The Paducah Arts Alliance (PAA) is pleased to announce that sculptor/multi-media artist Gabriela Nepo-Stieldorf from Innsbruck, Austria, is the upcoming participant in the Artist in Residence program. Nepo-Stieldorf will join Paducah’s creative community and set up studio/residence at Pinecone Gallery in the LowerTown Arts District from June 4 through June 27, 2014.
As the daughter of artistic parents, Nepo-Steildorf expresses herself in many ways though her art. From her early childhood, she has always felt at home with figures, structures, textures and colors. Her versatile work includes sculptures in ceramic, bronze, plexiglass, and stone as well as installations. Her involvement with the human form comes from a detailed study in human anatomy prior to her interest in ceramics and sculpture. She has participated in artist residencies in Italy, Hungary, Canada and Japan.
In a 2003 catalogue of her work, Hilde Zach, the former Mayor of the Provincial Capital Innsbruck noted, “Gabriela Nepo-Steildorf can in no way be placed in the mainstream of the art world. Her work is individualistic. But all her work has one thing in common…it casts a spell upon the spectator and is fascinating in its highly skilled technique.”
Nepo-Steildorf’s connection to Paducah occurred in April 2013 with her involvement in Project WIDE WEST, an art project for cultural exchange between foreign and local artists in cooperation with the Burghauptmannschaft of Austria, the ceramic association IKSIT and schools in Innsbruck. As part of WIDE WEST, Paducah artists Teri Moore, Freda Fairchild, Paul Lorenz and Lily Liu were invited to exhibit their work at the Imperial Palace at Innsbruck and conduct workshops with local students. Nepo-Steildorf was instrumental in facilitating workshop and hospitality needs for the visiting American artists.
A highly regarded art instructor, Nepo-Stieldorf intends to conduct workshops for both youth and adults and present a talk to the students at the Paducah School of Art & Design during her residency. She will be building new personal and professional relationships, visiting museums and galleries, attending cultural events, and experiencing the diverse artistic assets of the UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art as part of this cultural exchange.
