Sculptor — Stone & Metal - b. 1952, New York
John Van
Alstine
Wells, Adirondack Mountains, New York
© Jim McLaughlin
Artist Statement
The marriage of
natural & human-made
The union of stone and metal, recently rough-hewn New York slate and found object steel, are central in my sculpture. On its most basic level the work is about the marriage of the natural with the human-made.
Stone is used as an assemblage element, the way a welder uses steel, rather than in the traditional manner of subtraction. In contrast to the timelessness of stone, the found-object steel is very time specific — 20th century industrial. The industrial/structural characteristics inherent in the metal are often employed in the work and used to physically connect or suspend stone elements. The strength of the metal allows for a "choreographing" or "floating" of typically earthbound stone.
The ongoing Sisyphean Circle Series, begun in 2005, is an attempt to draw parallels between the Greek mythological character and the plight of the artist. As we all know, Sisyphus was forced to roll a large stone up a steep hill, only to have it tumble back after reaching the top. A toil that lasts all eternity is an applicable metaphor for the creative process — especially for a stone sculptor on both a physical and symbolic level. I am constantly pushing stone around the studio striving to reach a creative "peak" and once there, start over on the next piece. The process is never ending.
Albert Camus, the French existentialist, in his essay The Myth of Sisyphus used this myth to illustrate his notion that reaching one's final destination is not of utmost importance. In fact if one "reconsiders Sisyphus" as Camus suggests, the struggle or journey reveals itself as ultimately the most meaningful — an idea that I and many others believe is central to the creative process.
"His prolific and consistently engaging output has earned the artist a reputation as one of America's most important sculptors of the late 20th and 21st century."
— Nick Capasso, Curator, DeCordova Museum, BostonBiography
Born upstate New York in 1952, John Van Alstine grew up in the southern Adirondack Mountains. After attending St. Lawrence University, Kent State University (BFA 1974) and Cornell University (MFA 1976) he joined the faculty at the University of Wyoming, Laramie, and later the University of Maryland, College Park, to teach drawing and sculpture. In 1986 he left teaching and moved to the NYC area to pursue studio work full time. In 1987 he purchased a 19th century industrial complex on the banks of the Sacandaga River and returned to the Adirondacks where he now lives and works in the restored historic structure.
Over the course of a still-active 55-year career, Van Alstine's work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States and internationally in Europe and Asia, including more than 45 solo exhibitions. He has completed eighteen major large-scale, site-specific outdoor commissions in the United States and China. A trilogy of recently published hardcover books chronicles his career and artistic accomplishments. His work is represented in numerous private, public, and corporate collections across the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Education
Academic Positions
Books
Publications
Commissions
Large-Scale Public Works
- 2022Catapulta 3 China Wuhu 8th International Sculpture Exhibition — Bronze Prize→
- 2011Tempered by Memory City of Saratoga Springs, NY — 30', World Trade Center steel→
- 2011Passage Tsinghua University, Beijing, China→
- 2010Funambulist Michigan State University — 30' Federal percent-for-arts commission→
- 2008Ring of Unity / Circle of Inclusion Olympic Park, Beijing, China→
- 2008Cardinalis Indianapolis International Airport — 35'→
- 2006Via Solaris Indiana State University — 16' bronze/granite solstice calendar→
- 20042nd Street Sunwork NJ Transit Light Rail Station, Hoboken, NJ→
- 2003Reed Memorial Reed Memorial Park, near Philadelphia, PA→
- 2002Kettering 9-11 Memorial Kettering, OH→
- 2001Updraft Dulles Trade Center — Dulles International Airport, VA→
- 1994Reconsidering Sisyphus Jersey City State College, NJ→
- 1993Artery Sunwork Bethesda, MD — 18' bronze and granite solstice calendar→
- 1989SCR Solstice Calendar Bowie, MD — Super Computer Research Center→
- 1988East River Totem Washington, DC — 16' stainless steel and granite→
- 1986Solstice Calendar Austin College, Sherman, TX→
- 1983Big Go-Round Luck Stone Corporation, Richmond, VA→
- 1982Trough City of Billings, MT→
Recognition
Awards & Fellowships (selected)
- 2023Distinguished Alumni Award — Kent State University
- 2022Bronze Award — Liu Kaiqu Award, Wuhu, China
- 2008Merit Award — Olympic Park Sculpture Competition, Beijing
- 2005Gottlieb Foundation Individual Artist Grant
- 2002Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant
- 1996Resident Fellowship, Casting Institute, Art Department, SUNY Buffalo (Amherst), NY
- 1986NEA — Individual Artist Fellowship in Sculpture
- 1985Yaddo Fellowship, Saratoga Springs, NY
- 1980Louis C. Tiffany Foundation Fellowship
- 1978Rome Prize Fellowship — finalist
- 1976Cornell Graduate Fellowship in Sculpture
Exhibitions
Solo Shows (selected)
- 2022The Hyde Collection — Transformation, 50-year survey, Glens Falls, NY→
- 2021Chesterwood / National Trust — Tipping the Balance, Stockbridge, MA→
- 2019Artist Book Foundation, MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA→
- 2012Opalka Gallery, Sage College — Arrested Motion / Perilous Balance, Albany, NY→
- 2008–1989Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, NM200819911989
- 2006–1988Nohra Haime Gallery, New York20062004200019981996199419901988
- 1996–97DeCordova Museum — Vessels and Voyages, Lincoln, MA→
- 1991Sonsbeek International Art Center, Arnhem, The Netherlands→
- 1991National Academy of Sciences — Documents, Washington, DC→
- 1987Phillips Collection — large-scale outdoor works, Washington, DC→
- 1979Hirshhorn Museum — Directions '79, Washington, DC→
Holdings
Public Collections (selected)
- Albany Institute of History and Art Albany, NY
- American University Museum of Art Katzen Center, Bethesda, MD
- Bioethics Institute Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Baltimore Museum of ArtBaltimore, MD
- Blanton Museum of Art University of Texas, Austin
- Carnegie Institute of Art Pittsburgh, PA
- City of BeijingChina, 2008 Olympic Park Exhibition Collection
- Chautauqua Institute Fowler-Kellogg Art Center, Chautauqua, NY
- Corcoran Gallery of Art Washington, DC
- Dallas Museum of ArtDallas, TX
- Dayton Art InstituteDayton, OH
- Delaware Museum of ArtWilmington, DE
- Denver Art MuseumDenver, CO
- Federal Reserve Board Washington, DC
- Grounds for Sculpture Hamilton, NJ
- Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
- Herbert F Johnson Museum Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
- Museum of Fine Arts Houston, TX
- Smithsonian American Art Museum Washington, DC
- Newark Museum of Art Newark, NJ
- Museum of Modern Art Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
- Phoenix Art MuseumPhoenix, AZ
- Princeton University Art Museum
- Ringling Museum of Art Sarasota, FL
- The Adirondack Museum Blue Mountain Lake, NY
- The Hyde Collection Glens Falls, NY
- The Phillips Collection Washington, DC
- Tsinghua University Museum Beijing, China
- U.S. State Department — Art in Embassies Bolivia, Chile, Jamaica, Nepal, Morocco