While this exhibit may be a bit out of the way for many, it’s worth the extra journey. On display now at the Lehman College Art Gallery is a set of visually dramatic and colorful wooden busts and a dozen or more ink drawings. The exhibit, entitled “Michael Ferris Jr.: The Bronx Series and Other Works” is drawing a lot of attention, and with good reason.
Ferris Jr. is a native of Chicago who lives in Morris Park and first started making these sculptures in 1994. He was inspired by mosaic tables that his Lebanese father owned and started incorporating these designs into his work. Ferris Jr.’s sculptures are all made of wood and their stunning colors and patterns come from the grout that holds the wood together.
Gallery Director Susan Hoeltzel explained, “The work is very visually compelling. Students would be going by and you’ll hear them gasp.”
Ferris Jr., a high school art teacher explained, “I want to make pieces that people respond to. I want people to feel like they’re looking at something amazing. If they are moved by it, that’s really the point of the work ultimately.”
The exhibit will have a special reception on March 19th and the exhibit will run until May 12 at 250 Bedford Park Blvd. West.
