September 21st will bring the opening of The Cummer Museum’s newest exhibition space, the J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver Community Sculpture Garden & Plaza, located at the northwest corner of the Museum campus. This space represents a markedly different approach to the presentation of works of art, than previously seen at The Cummer. Placed outside of our building, visitors and passersby alike will have the chance to explore pieces from the permanent collection as well as rotating exhibitions.
The inaugural exhibition for this new space will be The Human Figure: Sculptures by Enzo Torcoletti. Torcoletti is an Italian born artist residing in Florida. He trained in both Canada and the United States and for many years taught sculpture and art history at St. Augustine’s Flagler College. With over forty years of professional experience Torcoletti works in a style that is sophisticated and consistent. His work is classical in thought, referencing the human body and rendering it in materials such as limestone, marble, and bronze. Yet his approach is contemporary, abstracting the figure and reducing it to its most vital information thus leaving only a slight impression of a torso.
The star of the new sculpture garden will be The Museum’s own Sea of the Ear Rings by Takashi Soga. Relocated from the other end of the campus, as part of our Landscape Enhancement Project, our Soga is a colossal demonstration of form and balance. Its bright red appearance and oversized scale make an impactful impression to those approaching The Cummer down Riverside Avenue. Visitors who pay close attention will note that the upper ring is affected by wind and gravity and does in fact move independently of the lower ring.
The opening of this garden is important for a few reasons. It provides a space in which to display larger and more varied three-dimensional works, while serving as a place to meditate on them in an ideal setting with natural lighting. In fact, The Cummer’s education department is currently in the process of developing school tour programming that will utilize this exhibition space to highlight a specific art form. Also, and most importantly, it will be available as a resource to any who wish to use it, free of charge.
