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Sept. 3, 2004

One-person Exhibition in Sculpture Now Showing

The Bry Art Gallery at the University of Louisiana at Monroe is currently showing a One-person Exhibition in Sculpture by Durant Thompson, a sculpture shop-technician in the Department of Art at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.

In his exhibition, Thompson has presented 14 freestanding and wall mounted, cast iron sculptural statements. The artist collects found object materials, predominantly mechanical parts, and juxtaposes these objects into a composite piece. These objects are encased in plaster molds and by substitutive sculpture techniques are fabricated into cast iron. Often sections of larger pieces are welded together by the artist.

Thompson's work appears to the viewer to encompass non-objective subject matter. Careful examination, however, will disclose nature oriented objects within his compositions dealing with animal and insect imagery.

The artist also displays a bit of whimsy in some pieces as he creates cast iron "ceramic" containers of nuts, bolts and wheels; as well as works that closely resemble antique heavy-duty toys. Some viewers may find an interesting parallel between such Thompson works and the summer "Toys Designed by Artists" exhibition at the Masur Museum of Art.

This exhibition will be open to the public between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays through September 24th. Bry Art Gallery is located in the 4000 block of DeSiard Street in historic art deco Bry Hall. Thompson will present a closing gallery talk in the gallery on Friday the 24

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