Resume

Mr. Bellaver is a sculptor whose works span many mediums, including stone, wood, painted steel, and metal.  His monumental works include The Kane County Veterans Memorial, Geneva, IL; Ēkwabet (Potawatomi Indian – found in the Art Inventories Catalog of the Smithsonian American Art Museum), St. Charles, IL; The Crucifixion of Christ (both bronze and wood), St. Patrick’s Church, St. Charles, IL; The Growth of Post Modern, MCC Technology, St. Charles, IL; Limestone in the Wind/Pittsburgh, Latrobe, PA; and Jesus Christ/The Resurrection, The Daughters of St. Paul, Boston, MA. 

 

Mr. Bellaver’s sculptures also appear in the corporate, university, and civic collections of the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science in Sioux Falls, SD, Avera McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD, Forest County Potawatomi Cultural Museum, Crandon, WI, Armstrong County, Kittanning, PA, Elgin Community College, Elgin, IL, St. Charles Heritage Center, St. Charles, IL, Forbes Health System, Pittsburgh, PA, Graphite Sales, Inc., Chagrin Falls, OH, H.J. Heinz Corporation’s International Headquarters, Pittsburgh, PA, Hiram College, Hiram, OH, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, Property Investment Company, Indianapolis, IN, and St. Vincent College, Latrobe, PA, among others.  His work also appears in private collections around the country.

 

Recent Exhibition Record:

Vicinity Show                                                                                       2008                Norris Cultural Arts Center                     St. Charles, IL

Sculpture in the Park                                                                        2008                Mt. St. Mary’s Park                               St. Charles, IL

Gallery Show, Bridges Fine Art Gallery                                    2009                Hotel Baker                                            St. Charles, IL

Art in the Abstract (5 artists)                                                    2009                Fermilab Art Gallery                                   Batavia, IL

Aurora Art Walk (7 artists)                                                                               2009                Downtown Venues                                  Aurora, IL

Positive Matters (w/ Derek Hambly)                                 2010                Monroe Cultural Arts Center   Monroe, WI

Turchin Center for the Arts’ Rosen Sculpture Competition                2010                Appalachian State U/Downtown                Boone, NC

SculptureWalk                                                                                      2010                Downtown, Washington Pavilion, and Avera                                                                                                                                           McKennan Hospital                                  Sioux Falls, SD

Sculpture in the Park                                                                        2010                Benson Sculpture Garden                 Loveland, CO

The Creative Thread–From Fibonacci to Fermi (1 man show)     2010                St. Vincent College                    Latrobe, PA

Sculpture Tour Salina                                                                     2011                Downtown                                           Salina, KS

“Avenue of Sculpture Exhibit”/Art Chicago                                   2011                Merchandise Mart (outside)                 Chicago, IL

 

Biography

After his discharge from the United States Army, Mr. Bellaver earned a B.A. in Economics from St. Vincent College.  He has been employed as a sales representative by Prudential Insurance and Xerox.  He has worked as a sculptor full time since 1975. Mr. Bellaver has taken masters credit classes in art at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Northern Illinois University, as well as The School of the Museum of Art in Chicago.  He is presently a member of the CSI (Chicago Sculpture International) and ISC (International Sculpture Center) and sits on the Boards of the St. Charles Visitors and Cultural Commission and the St. Charles Arts Council.  Mr. Bellaver is a past President of the St. Charles Rotary Club and Rotary Foundation and a past Chairman of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership’s Public Art Committee.

 

Artists Statement

In the nearly 35 years that I have been a professional sculptor, I have worked in many mediums, including stone, wood, and metal.  My work over nearly four decades is eclectic, but shares a theme or style that is both organic and technical.  My most recent work has been in bronze, painted steel, or painted fiberglass, and ranges from “tabletop” to monumental pieces over 18 feet tall.  I have always been fascinated by the relationship of positive to negative space – the energy of their interaction, and my art.  In fact, the relationship of art to the STEM disciplines has informed my artwork since my very first, extremely geometric stone sculptures.  My work is in civic, corporate, residential, and university settings, both commissioned and spec.

 

I followed a very “unlinear” route to art – through work, the Army, and college.  The journey was an experience – every day spent as an artist has been a joy.