There’s a weird transformation art takes when it leaves the studio and enters the clean white walls of a gallery, notes Seth Clark, named 2015 Emerging Artist of the Year by the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. “I think it’s important and educational for people to see art in both environments.”
We agree. So we sent photographer Rob Larson to meet Clark at his studio in Radiant Hall, Lawrenceville one week before install at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.
“This is the time that things really start coming together for me… I’m forced to make big decisions on works I’ve been deliberating over for months. The rush before an exhibition deadline is when some of the most surprising works come to life,” says Clark.
His studio is an artistic mess, every inch covered in thinly cut scraps of wood and paper, leftovers from his intricate and detail-oriented process of creating. (“I can’t wait to clean this place up!” he mutters.)
This will be the first time Clark is exhibiting sculptural work alongside his well-known two-dimensional collages.
He’s spent around eight months preparing for this exhibition and feels very fortunate to be able to dedicate the time to his practice. “I owe so much to the local patrons who have supported me for the last two years through the Studio Direct program,” he says. “It’s helping me build up a professional art practice.”
The Emerging Artist title won’t hurt, either. Studio Direct is an innovative sales model designed by Clark where patrons pre-pay for a piece of artwork at a discounted rate. They get a good deal on art while giving him an income base to build his studio practice. He published the model online hoping other emerging artists can benefit from the idea.
The show at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts honors 2015 Artist of the Year Dennis Marsico along with Clark and opens on August 21st with a reception from 5:30 – 9 p.m. It runs through November 1st. Admission is $5.
