Overview

Three decades of carving monumnental sculpture in the landscape: Mark Mennin’s sculptural journey from figurative to large-scale forms Observance is about thirty years of carving monumental sculpture in the landscape. Originally trained as a figure carver in marble, Mark Mennin’s scope grew beyond the figure into the landscape over thirty years ago, carving a large granite wall in the south of France. He became comfortable with the enlarged scale and the more durable material, while always keeping in mind the proportions of the figure in the context of Nature. As with most of Mennin’s titles, Observance has two meanings that include the action of noticing or watching as well as the practice of fulfilling or respecting a ritual. It is a projection of his belief that one needs to know the rules of carving well before breaking them. His approaches to carving a very unforgiving material are both traditional and innovative using hand tools as well as fire, water and machine. His collaborations with the Landscape are often of enormous scale yet respectful of the environs. The physical approach and process demonstrates a sacrifice and reverence toward his contexts that celebrate labor and humanity. The human intervention by the sculptor himself is always present. Born in Cedar Falls, Iowa and raised in New York, Mark Mennin began carving stone in Italy, initially copying Greek statuary for a living and exhibiting his own work at galleries. Mennin’s sculptures have grown in scale, leading him to move from New York City to a large studio in Northwest Connecticut. Despite the size of his work—often in granite—he continues to carve the works himself. His projects span the country, blending sculpture with architecture and landscape design.

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Dani Shapiro is an American writer, the award-winning author of six novels. She has also written for The New Yorker, Vogue, Elle, The Oprah Magazine. Hilary Lewis is an Architectural historian, curator and educator. She has taught at Harvard and MIT, published books on Philip Johnson and the THINK design team and is former chief curator art the Philip Johnson Glass House.

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