State University. In 1976, he earned a Master of Fine Arts from Cornell University.[3]

As of 2013, Van Alstine lives in Wells, New York, alongside the Sacandaga River.[3]

Work

Academia

In 1976, Van Alstine began serving as an assistant professor at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, where he taught drawing and sculpture through 1980. He joined the faculty of the University of Maryland in College Park in 1980, where he taught in the art department through 1986.[2]

Fine art

Van Alstine works primarily with granite and steel mediums in a large scale format. His work has touched on themes of Greek mythology, specifically the myth of Sisyphus.[4] In 2008, Van Alstine was one of 50 artists to have his work chosen to be display at the 2008 Summer Olympics. The piece displayed, Rings of Unity – Circles of Inclusion, was based on the Sisyphus myth, consisting of a large piece of stone suspended in the middle of a 16-foot ring made of bronze. The piece took two weeks to create in a foundry.[5] As of 2008, Van Alstine was represented by David Floria Gallery, in Aspen, Colorado. He has been the recipient of awards from the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation and from Yaddo. His work is held in the collection of the National Museum of American Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and the Carnegie Institute.[6]

Public Art

John Van Alstine's long involvement with placing sculpture in the outdoors has led him on a number of occasions to accept commissions for works of public art. These sculptures, chosen through competitions and sited in public places, extend the artist's concerns with the landscape by introducing site-specificity and conceptually linking terrestrial place with cosmological space.[7]


Trough, 1982 His first public sculpture was Trough (1980-82), commissioned by the city of Billings, Montana to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its founding. Trough consists of two mammoth leaning slabs of granite, connected and supported by linear steel members, and could be considered as the monumental culmination of his Nature of Stone series with its references to geologic place, time and motion. But Trough exists as something more. Its title and the relative positions of its stones refer directly to the steep Yellowstone River valley into which Billings is wedged. [8]


Notable works

References

  1. ^ "John Van Alstine". Salwazeidangallery.com. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  2. ^ a b "John Van Alstine resume" (PDF). John Van Alstine. Retrieved 2013-01-11. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ a b "John Van Alstine". John Van Alstine. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  4. ^ Kane, Tim (15 October 2009). "Van Alstine brings Sisyphus down a notch". Times Union. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  5. ^ Shea, Jessica (2008). "Olympic Metal". Adirondack Life. Retrieved 25 December 2012. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  6. ^ Cowan, Jay (2008). "The Symbiotic Sculptures of Laura Thorne & John Van Alstine". Mountain Homestyle: 95–98. Retrieved 25 December 2012. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  7. ^ Capasso, Nicholas; Van Alstine, John; Harper, Glenn; and James Grayson Trulove (editor). Bones of the Earth, Spirit of the Land: the Sculpture of John Van Alstine, Editions Ariel, 96 pages, 2001.
  8. ^ Capasso, Nicholas; Van Alstine, John; Harper, Glenn; and James Grayson Trulove (editor). Bones of the Earth, Spirit of the Land: the Sculpture of John Van Alstine, Editions Ariel, 96 pages, 2001.
  9. ^ "Trough, (sculpture) | Collections Search Center, Smithsonian Institution". Collections.si.edu. 1982-03-06. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  10. ^ "The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project". Hcap.artstor.org. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  11. ^ "Bethesda Public Art | Bethesda Urban Partnership | Bethesda Maryland 20814 Restaurant Dining Guide Directory Shopping". Bethesda.org. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  12. ^ "NASS". Sundials.org. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  13. ^ http://www.indianapolisairport.com/admin/uploads/134/04.02.08VanAlstine.pdf
  14. ^ Downey, Kirstin (26 June 2008). "New Art for Old Town Breaks With Tradition". Washington Post. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  15. ^ "Adirondack_Life_6-2008". Johnvanalstine.com. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  16. ^ Michigan State University (2010-06-04). "RCAH installs 'Funambulist' | MSUToday | Michigan State University". Msutoday.msu.edu. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  17. ^ "TU_9-11-11". Johnvanalstine.com. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  18. ^ "Tsinghua Univ Centennial". Johnvanalstine.com. Retrieved 2013-01-18.

Further reading

  • Capasso, Nicholas; Van Alstine, John; Harper, Glenn; and James Grayson Trulove (editor). Bones of the Earth, Spirit of the Land: the Sculpture of John Van Alstine, Editions Ariel, 96 pages, 2001.
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