Exhibit: 9th International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition

Whoever said, “good things come in small packages” must have known about the International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibitions. Organized by University of Hawaii at Mänoa, this traveling exhibit was the brainchild of professors Mamoru Sato and Fred Roster. The pair wanted to see the work of sculptors from around the world. Because of the often large and awkward nature of sculpture, national and multi-national exhibitions are cumbersome and costly, so they restricted entries to a size no larger than a shoebox.


Dozens of small sculptures from around the world show how artists have handled the challenges of space and scale dictated by the size of an ordinary shoebox. It has attracted a large number of well-known artists from Hawaii, the U.S. mainland, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico, Norway, The Netherlands, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam.


Each sculpture speaks for itself. Some works are conceptual, some reflect the artist’s cultural heritage, and others are universal in expression. To create their sculptures, artists have used almost every imaginable medium. Cast metal, carved wood, blown glass, woven fiber, paper maché, molded clay, found objects, glass beads, feathers, and human hair have been components of Shoebox sculptures.


The 9th International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition opens with a reception from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, August 1, 2008 at the Branigan Cultural Center during the monthly 1st Friday Downtown Ramble. The small sculptures will remain on display through Saturday, September 13th in the Richardson Gallery.


The Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main, is located at the north end of the downtown mall. Parking is available at the intersection of Water and Hadley streets.