Brian Schorn: Exhibition of New Work and Arts Education Grant

In 2013, Brian Schorn (MFA ​’87) exhibited new work in a two-person exhibition called ​“Lost and Found” at the Omega Institute, and received an Arts Education Grant from Arts Mid-Hudson and Netherwood Elementary School.

From April through October of 2013, Brian Schorn (MFA 1987) exhibited new work in a two-person exhibition called ​“Lost and Found” at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. The work focused on the use of organic and found materials along with an unrelenting curiosity of the natural world and contemplative practices. He seeks to discover unexpected connections in everyday objects and experiences that range from basic perception to poetic recombination to witty humor to analytic study to philosophical questioning. An overarching theme in the work is the ​“enso,” a Japanese word meaning ​“circle.” The enso is a common subject of Japanese brush calligraphy and symbolizes enlightenment, the void and ​“the present moment.” In Schorn’s work, the enso is also symbolic of the cyclic process of the natural world, which gives rise to the use of materials such as dirt, wood, leaves, acorns and insects.

In 2013, Schorn also received an Arts Education Grant from Arts Mid-Hudson and Netherwood Elementary School in Hyde Park, NY. During the month of October, he worked with 200 third through fifth grade students to create a collaborative, environmental installation on the school’s grounds. The installation began by observing the basic design elements as they exist in our natural environment. Students then used the elements to design a painting on a stone. Each stone was then placed in a spiral form around a freshly planted tree. The project was finished with a group discussion and contemplative walk around the installation.