Clifford Ward

Artist Statement

The ability to create the illusion of defying gravity through body movement fascinates me. The poses of dancers/choreographers like Alvin Ailey, Judith Jameson, Twyla Tharp, Martha Graham, Koresh and Rennie Harris have inspired me to create sculptures and paintings that “dance”. The concentration on the lines, lightness and grace of artistic and athletic movement, have also inspired this series of sculptures and paintings which continue to evolve. Dance is a vital constituent to many cultures, especially to the African Diaspora. The beat of the drum remains in my soul and allows me to celebrate and rejoice dancing through sculpture, masks, and paintings. My art provides a vehicle for me to tell my own stories.

 

My Sculptures

My sculptures show a concentration on dancers that give a credible illusion of defying gravity by the excitement of flight and asymmetry. My desire to create dancers that are in flight seems to be the natural progression for my art. Just as photographers learned to freeze dancers and athletes in a split second (stop action), I aim to freeze a sculpture/dancer in mid-flight. This allows me to further explore the movement of bodies (sculpture) through space and time.

 

SELECT EXHIBITIONS

June 2006 – July 2006   Group Show “Riverfront Renaissance Sculture Invitational 2006” Millville, NJ

June 2006 – October 2006  Exhibition at Gallery, American College of Physicians Philadelphia, PA

March 2006 – December 2006  “Slient Voice, Loud Echoes”, 30th Anniversary Group Show, African AMerican Museum Philadelphia, PA

February 2006  Sculpture, “Grace of Judith”, chosen as gift for Dr. Maya Angelou, National Constitution Center Philadelphia, PA

June 2006 – October 2006  Exhibition at Gallery, American College of Physicians Philadelphia, PA

February 2006 – April 2006  Exhibition at Gallery, American College of Physicians Philadelphia, PA

July 2005 – October 2005  “Contemporary Masks” – Group Exhibition, Art in City Hall Philadelphia, PA

June 2005 – July 2005  “We Wear the Mask” – Solo Exhibition, Art Around Gallery Philadelphia, PA

April 2005  New York International Arts Festival, Group Exhibition with Full Displays

January 2005 – April 2005  “Cabin Fever”, Group Exhibition , Gallery 125 Trenton, NJ

November 2004 – December 2004  “The Art Within”, Solo Exhibition , Art Around Gallery Philadelphia, PA

January 2004 – March 2004  “Red Velvet Cake”, An exhibition of African-American Artists Morristown, NJ

July 2003 – August 2003  Johnson Atelier Group, 3rd Street Gallery Philadelphia, PA

May 2003 – June 2003  “Animism”, Solo Exhibition, Extension Gallery, Johnson Atelier Mercerville, NJ

April 2002 – June 2002  Group Exhibition, Johnson Atelier Staff/Apprentices Greensboro, NC