1pm: Distinguised Speaker: sculptor Charlie Brouwer on large-scale installations
Rise Together Allentown is a collaborative art project designed to engage community members in Allentown and the Lehigh Valley. Sculptor Charlie Brouwer created a large-scale outdoor installation in Arts Park, directly across from the Art Museum, that incorporates ladders lent by residents, business, and organizations. Join us as Charlie presents the full range of his work and explores how memory, life experiences, and the work of other artists led to his crossover to engaging communities through art and his philosophy of collaboration and community building.
Charlie Brouwer earned his MA in painting and MFA in sculpture from Western Michigan University. He was a professor of art from 1987-2008 at Radford University in Virginia. Since retiring from teaching, Charlie has dedicated himself to creating and exhibiting his own artwork. He has completed similar ladder installations in communities around the country including Atlanta, St. Louis, Roanoke, and Wilmington, NC. Information and images of all his projects can be seen at www.risetogether.info