‘My Heart Will Go On’ by Gil Boro

Nationally renowned sculptor Gilbert Boro invites the public to enjoy an autumn evening on his Sculpture Grounds at Studio 80 in Old Lyme to celebrate the success of Summer Sculpture Showcase 2018. The free celebration this evening, Saturday, Oct. 27, from 5 to 7 p.m., will feature live music and refreshments.

New works by Boro, Chicago artist Ruth Aizuss Migdal, and a piece created specifically for the Sculpture Grounds by Connecticut metal sculptor Richard Newton will be unveiled during the event.

The annual display of world-class landscape sculptures hosted by Gilbert Boro saw hundreds of visitors this summer. The popularity of the Summer Showcase encouraged Boro to use this Oct. 27 party to showcase two visiting artists, along with a new series of his own.

Migdal of Chicago will present four abstract figures of the female body; Newton of Killingworth, CT, will present House on Fire; and Boro will show his new Musical Masterworks series.

Migdal is an art teacher and sculptor in Chicago who says her work “is all about the female figure.” Her abstract figures celebrate and accentuate all aspects of women’s bodies in both emphatic and whimsical ways. She is a self-taught sculptor whose Jewish heritage has significantly impacted her outlook and influenced her work. Reflecting on being a Jewish woman in her eighth decade and the oppression that women are subjected to in many places around the world, she feels fortunate to be born here. “If I’d been born in Europe, I’d be dead. No questions I’d have been dead.” She is very grateful to live in the United States and her work reflects the artistic freedom that affords her.

Migdal is very excited to be exhibited on the East Coast. The Sculpture Grounds will showcase her bronzes Diana, Metamorphosis, and Virginia, which prominently and proudly feature all aspects of the female body. “Essentially my work is about the grandeur of women,” she says, “the strength and the power. What I’m hoping is that people feel the strength and power of being a woman.”

House on Fire, a brilliant red, orange, and yellow steel creation by Richard Newton, is a large-scale depiction of flames. It is Newton’s way of shouting his visceral reaction to the state of our country. “How much of my time, energy and attention,” he notes, “is being consumed with the tumultuous, ridiculous and distressing state of our current events.” Contemplating how to express his frustration led him to think of fire and “the fragile nature of our situation.” This is a way “I could take my frustrations and burn them up,” he says. He hopes people who look at it will stop for a moment and ponder the situation and find their own moment of relief.

For Gilbert Boro, listening to live music performances fired his imagination to consider what forms and shapes the music might create. Some nights, he says, he could imagine with is eyes closed the varied shapes and colors the notes might forge. The result is his new Musical Masterworks series of three-dimensional sculptures to be on display for the first time. Boro’s work is exhibited throughout the US and Europe.

The Sculpture Grounds at 80-1 Lyme Street in Old Lyme, Connecticut, are open 365 days of the year. Bring-your-own picnics are permitted and touching the sculptures is encouraged. Group tours are also welcome. For arrangements and more details, visit www.sculpturegrounds.com and www.gilbertboro.com.