|
ARTIST’S BOOKS BY ROCCO SCARY FEATURED
IN SOLO SHOW AT WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY
— Exhibit includes special work dedicated to victims of September
11 World Trade Center attacks
| |
 |
| |
|
Rocco Scary, a book artist/sculptor who
constructs books from metal, handmade paper and other mixed media,
presents a one-person show of recent works in an exhibit titled
"Paper and Fire" in the Ben Shahn Galleries at William
Paterson University in Wayne from September 15 through October 17,
2003. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission is free.
Scary’s one-of-a-kind sculptural books are typically comprised
of 40 to 60 sheets of handmade paper commingled with six sheets
of oxidized steel, which are not bound but stacked together. The
viewer must unstack the individual metal separators to reveal each
scene. When opened, his books often resemble homemade models –
bridges, taverns, apartment houses, and other scenes from life in
a small city.
The centerpiece of this exhibit is a new work titled "Book
11." More than 15 months in the making, it is dedicated to
those who died in the attack on the World Trade Center on September
11, 2001. "Book 11" is constructed from 3,000 sheets of
handmade paper, made from cotton linters and office paper, which
are stacked in two five-foot columns to represent the two towers
of the World Trade Center. A metal divider is inserted after every
100 sheets of paper. On each 8 1/2-by-11-inch sheet, Scary has handwritten
the name, age and hometown of a victim. The sheets are inserted
on a rod attached to a metal base; individual sheets can be viewed
by swiveling them out.
"Creating this book has been a way for me to honor those who
died," says Scary, who viewed the attacks from an office building
in New Jersey.
Scary, who began his artistic career as a sculptor, took a papermaking
course several years ago "and fell in love with it," he
says. His works focus on a variety of themes, from the Jersey shore
to urban scenes, and incorporate a wide range of media. In "One
Hour Lunch," Scary creates storefronts – the pizza parlor,
nail salon, dry cleaners – using digital photography and other
mixed media. In "Corsay and Blum," he focuses on places
where people gather, such as park bench and the street corner, and
adds lights and sound.
A resident of North Caldwell, Scary is an artist member of the Center
for Book Arts in New York City. His works have been featured in
numerous exhibits, including the 7th Annual book Arts Symposium
at Rutgers University in Newark, and are held in the collections
of the Dana Library at Rutgers University in Newark, the Newark
Public Library, and Valley National Bancorp.
The exhibit is one of three shows on view concurrently in the Ben
Shahn Galleries. On view in the Court Gallery is "Objects of
Power," an exhibition of ritual objects selected from the University’s
African collection. A selection of drawings by the University’s
faculty artists is on view in the South Gallery.
This exhibit is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey
State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency
of the National Endowment for the Arts.
For additional information, please call the Ben Shahn Galleries
at William Paterson University, 973-720-2654.
#
# #
- For
Further Information, contact:
- Mary
Beth Zeman, Director, Public Relations 973-720-2966
8/25/03
|
|
