Horse Sculpture Exhibit by Deborah Butterfield at Palm Beach's Norton Museum During Laminitis Conference
What a coincidence! While we are in Palm Beach, the city's esteemed art museum will be hosting an exhibit of scultpures by Montana welder/sculptor/artist Deborah Butterfield. Her work is exclusively of horses--some seem to be welded plates, other seem to be crafted of driftwood, still others are light as air. All are realistic depictions of horses in incredibly expressive postures made by a complex casting and wax process from original found materials.
No one who has seen one or more of her sculptures has failed to be impressed and moved. I watched one of her "driftwood" horses being installed in an exhibit at Saratoga one summer years ago. It was huge and I can only describe it as a magnificent sum of its parts. I became an immediate fan. If you looked at any section of the horse, it was but a mismash of sticks and branches. From across the huge gallery (and a huge gallery was needed for this sculpture), it was an almost-living, expressive horse.
I highly recommend you arrive for the conference early or stay late, and plan a side trip to the Norton Museum.
The Norton Museum of Art is open Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Admission for the special Deborah Butterfield exhibit is as follows: Adults: $10; Visitors age 13-21: $4; Children 12 & under and members: Free. For general information, call (561) 832-5196.
The book on Deborah Butterfield's horse sculptures would make a fabulous Christmas gift. I am not sure what the museum shop may have for sale, but there is a DVD about how she creates the sculptures.
The museum is about a ten minute drive from the hotel and convention center; I am not sure if the hotel shuttle will take you there or not.
Information on this blog is posted for the use of attendees at the Third International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot. This blog is an informal information source and may contain unintentional errors or omissions. Please double-check all information. Information is not intended for use beyond the conference group. All contents copyright 2005 Hoofcare Publishing. For more information about the conference, please visit www.slackinc.com/laminitis or call 1-877-307-5225. To contact Fran Jurga or Hoofcare & Lameness Journal, creators of this blog, please visit www.hoofcare.com or call 978 281 3222. Thank you!
