Andy Moerlein Announced as Third Artist for the Westport Artist in Residence Program
The Westport Cultural Council is pleased to announce the third of three summer Artists in Residence at Westport Woods Conservation Park. From August 1 to August 21, 2021 visitors are invited to witness artist Andy Moerlein in action at the park located at 573 Adamsville Road. The residency is a unique collaboration between the Westport Cultural Council (WCC) and the Westport Land Conservation Trust (WLCT) made possible by the generous support of the Helen Ellis Trust. Each artist in residence will immerse themselves in the beauty of the park landscape to create separate public installations for visitors to enjoy.
Moerlein is an internationally exhibited sculptor. His work has been shown in museums, sculpture gardens, and galleries from Alaska to New York, Switzerland to Peru. Moerlein has an extensive resume of public art works and site-specific monumental outdoor sculptures.
Natural forces like geology and glaciation are deeply embedded in Westport’s exceptional landscape. For his residency Moerlein will create handmade stones and sapling structures that will mimic the landscape and hint at the powerful glaciers that ground hard edges into rolling contours and hauled boulders thousands of miles.
This residency will feature sculptures informed by Moerlein’s enthusiasm for scholars’ rocks. This Chinese tradition of collecting and displaying rocks involves the elegant presentation of precious and adored stones for contemplation and enjoyment. For the Westport Woods Conservation Park, Moerlein builds his stones using a variety of experimental media such as Styrofoam, bamboo, shrink-wrap. They are colored with both natural and surprising colors. Andy’s goal is both sensual and conceptual. Andy will host two workshops on Saturday August 14th & Sunday August 15th 9am – 12pm each day.
Discovering The Zen And Creativity Of Building With Bamboo
You are invited to participate in Andy Moerleins’s artist workshops on August 14th and 15th.