Bucks County artist Mark Sfirri is enjoying his first solo museum exhibition, La Famiglia, at the Museum for Art in Wood in Philadelphia’s Center City, writes Peter Crimmins for the WHYY.
La Famiglia features sets of crafted objects with some shared characteristics that make them appear related.
The show inspired a second exhibition, The Flower Show, being displayed simultaneously at the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown.
The exhibition features wooden flower bouquets Sfirri prepared for his son’s wedding at a venue that did not allow flowers.
“It’s unusual that I would have two solo museum shows in a year since I’ve never had a solo museum show before,” said the artist.
Both museums feature some of Sfirri’s works in their collections, including versions of his iconic Rejects from the Bat Factory, lathe-turned baseball bats sculpted into seemingly impossible, unconventional shapes.
“Mark’s work always has this sense of whimsy and humor,” said Michener Museum curator Laura Igoe. “You see the bats and you’re at first like, ‘Oh, it’s bats.’ Then you’re like, ‘These bats look strange, not really functional as bats.’”
The Baseball Hall of Fame also acquired sets of Rejects from the Bat Factory.
Read more about Mark Sfirri’s irst solo museum exhibition in the WHYY.
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