The National Sculpture Society is pleased to announce the Fellows Online Invitational 2023. The online exhibition features the work of 51 Fellows of the Society. The sculpture on view is a testimony of the skill, imagination, vision, and dedication to the art by top-ranking members of the organization.

Fellow membership is the highest level of achievement in National Sculpture Society.  NSS Fellows are nominated by their peers for advancement to Fellow.  Fellows (FNSS), Elected Members (NSS), and Associates comprise the levels of membership of the organization which is international in scope and appeal.  National Sculpture Society is a not-for-profit organization which supports excellence in sculpture through various educational programs including scholarships and grants for emerging artists.

Highlights of the exhibition include two snails in love, an angel in her finest lingerie, a businessman escaping his work cubicle, a 3D printed portrait, carvings in wood and marble, and memorials to historical and beloved figures – recently installed, soon to be placed, or even traveling – in public spaces across the United States. The dozens of figurative and animal sculptures on display represent the diverse styles, backgrounds and disciplines of NSS Fellows.

Sculptors featured in the Fellows Online Invitational 2023 are Mark Edward Adams, George Anthonisen, Anthony Antonios, Béla Bácsi, Meredith Bergmann, Richard Blake, Paige Bradley, Kate Brockman, Fred X Brownstein, Blair Buswell, Tim Cherry, Susie Chisholm, LeaAnn Cogswell, John Coleman, Eugene Daub, Jane DeDecker, Tom Durham, Martin Eichinger, Barry Eisenach, Don Everhart, Lee Hutt, Barry Johnston, Carter Jones, Michael Keropian, Simon Kogan, Tuck Langland, Jim Licaretz, Richard MacDonald, Gwen Marcus, Walter Matia, Janice Mauro, Angela Mia, Paul Moore, Yasumitsu Morito, Olga Nielsen, Lawrence Noble, Leo E. Osborne, Gary Lee Price, Jim Rennert, Paul Rhymer, Rosetta, Seiji Saito, Stefan Savides, Tom Silveroli, Ryoichi Suzuki, Joshua Tobey, LeRoy Transfield, Bart Walter, Basil Watson, and Wesley Wofford.

Lee Hutt, who hails from South Hadley, MA and whose work in recent years has combined a variety of mixed media, created a lively portrait of an auditor friend of hers. “The Accountant started as a drawing of a friend who is in fact an accountant. Once translated into clay it became whimsical and non-traditional.  After firing it in the kiln and mounting it…I didn’t stop painting until the piece… read as a whole.”

San Pedro artist, Eugene Daub, simply re-worked a relief he created in a workshop in his piece Two Chicks. “The relief was a 1/2 hour demo that I did for my students in a class at Scottsdale Artists School a few years back. It was originally a figure demo with the model arranged on several pillows. After the class I gave it some thought and decided to morph the figure by adding a garment and inventing a background that her pose inspired. I have always had a fascination with chickens …so I changed the pillows into crates and then added the crowning glory of the sitting chick on the model’s head.”

Wilmington, DE based artist Olga Nielsen sculpted a sensitive portrait of a couple staring deeply into one another’s eyes in Time Travelers. “The relief started as a portrait commission for a couple, and I used those images (after changing them a little) for telling a love story; a story of finding each other, of a timeless connection, and love enduring challenges, time and separations.”

Susie Chisholm recently unveiled her sculpture of Coach John and Joan McKissick at Summerville High School Green Wave in Summerville, SC. The high school football mentor, who passed away in 2019, is the winningest coach in football history. “When the sculpture was unveiled, Joan took my hand and thanked me. She said when she was feeling sad or just needed to talk with John, she was going to bring her chair down to the sculpture and just sit with him. I really do get to meet the nicest people!”

National Sculpture Society was founded in New York City in 1893 by a group of America’s most prominent sculptors. Its members have created much of this country’s public sculpture, coins, and medals since the late 1800s. It is the oldest organization of professional sculptors in the United States and has been hosting exhibitions for over a century. Fellows (FNSS), Elected Members (NSS), and Associates designate the types of sculptor membership in the organization, which is international in scope and appeal. National Sculpture Society is dedicated to promoting excellence in sculpture that is inspired by nature.