National Sculpture Society and The Fantasy Fountain Fund are proud to announce the winner of The Robin R. Salmon Prize of $1,000 – Adam Matano. The prize was granted during the run of NSS’ California Community exhibition, “The Art of Form: Perspectives from The West” which was held at the Sausalito Center for the Arts in Sausalito, CA from May 17 – June 15, 2025.

The winning piece, Rascal, is of an over life-sized condor with wings unfurled, grasping the heart of a former living animal in its piercing talons. Matano is known for his direct observation of nature and for sculpting animals en plein air. This work was inspired by an encounter Matano had with the majestic bird. “Rascal was initially inspired by a California condor named Dolly who lives at the Los Angeles Zoo. Dolly broke her wing before she could fly. After many attempts to fix her wing, unfortunately it could not be fixed. Condors are incredibly social and because she couldn’t be with her own kind, she was not maturing properly. Now, she spends most days perched in the condor office, with humans. She is very picky about who she trusts, but she has a place and social status and is maturing well. She was definitely one of my favorite animals to meet and sculpt up close. She was the perfect model for my sculptural idea.”

The prize given by National Sculpture Society is funded by Greg Wyatt of the Fantasy Fountain Fund and the guest juror was Lawrence Noble, FNSS.  Noble took four hours to look over the show and review each piece before deciding upon Rascal. He was quite impressed by the skill level with which Matano created the wings and the feathers and was moved by the dramatic effect of the condor balancing on the heart of a once-living creature.

An Elected Member of National Sculpture Society, Adam Matano refers to himself as “a contemporary representational artist who specializes in sculpture.” Matano’s affinity for nature and the arts developed early in his life, setting the foundation for his creative journey. Matano received a BFA in Sculpture from Lyme Academy of Fine Arts (Old Lyme, CT) and exhibits his work in group and solo shows up and down the California coast. His notable, recent honors include 1st place in Sculpture, Beverly Hills Art Show (2022); and Gold Medal Award for Sculpture, California Art Club (2023). In 2015, Matano won the Marilyn Newmark Memorial Grant from National Sculpture Society. A natural educator, Matano teaches sculpture workshops from his Los Angeles studio and annually at Brookgreen Gardens (Pawleys Island, SC); he also teaches sculpture as adjunct faculty at Laguna College of Art + Design.

The month long exhibition had over 3,500 visitors and was organized by NSS Northern California Ambassador, Lance Glasser.  To see all the works from the exhibition, click HERE.