By Alyssa MacKinnon
Located on the G-floor of Hammond Hall in the Fitchburg State Art Gallery, sits the work of sculptor and Harvard professor Claudia Olds Goldie.
“I showcased the pieces I’ve done after 2010 and now, to show it as a series,” Goldie said at the FSU exhibit.
Goldie’s work relies on the female figure. Each sculpture reflects a woman in her natural being. Occasionally her sculptures idolize working women, others draw focus to women dressed in intricate prints.
The artist sculpted white stone or clay and then used a graphite pencil to draw. Goldie’s process starts with “tiny practice drawings on paper [to] get the muscle memory of how I want to do it, then I draw on the clay,” she said.
A personal favorite of Goldie’s is a sculpture that sits in the front row of the exhibit, ‘Navigating a Dream.’ “I love the fantasy of it and the dreamlike quality … but there’s also a lot of narrative in it,” she said, maintaining the aura of mystery that accompanies her work.
Goldie’s display at FSU was welcomed by the campus community. “It was wonderful. I was treated with a lot of respect, and everybody really helped out a lot.”
She has been featured in several publications during her career, such as Nan Smith’s “500 Figures in Clay” and American Craft magazine.
Her exhibition in Hammond Hall will remain at Fitchburg State until Friday, October 26th.