Artist Profile: Devra Freelander

About

Learn more about 2017 Socrates Artist Fellow Devra Freelander’s piece Fluorescent Sunrise for The Socrates Annual exhibition through our social media activation:

FACEBOOK LIVE

The Park’s Director of Exhibitions, Jess Wilcox, spoke with Freelander about the inspiration and fascinating process for her piece in this Facebook live video.

INSTAGRAM TAKEOVER

hiya! @devrafreelander here, psyched to give you all a peek into the fabrication process for my new sculpture ‘Fluorescent Sunrise’, opening October 1 as part of The Socrates Annual. This is my first public sculpture and it’s comprised of 90 gallons of fluorescent epoxy resin, cast in a gradient from pink to orange. Here’s a shot of me pouring one of the 90 gallons into the mold 👩‍🔬

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The mold for this piece is essentially a formica-surfaced stage that has to support 1000+ lbs of epoxy resin and steel infrastructure, as well as the lumber comprising the mold structure itself. after constructing the mold, the surface had to be waxed and buffed four times prior to beginning the casting process. here’s a video of me wax/buffing 1 of 4 mold panels, a process i had to repeat 16 times 😓💪

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my final post of today’s takeover! this is the largest sculpture i’ve made to date. i mix 5 gallons of epoxy resin at a time, working with a friend to help mix and pour the resin before it begins to cure on itself. each batch is tinted with fluorescent pigment and poured into the mold; as the resin settles over the mold surface, it forms a leveled layer of color. the last step is using a heat gun to draw air bubbles in the resin to the surface, popping them. thanks for following along, and check out my feed for more process shots and the final results! @devrafreelander out ✌

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The Devra Freelander Fund & Devra Freelander Artist Fellow

In honor of Devra Freelander’s memory, and in keeping with her family’s wishes, donations can be made in support of Socrates’ Annual Artist Fellowship program HERE. The Park now recognizes an artist participating in ‘The Socrates Annual’ fellowship and exhibition program each year as the Devra Freelander Artist Fellow. The Devra Freelander Artist Fellow, selected by Socrates’ exhibitions staff, exemplifies Freelander’s artistic values of sustainability, identity, and feminism as well as her independent and adventurous spirit.