BIO
Scott Sherk is a sculptor who often works with sound. He has exhibited widely including exhibitions at the Katonah Museum of Art, the Allentown Art Museum, the Kim Foster Gallery NYC, and the Leslie Cecil Gallery NYC. His exhibitions have been favorably reviewed by the New York Times and ArtForum. His sound work has been released on CD by 3Leaves, and/OAR, and net releases by Stasisfield and Wandering Ear.
Scott Sherk was a Professor of Art at Muhlenberg College. He has been a recipient of the Class of ’32 Research Chair and twice recipient of the Hoffman Research Fellowship. He currently holds the position of Professor Emeritus.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Some years ago I bought an MP3 player that also had a record function. On a whim, I started making recordings of ambient, empty spaces. I was startled to find that these recordings contained spatial cues, and they suggested tangible, inhabitable spaces. Sound was something that could shape space!
For me, sculpture has increasingly become the art of space. I have long been interested in perception and its possibilities of being a subject and an end in itself. The great postwar sculptor, Albert Giacometti made visible the relationship between one body and another through the dissolution of form to the very edge of perception. Robert Irwin, contemporary painter, sculptor and gardener, has done the same with objects that have skimmed the edge of the visible concentrating on light and space—not objects. It has become my interest to bypass the object altogether and highlight other cues of spatial reference— specifically sound-- to generate and manipulate representations of space. My work continues to be sculpture: it manipulates space.
My research has taken different directions. I have become interested in creating containers of variable spaces—empty spaces that contain no visual material only sound. On the other hand I have been exploring the relationship of movement to represent space. These works use often multi-channel sound in which the viewer/listener moves through an immersive environment. Sometimes sensors trigger the sound. I am also interested in creating a sensitivity to environmental sound, its potential as a design resource, and its impact on our lives.
CV
Installations
2022-23 — Art in Unexpected Places - Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA
2019 -- Route 22 Haiku, with Pat Badt, Soft Machine Gallery, Allentown, PA
2017-18 -- SonanceZoellner - Sound installation Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA
2017 -- Edges | Transitions, with Pat Badt -- Suzanne Arnold Gallery, Lebanon Valley College, Anville, PA
2016 -- Som + Cor, with Pat Badt, Evoramonte Castle, Evoramonte, Portugal
2015 -- Steel Stele, Grossman Gallery, Lafayette College, Easton, PA
2015 -- Past/Present: Conversations across Time, Allentown Museum of Art
2014 -- The Pigpen II: Experimental Art at Mayfair, Allentown, PA
2013 -- “Drones”, Fuse at the Cigar Factory, Allentown, PA
2013 – The Pigpen: Experimental Art at Mayfair, Allentown, PA
2012 – “Intersection”, in collaboration with Pat Badt, The Lab, NY, NY
2010 – “The Katonah Sound Project: Ambient Map”, Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY
2010 – “23 Fountains of Beverly Hills”, Audio Visual Arts Gallery, NY, NY
2007 – “blues”, in collaboration with Pat Badt, Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA
2006 – sound = space, site specific sound work in Serious Business, Bethlehem, PA
2003-4- “Point, Line, Plane”, a collaboration with Pat Badt, Lafayette College, Easton, PA
2002- “The Bunker Project”, Muhlenberg College Center for the Arts
2001- “2000 People Missing All of them Different, 2000 Sculptures All of them Different”, a campus collaboration, Muhlenberg College
2000- “Range: An installed environment”, in collaboration with Pat Badt, Axis @ Marshall Arts, Memphis. TN
1999 - “Clouded Drawing”, in collaboration with Pat Badt, Birke Art Gallery, Marshall University
1997- “HorizonLines”, in collaboration with Pat Badt, Kim Foster Gallery, NY, NY
1997- “Hut View”, in collaboration with Pat Badt, Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY
1996 - “Polite Sources”, Frank Martin Gallery, Muhlenberg College
1992-93--"Sighting the Gallery", in collaboration with Joel Sanders, Artists Space, New York, NY
1992 -- "Reception" In collaboration with Joel Sanders, Dooley Le Capellaine , New York, NY
1991 -- Installation, Morris Arboretum, The Official Arboretum of the Commonwealth of PA, curated by Edward Fry
1988 -- "Project 2", in collaboration with Joel Sanders, Art at the Anchorage, Creative Time, Brooklyn Bridge Anchorage
1987 -- "Columns", in collaboration with Joel Sanders, Memorial Arch, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY
Sound Projects
2021 - Muted Sounds, CD and/41, and/OAR
2020 - “Black Lives Matter”, La Llamada, Bahia[in]sonora and Ferrowhite workshop Museum
2019 -- FLK Soundscape Symposium, presentation of sound work, San Cesario di Lecce, Italy
2017 -- Alentejo, limited edition CD, 3Leaves
2015 -- http://www.mutesound.org/1_minute_project/1-minute-autohypnosis-29th-cd/
2015 -- Framework500, CD, www.frameworkradio.net
2015 -- radioCona presentation and broadcast, Ljubljama, Slovenia
2014 -- Sounding Cities -- listening room, Viseu, Portugal
2012 – “New York Glyptic”, CD release on 3Leaves
2012 – Curated “Ed Osborn, Standing Wave”, Martin Art Gallery, Allentown, PA
2011 – “Overheard and Rendered 2”, joint CD release with Eric Cordier, and/OAR, Seattle, WA
2011 – Phonography Meeting – unprocessed field recording concert, Presents Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2011 – “Exquisite Corpse”, Soundfjord Gallery, London, England
2010 – “Katonah Sound Project (Prelude)” presented by Soundfjord at Dragonfly Festival, Sweden
2010 – “The Transparency Project”, 3” CD with original art, 3Leaves
2010 – Curated “Sound in Space” with Annea Lockwood, Seth Cluett, Steve Peters, Steve Roden, Martin Art Gallery, Muhlenberg College
2010 – 23 Fountains of Beverly Hills, full length release on www.stasisfield.com
2009 – Giant Ear, 24 Hour Recordings curated for Free103point9.org http://archive.free103point9.org/2009/06/giantear_053109.mp3
2009 – Featured on The Sound of Noise, Weekday, KUOW, Seattle, WA podcast www.kuow.org
2008 – icelandic air, full length release on Wandering Ear http://www.wanderingear.com/we009.html
2007 – “Melt”, one track on Wandering Ear compilation http://www.wanderingear.com/we005.html
2006-7-The Sound of Ice and Snow, two tracks, Gruenrekorder, http://www.gruenrekorder.de
2006 – Das Kleine Field Recording Festival, Festival to Go, Factory, Berlin. http://www.factory-berlin.de/das-kleine-field-recordings-festival/
2006 – One Minute Vacation, featured week of July 31, 2006, http://www.quietamerican.org/vacation.html
2006 – Symbiosis—Experimental Sound Textures and Rhythms, www.rrr.org.au, August 9, 2006
2005 – Sonda, Zeppelin Festival, Barcelona, Spain
2005 – Sound Café, Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, Scotland, curated by James Wyness
Selected One-Person Shows
2016-2017-- Sound Shadows, Fox Gallery NYC, NY, NY
2013—Scott Sherk: Surround – Martin Art Gallery, Muhlenberg College
2011 – “Scott Sherk: Mapping Sound” – Downtown Gallery, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
2008 – “Walking: sound and sculpture,” Kim Foster Gallery, New York, NY
2005- Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery, Haverford College, Haverford, PA
2005- “Steel Solitudes”, Kim Foster Gallery, New York, NY
2001- “Borrowed Light”, Kim Foster Gallery, New York, NY
1996- “Empty Spaces”, Allentown Museum of Art, Allentown, PA
1995 - Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery, Haverford College, Haverford, PA ,1995
1991-93 -- Morris Arboretum, The Official Arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, curated by Edward Fry
1990 -- Frank Martin Gallery, Muhlenberg College
1987 -- Leslie Cecil Gallery, New York, NY
1986 -- Leslie Cecil Gallery, New York, NY
1985 -- Leslie Cecil Gallery, New York, NY
1984 -- Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Alberta, Canada
Selected Group Shows
2022-- Out of Pennsylvania - Kent State - Stark, Canton, Ohio
2020 -- Plain & Fancy, the Painting Center, New York City
2019 -- Transport, (including Route 22 Haiku), Soft Machine Gallery, Allentown, PA
2017 -- Experimentation/ Improvisation -- Miller Gallery, Kutztown University
2017 -- Reformation Reformed, Concordia Gallery, Concordia University, Minneapolis, MN
2016 -- Notes From Malta, Marshall Arts, Memphis TN
2014 -- L’Ventura -- Kim Foster Gallery, NY, NY
2013 – Paths: Charting Navigating Bridging, Simons Center Art Gallery, SUNY Stony Brook
2009 – The American Scene – Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, Wilmington, DE
2009 – Material/Immaterial, School of the Arts, SUNY Genoseo, Genoseo, NY
2008- “Gallery Goulash”, Kim Foster Gallery, New York, NY
2007- “GeoPhonoBox: Sonic Surveys of Place”, Around the Coyote Gallery, Chicago, IL
2007- “On Ice”, Williams Center for the Arts Gallery, Lafayette College, Easton, PA sound installation w/ Pat Badt painting
2006- “Ex-urbia”, Kim Foster Gallery, NY, NY sound installation w/ Pat Badt paintings
2005- “Collectors Gallery”, Albright Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY
2005- “Drawings, Figures and New Work—Sherk and Tuttle”, Martin Art Gallery, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA
2005- Kim Foster Gallery, New York, NY
2004- Kim Foster Gallery, New York, NY
2003- “Selections from the Permanent Collection”, Kim Foster Gallery, New York, NY
2001- “Black and White”, Kim Foster Gallery, New York, NY
1999 - ” Local Color”, Frank Martin Gallery
1998 - “Small Works” Hunterton Museum of Art
1995 - “Contradictory Conclusions” The Gallery at Northampton, curated by Rhonda Wall
1995 - “Invitational” New Arts Program, Kutztown
1994 -- "Pat Badt and Scott Sherk", Tezukayama College, Nara, Japan
1992 -- "Gallery" Dooley Le Cappellaine, New York, NY
1991-2 -- "Hard Choices/ Just Rewards", Blair Art Museum, Hollidaysburg, PA travels through state of PA
1991 -- "Forms of Allusion" Soho Center for the Visual Arts, NY, NY.
1991 -- "Lumia", Open Space Gallery, Allentown, PA
1991 -- "Light and Shadow", Regeneration, Easton, PA
1989 -- Leslie Cecil Gallery, NY,NY
1988-89- "Bearings", Parsons School of Design, Princeton University School of Architecture
1988 -- Big Sculpture For Big Spaces-- Art at the Anchorage, Creative Time, Brooklyn Bridge Anchorage
1987 -- Leslie Cecil Gallery, NY, NY
1987 -- Installation (site specific) Memorial Arch, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY
1987 -- Lehigh Valley Arts Project, Easton, PA
1986 -- "Art and Illusion", Anchorage Museum of Art and History, Anchorage, Alaska
1986 -- "Agostini, Sherk, Silver, Cairns, Gagnier", Leslie Cecil Gallery, NY, NY.
1986 -- "Shadows and Projections", McGoverns Bar, New York, NY
1986 -- Leslie Cecil Gallery, NY, NY
1986 -- "Sculptors Drawings", Nohra Haime Gallery, NY, NY
1985 -- Leslie Cecil Gallery, NY, NY
1985 -- "Light/Heavy Light", U.C. Davis Memorial Union Gallery, Davis, CA
1985 -- Installation, Sculpture Center, NY, NY_
1984 -- "On Relief", 80 Washington Square East Galleries, NY, NY
1984 -- "Drawings", Sculpture Center, NY, NY
1984 -- Leslie Cecil Gallery, NY, NY
1984 -- "WaterFront Art", Federal Court House, NY, NY
1984 -- Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
1983 -- "Selections 23", The Drawing Center, New York, NY
1983 -- "Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Exhibition", Brooklyn, NY
Grants
2008 -- Summer Research Grant, Muhlenberg College
2006 – Summer Research Grant, Muhlenberg College
1995 - Summer Research Grant, Muhlenberg College
1993-4 Academic Sabbatical in Nara, Japan
1991 -- PA Council on the Arts, Individual Artist Grant
1990 -- Faculty Research Grant, Muhlenberg College
1989 -- New York State Council on the Arts, Project Grant
1989 -- Faculty Research Grant, Muhlenberg College
1988 -- Creative Time, Inc., Art at the Anchorage project funding
1988 -- Materials for the Arts, New York, NY
1987 -- Faculty Research Grant, Muhlenberg College
1982 -- Artist-in-Schools Grant, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
1980-81 -- Artist-in-Schools Grant, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
Collections
Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Charlotte, NC
Awards and Residencies
2022 - Skagafjordur Iceland, August
2019 - Artist in Residence, American Academy in Rome, Sept-Oct
2016 - Residency, OBRAS Foundation, Portugal, August 2016
2015 - Residency, OBRAS Foundation, Portugal, August 2015
2015 - Residency, St. James Center for Creativity, Malta, September
2014 - Residency, VCCA, Amherst, Virginia, January
2011 - Residency, Bau Institute, Otranto, Italy, June
2008 - Residency, SIM; The Association of Icelandic Visual Artists, Iceland, August
2008-9 - Hoffman Research Fellowship, Muhlenberg College
2002 - Empie Award, Muhlenberg College
1996-7 - Class of ‘32 Research Chair, Muhlenberg College
1993 - I.D. The International Design Magazine Environments Award (with Joel Sanders)
1992-3 - Hoffman Research Fellowship, Muhlenberg College, 1992-93
1998 - Robert C. Williams Award for Scholarly and Creative Excellence
1987 - First Prize-- Artemide Lighting Design Competition (with Joel Sanders)
Education
1975 -- Haverford College, B.A. with Honors in Fine Arts
1976-77--New York Studio School of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture
1980 -- University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Fine Arts, M.F.A.
Professional Experience
Currently- Professor Emeritus, Muhlenberg College
2013-2014 – Chair of Department
2003- 2007- Chair of Art Department
2000-2016- Muhlenberg College, Professor of Art
1992-2000- Muhlenberg College, Associate Professor of Art
1985-1992 -- Muhlenberg College, Assistant Professor of Art
Bibliography
ARTFORUM, Scott Sherk at Kim Foster Gallery, review by Lisa Turvey, March, 2008
The New York Times, review by Ken Johnson, Friday, May 8, 2001.
Sculpture Magazine, review by Tom Csaszar, September-October, 1995
Philadelphia Inquirer, “Haverford exhibit explores visual sensation”, Sunday, June 4, 1995
The Morning Call, “Contradictory Conclusions is study in contrasts”, Sunday, March 26, 1995
I.D. The International Design Magazine, The 39th Annual Design Review, "Sighting the Gallery", July August 1993
Philadelphia Inquirer, "A myth molded in metal at Morris Arboretum", August 9, 1991
Channel 2, Tokyo, "New York Underground", June 1988
The New York Times, "Bridge as art gallery", June 10, 1988
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Review, Victoria Donahoe, October 29, 1987
ArtNews, "Gabo's Progeny" by Cynthia Nadelman, December 1987.
Art and Illusion, Exhibition Catalogue, Ann M. FitzGibbons, Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Anchorage, Alaska, 1986
American Craft, "Shadow in the Visual Arts, by Frances Butler, February/March 1985
ArtNews, "Waterfront Art", by Sara Cecil, September, 1984.
Gallery, September/October, 1984, Southern Alberta Art Gallery
Light/Heavy Light, Contemporary Shadow Use in the Visual Arts, Frances Butler, Poltrone Press, 1985
The New York Times, Review, Michael Brenson,
March 29, 1985