Elizabeth Turk is an American artist and sculptor. She is known for her work, Collars. In 2010 she was named MacArthur Fellow and a Barnett & Annalee Newman Foundation Fellow. In 2000 she was awarded a Joan Mitchell grant and the New York City Art Commission Award for Excellence Elizabeth Turk is represented by Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York.

Early life

She graduated from Scripps College

Scripps College

Scripps College is a progressive liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California, United States. It is a member of the Claremont Colleges. Scripps ranks 3rd for the nation's best women's college, ahead of Barnard College, Mount Holyoke College, and Bryn Mawr College at 23rd on the list for...

 in 1983 with a B.A.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in International Relations, and from the Rinehart School of Sculpture at the Maryland Institute with an M.F.A. in 1994.

Exhibitions

• 2010 Mint Museum
• 2009 Lux Art Institute
• 2008 Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY,
• 2008 Bandini Art, Culver City, CA
• 2006 Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY
• 2006 Galerie Lareuse, Washington DC, "Poetry Book"
• 2005 Joie Lassiter Gallery
• 2003 Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Scripps College, CA, "Matter and Matrix"
• 2003 Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC
• 2001 Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, Santa Barbara, CA.
• 2000 New York City Sewer Covers

Ribbons

Exhibited in 2008 at Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, the "Ribbons" emerge from reclaimed blocks of marble, their forms taking shape organically. These sketches in marble expose the tension in intuitive notions of gravity.

Collars

'The "Collars" series is built upon studies of natural patterns and systems strong enough to defy gravity and translate into stone matrices. The fragility of this lattice work emphasizes the paradox inherent in the material. Each piece in the series was created over 2–4 years, imbuing the work with a sense of patience. Time is 'felt', not described. Choosing stone, a historical and global medium, Turk bridges the ancient and the contemporary. Using modern tools (CNC machines, diamond bits, dental tools) the work brings marble back into the 21st century artistic dialog. Turk began the series in NYC in 2000 and was finished the work in Santa Ana, California. Drawing studies and collages for the 'Collars' were created at a residency at the McColl Center in Charlotte, NC in 2003. Here, Turk studied the possibility of translating patterns of thought (as seen in brain scans, handicrafts, activities of leisure, etc.) into the forms engineering each sculpture. At LUX Art Institute in San Diego in 2009, Turk contributed to the attempt to bring the process of art-making to the San Diego community in an open studio program. Here, Turk demonstrated finnishing work to Collar #21.'Collars' was first exhibited in 2004 at Otis College of Art and Design and when completed in 2006, at Hirschl and Adler, Modern. Currently the most recent piece, Collar #21, is exhibited at the new Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC.

Airplane Project

March 2003, the Airplane Project was exhibited as a response to the growing anxiety surrounding the reactions to 9/11. A non-denominational "chapel" was created at Grand Central Arts, in CA for one month. Entering the white room, a projection of paper airplanes manipulated into a moving collage dominated the far wall. This was reminiscent of the stained glass Rose window at Notre Dame. The space was filled with a field of candles. These were held by bronze, semi-melted figures atop long rods which grew from broken concrete. An audio was played of barely audible chanting. The white benches asked visitors to pause, sit, reflect, think a moment. Airplane Project was disassembled in 2003, only the catalog remains.

Crane Project

2000-2002, Turk collaborated with Kirara Kawachi to create "Crane Project". The work consists of 2 videos displayed side by side. Inspried by 9/11, the project took shape at Grand Central Arts, CA. Over the course of 2 months the artists worked, lived and created video footage together. The raw tapes were then edited individually, Turk in the US, and Kawachi in Japan. The work is a reminder of our humanity in the face of cultural divides and the speed with which perspectives change. Kawachi and Crane Project were awarded the L'Oreal Art and Science Prize in Tokyo in 2002. The videos were shown in the Japan Bank Building, Hiroshima (2003).

New York City manhole covers

In 2000, Turk designed 87 replacement manhole covers for Wolfe's Pond Park in Staten Island, New York. Two designs were built, a 27" cover version featuring a Great Blue Heron and a larger 36" version with Osprey. They were forged in New Jersey and installed in 2001.

Wings

From 1995 to 2000, Turk carved a series of five life-sized broken wings from Yule marble originally quarried for the Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC. Three of the wings are owned by the National Museum for Women in the Arts. Tturk carved the works, then created installation with them in abandoned industrial environments surrounding Washington DC. Photographs are the only records.

External links

• CV/Biography
• "Elizabeth Turk", Artnet