Leslie Fry

My sculptures and works on paper are inspired by basic human needs: food, shelter, clothing, love, and consciousness. I model, cast, draw, and print by combining organic materials such as plants, paper, clay, and fabric, with plaster, concrete, metal, and resin. The intersection of the natural world and the human-made world drives my work.

Diverse influences come from literature, psychology, mythology – and in the visual arts, range from the body/spirit experience of medieval architecture to the theatrical narratives of William Kentridge.

In my current series, Supports, drawings and sculptures meld architectural details with human anatomy and expression – visual poems of structure and life. Forms are precariously stacked, evoking different meanings of “support:” balance, endurance, spirit, bearing weight, holding together, and falling apart.

My art has been a response to architecture, history, and landscape using symbolic imagery. When traveling, I draw, photograph, and analyze how sculpture works in public spaces. Observations about scale, materials, accessibility, environmental integration, and human response provide ideas for public projects.

— Leslie Fry

Natural and human-made worlds meld in Leslie Fry’s sculptures and works on paper. Museum and gallery exhibitions include: Artists Space, New York City; Kunsthaus, Hamburg; Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul; Windspiel Galerie, Vienna; Couvent des Cordeliers, Paris; deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Boston; and Centre des Arts Visuels, Montreal.

Public projects have been specific responses to architecture, history, and landscape. Commissions include Wave Hill and Freehand Hotel, New York City; Songchu International Sculpture Park, South Korea; Tufts University, Boston; Kohler Arts Center, Wisconsin; Musée d’Art Contemporain, Montreal; Housing Vermont and Burlington City Arts, Vermont; and Pinellas County Cultural Affairs, Tampa Public Art Program, and Broward Public Art Program, Florida.

Fry earned an M.F.A. from Bard College, a B.A. from the University of Vermont, and attended the Central School of Art in London. Born in Montreal, she lives in Winooski, Vermont.