John Gardner - Statement

JOHN GARDNER - STATEMENT The strength and immediacy of Gardner’s work is conveyed and constructed utilising natural materials including glass, stainless steel, honey bronze, and granite, synergised into meaningful form. As an artist, he is intent on exploring the relationships between mind and matter and the iconography of different cultures. John Gardner lectured in bronze casting techniques at the Prahran College of Advanced Education, Melbourne, and was a visiting artist at both the Sydney University summer Art Workshop and the National Arts School, Sydney. John designed and built bronze sculpture foundries at Alexander Mackie Colleges of Advanced Education. John also owned and operated the Bronze Sculpture workshop & Gallery at Bondi beach. Johns' works belong to both corporate and private collections throughout Australia and the United States. Corporate clients include I N G, Myer, Multiplex, G I O, Baulderstone Hornibrook.

BIOGRAPHY 1961-64 National Academy of Fine Arts, NY, USA 1961-67 Instructor, Sculptors Workshop, NY, USA 1966 Graduated BA, University of Connecticut, USA 1966-68 Designer, Excaliber Bronze Foundries, NY USA 1968-69 Assistant to Irving Marantz, New York University, NY, USA 1969-72 Owner/Operator, Gardner/Bailey Art Foundry, New York, USA 1973-76 Lecturer, Sculpture, Prahan CAE, Melbourne 1975-76 Visiting Artist, Sydney University Summer Art Workshop 1976 Designer, Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education 1985-87 Worked for National Trust to reproduce Norman Lindsay pieces into bronze 1986-91 Owned/Operated Bronze Sculpture Workshop & Gallery, Sydney 1997 Bronze Sculpture Workshop, Praff Fine Art Centre, Seattle, Washington, USA

SELECTION OF SOLO EXHIBITIONS 1970 Mulhern Townhouse, Brooklyn NY USA 1976 Sculpture Centre, Sydney 1980 ANZ BANK Martin Place, Sydney 1986 Council Chambers, Katoomba, Sydney 1993 Access Contemporary Art Gallery, Sydney Flinders Lane Gallery, Sydney 1994 Access Contemporary Art Gallery, Sydney 1995 Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne 1996 Access contemporary Art Gallery, Sydney 1997 Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne Gallery Magna, Seattle, Washington, USA 2000 Soho Galleries, Sydney Rushcutters Bay Gallery, Sydney Cooee Gallery Sydney

SELECTION OF RECENT MIXED EXHIBITIONS 2000-10 SOHO Galleries Sydney Rushcutters Bay Gallery, Sydney Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney 2006-10 Sculptors Society Exhibition, Darling Park, Sydney Sculpture By the Sea, Sydney Sculpture at the Beach, Cooee Gallery Sydney 2010 Global Gallery, Sydney

AWARDS/COMMISSIONS Bronze Sculptures in Washington Cathedral, USA 1980 First Prize, Austral Bronze Crane Copper Award, Sydney 1985 First Prize, Easter Art Prize, Blue Mountains, Sydney 1996 Major corporate Commission, Main Foyer, Burcher Property Group North Sydney 2004 Best display, Royal Easter Show, Sydney 2006 First Prize, Sculptors Society Exhibition, Darling Park, Sydney 2008 St Gregory's College, Campbelltown NSW - re-produced school crest in bronze. 2009 St Augustine Chapel – Original Madonna in bronze/aluminium 2009 Commission of Prize for winner of Australian Construction Achievement Award (ACAA) Engineers Australia 2010 Commission of Prize for winner of Australian Construction Achievement Award (ACAA) Engineers Australia

PUBLISHED/REPRODUCED 1984 Artist & Galleries of Australia, Max Germaine, Craftsman House. 1991 Article/Reproduction, Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend 1992 Reproduced, Sculpture at the Third Australian Contemporary Art Fair, Asian Art News 1993 New Art Eight, Nevill Drury, Craftsman House New Sculpture, Nevill Drury, Craftsman House 1994 Catalogue, Commitments, origins of Perception, Institute of Modern Art 1995 Who’s Who of Australian Visual Artists, DW Thorpe (in Association with NAVA 2004 Outdoor Design & Living Vol 11, Karen Booth