Leonard Piha’s newest exhibition features a collection of bottle whimseys, a form of folk art where sculptures are built inside clear glass bottles. Piha first encountered the art form while in graduate school at Cranbrook Academy of Art, and he found it again 40 years later when he visited a friend’s studio and was given a pile of discarded gallon-sized jugs. Combining these with broken wooden boards from Barnett Taekwondo, Piha began recreating the subjects he would normally paint or sculpt into this new art form. Piha is a lifelong artist, having decided on it as his career by the time he reached high school, then going on to receive his Master of Fine Arts in 1983. He began working as an elementary school art teacher in 1995, and is dedicated to creating a spirit of exploration and engagement in the world of art. He is known for creating works in a wide variety of disciplines, from painting to carving to welding. “Art in a Bottle: Works by Leonard Piha” is on view through Nov. 15.
WHO: Leonard Piha
WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 10, 6 p.m.
WHERE: Lyndon House Arts Center
HOW MUCH: FREE!
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