Chris Sharp, Sculptor

I am a figurative sculptor and make images of “us” here and now. I create sculpture that seeks to depict who we are and what we think and feel. I am a native Vermonter and have lived in the Greater Burlington Area on and off throughout my life.

My undergraduate degree is in studio arts from the University of Vermont and my graduate degree is an MFA from the University of Connecticut (UCONN). I attended UCONN on a full academic scholarship and taught sculpture and drawing for two years while assisting Ray Hitchcock in running the campus foundry. Working with Ray Hitchcock, a master foundry worker and sculptor, was an honor that provided me with a wealth of knowledge and invaluable experience casting sculpture into metal.

I currently make figurative sculpture in my studio and teach metals as an art form at Burlington High School. I have shown my work all over the northeast. In New York City I showed at the Phoenix Gallery and in Boston at the Kingston Gallery from 1995-2005. My oldest daughter Isabelle was born in 1996 and I took a hiatus from traveling to focus on being a good father and to explore a new direction for my figurative sculpture.

The DeCordova Museums of Contemporary Art in Lincoln, MA has shown my work and continues to be a contact for future shows. Images of my sculpture were featured in the New York Times and the Boston Globe following a post 9/11 show called Terrors and Wonders at the DeCordova.

I’ve received grants from the Vermont Arts Council and the City of Burlington. And it was an honor to receive the commission to make the bronze sculpture of Big Joe Burrell. I am making this sculpture of Big Joe because I believe in the value of his life and what it represents. What makes this sculpture of Big Joe important is its public presentation of equity, creativity and a life dedicated to loving and sharing. The choice of Big Joe as worthy of representing the values of a community is inspiringly unique. May Big Joe be an inspiration to our future children.

Photo: The artist and statue at the studio reception.

Tax-deductible Donations May Be Mailed To:
Big Joe Statue Fund
City of Burlington
149 Church Street
Burlington, VT 05401

The Mission of the Big Joe Statue Fund
is to Keep Big Joe's Memory and Music Alive.

For more information, email BigJoeStatueFund@comcast.net