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Unit of Study VI.
Walter Dusenbery - Stone Portals to the Past, Present, and Future
 Walter Dusenbery, Porta Massa, 1988, yellow travertine, 110" x 58" x 19". Courtesy of the artist. |
"Walter Dusenbery's work has been said to be an 'echo of the antique.' This is evident in his elegant use of marble and classical architectural form. The composition of Porta Massa, however, is more than simply an acknowledgement of ancient architecture. Dusenbery's portal allows the viewer to find new perspectives on the world and history, offering a monumental view on a personal scale."
Jeff Nathanson
International Sculpture Center
President/Executive Director
Walter Dusenbery, born in Alameda, California, abandoned early ambitions to study dance for the study of ceramics at the San Francisco Art Institute. Dusenbery traveled extensively throughout Asia visiting kiln sites. He visited and studied Mayan and Zapotec sites in Mexico, as well. Dusenbery received his M.F.A. degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts. He subsequently traveled and worked with Isamu Noguchi. Walter Dusenbery became a visiting sculptor at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. Dusenbery's work is represented in collections in The United States and abroad including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Fine Art, Laumeier Sculpture Park and Museum in St. Louis, Missouri, Town of Glostrup, Denmark, and Yorkshire Sculpture Park in England. Dusenbery has won many prestigious awards including The Augustus Saint-Gaudens Memorial Prize and the National Endowment for the Arts Grant. Walter Dusenbery is currently Director of the Stone Division at the Johnson Atelier in Hamilton Township, New Jersey.
Unit Overview
This unit focuses on stone and the metamorphosed stone-like qualities of fired clay. Students experience the labor intensive effort required to work stone, and the accompanying sense of power is juxtaposed with the sensuous subtlety of clay, both incredibly expressive, both incredibly fragile. Students are better able to relate to the work of Walter Dusenbery and other stone sculptors once they experience the process of creating in stone themselves.
- National Standards for Visual Arts Education referenced to this unit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards referenced to this unit: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6
- New Jersey Cross-Content Workplace Readiness Standards referenced to this unit: 2, 3, 4, 5
 Example of steatite sculptures made by Nottingham High School students. |
Unit
of Study VI.
Walter Dusenbery - Stone Portals to the Past, Present, and Future
Lesson
1 | Lesson 2 | Extensions
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