Since 2009, National Sculpture Society has partnered with the Straz Center for the Performing Arts to put on an intimate sculpture exhibition of NSS members. Thirteen Fellow and Elected members’ sculptures were selected for a 2-year exhibition cycle at the Tampa Bay performing arts center and will be displayed in the facility’s Ruth Silbiger Lobby of Carol Morsani Hall. The show will run from late September 2017 through June 2019.

The Tampa Bay theater facility is the largest performing arts center in the Southeast and plays host to Broadway shows, world-class opera, dance performances and arts education programs. Celebrating its 30th year, the Straz welcomes 600,000 people through its front doors annually.

The 2017-2019 season will include sculpture by Douglas Aja, NSS; Kevin Chambers, NSS; D.L Engle, NSS; Kathleen Friedenberg, NSS; Lee Hutt, FNSS; Bruno Lucchesi, FNSS; Gwen Marcus, FNSS; Janice Mauro, FNSS; Marc Mellon, FNSS; Curt Mattson, NSS; Olga Nielsen, NSS; James Stewart, NSS; and Kristine Taylor, NSS.

The jury was composed of several members of the Straz Center Visual Arts Committee which includes Ann McKeel Ross, Michael Urette, James Jennewein, as well as Straz staff Judy Lisi, Lorrin Shepard and Dominick Furlano. Robin R. Salmon, Vice President for Collections and Curator of Sculpture at Brookgreen Gardens and Wesley Wofford, FNSS joined in the selection process.