Wilding Cran Gallery is pleased to present Ever to find an exhibition of new sculptures by Sharon Engelstein on view January 25 – March 18, 2017.

Engelstein’s work explores the relationship between organism and mechanism. She creates shapes that are organic and whimsical--mostly unidentifiable but infused with familiar and playful references to animals, toys, anatomy and machinery. With this hybrid of references, Engelstein’s sculptures tell a story of the human predicament through humor while also offering an opportunity for self-reflection. Her background as a sculptor began with traditional, material-oriented techniques, and extends into computer aided design and manufacturing. Clay work (an ancient method of expression) and 3D modeling (a contemporary method) happen concurrently and sometimes cross paths in her work. Each method has its own kind of immediacy, which allows Engelstein to focus on what she loves most--the invention and interplay of bubbly, growing, wandering forms. This new series presented in Ever to find demonstrates a departure from the use of a computer and dives deeper into material-based practice.

Born in Montreal, Canada, Sharon Engelstein currently lives and works in Houston, TX. Engelstein earned a BFA in Mass Communication/Journalism and Sculpture at the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL (1987) and her MFA in Sculpture at Claremont Graduate School, CA (1990). She has recently realized temporary and permanent public sculpture commissions in Houston as part of the Hermann Park Centennial Celebration, at a new Metro Light Rail Station, Discovery Green and the Texas Contemporary Art Fair. Her work has been exhibited widely including the

Contemporary Arts Museum (Houston), Blue Star Art Space (San Antonio), Weatherspoon Art Gallery (Pittsburg), Nexus Contemporary Art Center (Atlanta), The University of Texas at San Antonio, The University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum (Tampa), Art Museum of Southeast Texas (Beaumont), National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington, DC), Massachusetts College of Arts (Boston), Cameron Art Museum (North Carolina), Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore), Pacific Design Center (Los Angeles) and the Grounds for Sculpture (Hamilton, NJ). She is also the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including Core Fellow at Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, TX and received of awards from the Cultural Arts Council of Houston, TX, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and the National Endowment for the Art.