Sculptural Innovation by Welly Fletcher comes to life at ARTSLab
In an exploration of artistry and technology, sculpture faculty Welly Fletcher, delved into a whirlwind of creativity at ARTSLab this fall to make one of her new sculptures that would join her recent solo show “SLANT” at Richard Levy Gallery.
The journey began this summer (2023) with a handmade clay maquette of a lion head. Assisted by Art and Ecology MFA candidate Nancy Dewhurst, Fletcher captured the clay model using ARTSLab’s Artec Leo 3D scanner. The three-dimensional digital model was then scaled-up to print on ARTSLab’s large format Big Rep ONE 3D printer.
As the printer’s mechanical dance unfolded, layer by layer, the lion head grew to life in astounding dimensions. Ten days of ceaseless printing yielded a formidable final piece—a mesmerizing three-foot-long marvel weighing in at an impressive 14.5 Kg or 32 lbs.
This fusion of tradition and technology exemplifies the essence of the interdisciplinary exploration taking place at ARTSLab. Welly Fletcher’s final sculpture can be seen, along with other works, at Richard Levy Gallery at 514 Central Ave SW in downtown Albuquerque.
Follow ARTSLab on Instagram @unmartslab.
Follow sculpture faculty Welly Fletcher on Instagram @wellyfletcher.
UNM Artists Take the Spotlight in Southwest Contemporary Vol. 12: Obsession
Southwest Contemporary Vol. 12: Obsession features some incredible work from several of the amazing people who comprise the Art Department. Current second-year MFA students Luka Berkley and Justine Kablack, recent MFA graduate Taylor Engel, and instructor Jessamyn Lovell all have work featured in this most recent issue of Southwest Contemporary.
Spotlight on Art Studio & Art History Faculty: Featured Exhibitions
Art History Professor Ray Hernández-Durán was recently featured in two articles and interviewed by the Latin American and Iberian Institute. UNM News published “UNM Professors Create Exhibition, First-Ever Scholarship of Local Chicano Artists’ Work” by Anna Padilla, highlighting an exhibition curated by Hernández-Durán and Dr. Irene Vásquez. The show, now on view at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, features six talented New Mexican Chicano artists whose work has been historically underrepresented in academic scholarship.
Art Faculty: Awards, Residencies & Revisited Projects
Distinguished Professor Jim Stone is an exhibiting artist who uses photography. His photographs have been published in three monographs and exhibited internationally; they are represented in the permanent collections of over 30 major museums and public archives.