James Surls: The Splendora Years, 1977–1997

Joyce and Edward Linde Gallery, James and Audrey Foster Galleries, Fourth Floor Hallway Gallery

January 28 – April 16, 2006

Opening Reception: Friday, January 27, 2006, 6 – 9 pm

LINCOLN, MA—The Splendora Years features two decades of work by renowned contemporary American sculptor James Surls, whose animistic sculptures derive from the forces, imagery, and materials of nature. This show includes 47 works of art, ranging from table-top wood carvings to monumental forms literally hacked from fully grown trees with a chainsaw; and from intimate, visionary pencil drawings to large-scale prints. The exhibition offers American audiences a rare opportunity to fully assess the depth and breadth of Surls’s important contribution to the field of contemporary sculpture.

James Surls makes art that embodies the inherent dualities of natural forces. His work is simultaneously joyously optimistic and darkly expressionistic. His signature forms and images, such as diamond shapes, whirling vortexes, needles, knives, and houses, infuse highly personalized folk idioms with the aesthetics of high modernism.

Surls was born and raised in East Texas, and no artist of his generation has had a greater impact upon the development of Texas as a locus of vibrant creativity. The exhibition focuses on a twenty-year period when Surls owned a large tract of land in Splendora, from which he took both raw materials and his intellectual inspiration. The artist moved to Colorado in 1998.

The exhibition has been organized by Terrie Sultan, Director of Blaffer Gallery, The Art Museum of the University of Houston. Generous support has been provided from an anonymous donor, the Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation, Houston Endowment Inc., Marilyn Oshman, Jane Blaffer Owen, and Carey C. Shuart. The onsite curator for The Splendora Years is Rachel Rosenfield Lafo, Director of Curatorial Affairs.

Funding was also provided by Nancy C. Allen, Tim and Nancy Hanley, Ann and James Harithas, Claudia and David Hatcher, Molly Hipp and Ford Hubbard III, Sharon and Gus Kopriva, Nancy and Rob Martin, Karen and Eric Pulaski, Shirley and Don Rose, and Texas State Bank. The Splendora Years is accompanied by a full-color catalogue available for $40 at The Store @ DeCordova and online at www.decordova.org.

The following programming is presented in conjunction with The Splendora Years:

Film: Lines in Space: The Art of James Surls

Dewey Family Gallery

Saturday, February 11 at 3 pm

Saturday, March 4 at 3 pm

Saturday, March 25 at 3 pm

Free with admission

Gain an insider’s perspective on the artwork of James Surls when DeCordova presents the documentary Lines in Space: The Art of James Surls, produced by James Brundidge, Chelsea Congdon, and First Light Films. The film explores Surls’s artistic philosophy, his impact on contemporary sculpture, and his steel and wood sculptures created during his residency in Colorado since 1998. This 28-minute film will be screened in the Dewey Family Gallery in lieu of our usual Artist Talk series, and is free with the price of admission.

Steve Almond Book Reading and Candy Free-for-All

Dewey Family Gallery

Sunday, February 12 from 1:30 – 3 pm

Willy Wonka meets David Sedaris—and goes joyriding with Dr. Ruth! Just in time for Valentine’s Day, local author and avowed chocoholic Steve Almond takes us on a sugar-fueled spin through his twin obsessions of candy and modern love. Steve will read some of his most recent work, take no-holds-barred questions from the audience, and dole out an assortment of treats from days gone by—the Goo Goo Cluster, the Twin Bing, and the Idaho Spud—collected on his candy-factory odyssey and immortalized in his 2004 book, Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America.

Steve Almond’s appearance dovetails with the exhibition James Surls: The Splendora Years, 1977–1997, as both artists explore the concepts of pleasure, pain, and a universal life force. Steve’s books will be sold and signed following this event, which is intended for audiences 18 years of age and older.

Members Free/Non-Members $5. Students with valid ID, $3. Space is limited. For tickets, please call 781/259-3629 or email membership@decordova.org. No refunds. This event is expected to sell out, so reserve tickets by calling 781/259-3629 or emailing membership@decordova.org.

General Information

DeCordova Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm and on selected Monday holidays. General admission during Museum hours is $9 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, students, and youth ages 6–12. Children age 5 and under, Lincoln residents, and Active Duty Military Personnel and their dependents are admitted free. The Sculpture Park is open year round during daylight hours. The Store @ DeCordova and the School Gallery are open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, Friday through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday 11:30 am to 5:30 pm. The Café @ DeCordova is open Tuesday from noon to 3 pm, and Wednesday through Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm. Free guided public tours of the Museum's main galleries take place every Thursday at 1 and Sunday at 2 pm. Free tours of the Sculpture Park are given on Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm from May to October. Visit www.decordova.org or call 781/259-8355 for further information. This press release is available electronically on our Web site.

2006 marks the 100th anniversary of the American Association of Museums and has been designated the Year of the Museum. AAM's annual meeting will take place in Boston from April 27 – May 1. Learn more at www.aam-us.org.

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