Courtesy Photo: Highlands Fine Arts Professor David Lobdell stands with his first-place sculpture, “Nesting Book #1,” at the Creede Sculpture Show.
Las Vegas, N.M. – A New Mexico Highlands fine arts professor took home first place honors in a juried Rocky Mountain Region sculpture show.
David Lobdell’s steel and iron piece, “Nesting Book #1,” was recognized at the Creede Sculpture Show in Creede, Colorado, July 20.
“My piece is a book made out of steel that has metal castings welded into it featuring two iron nests that represent the empty nest we have in our home now that our two sons are 22 and 26,” Lobdell said. “It’s a personal narrative that reflects the way I cope with the emotions of missing my children.”
Lobdell, who chairs the Department of Visual and Performing Art at Highlands, is a leader in the international cast iron art movement. He was the founding president of the Western Cast Iron Art Alliance in 2008 and continues to serve on the board of directors.
Lobdell’s work has been featured in a number of international exhibits over the years, such as the Festival of High Temperatures at the Academy of Art and Design in Wroclaw, Poland in 2017. He has permanent installations in venues such at the Sculpture Trails Outdoor Museum in Indiana and a temporary installation in the Grant City Illinois Sculpture Park.
“My large steel and iron pieces are very suitable for outdoor environments,” Lobdell said.
Most recently, Lobdell’s work was featured at the International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in May and June 2018.
“Being recognized in these kind of art venues demonstrates to my students that they can connect to the world with their art beyond their own studio,” Lobdell said.
Lobdell established the internationally acclaimed biennial Iron Tribe Sculpture Symposium at Highlands in 2001.