A major exhibition of sculptures by American artist Joy Brown is being presented by Morrison Gallery (Kent, CT), along with the Broadway Mall Association and NYC Parks. Nine of Brown’s larger-than-life bronze figures will be on the green malls in the center of Broadway between 72nd Street and 166th Street until February 2018. Plantin' Seeds held an opening celebration event in New York City to honor the work of Joy Brown and her monumental exhibition on Broadway. 

The sculptures draw you in—endearing figures with their earthy patina, the rounded forms conveying the heavy gravity of stone; the expressions and gestures transcend that weight, radiating warmth and inviting you to come close, to touch. They hold a space of stillness and peace.

The influence of the Japanese aesthetic on Brown’s sculpture springs from her childhood in Japan and apprenticeship in traditional Japanese ceramics. Each large-scale bronze is inspired by a clay figure made and wood-fired in Brown’s studio in Kent, CT. For the past seven years she has been working in Shanghai, several times a year, in collaboration with Purple Roof Gallery and Atelier, building a series of these monumental bronze figures. This Broadway exhibition is the debut of this body of work in the US.

In her 40-year career, Brown has exhibited in galleries and museums in the United States, Europe, Japan, and China. Her figures and three-dimensional wall installations are represented in prominent private and public collections, and are displayed in parks, sculpture gardens, and urban public spaces around the world. She is internationally known for her expertise with wood-fired kilns. In 1998, she co-founded Still Mountain Center, a nonprofit organization that fosters artistic exchange between East and West.