Kenneth P. Payne (American, 1950-) noted sculptor and professor known for his sculptures in cast iron, glass, stone and various metals. Ken received his BFA in 1973 from the A&T State College, Greensboro, NC, and his MFA in 1981 from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI. He also studied at the St. Cloud State College in St. Cloud, MN and at New York University, NYC. He taught at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, from 1979-81 and later at Mt. Mary College, Wauwatosa, WI, from 1983-85. From 1990 until the present, he has been a professor in the fine arts department at Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY. He has exhibited across the United States and worldwide in places such as Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Iran and Israel.
Artist Statement:
“I use the primary materials of our being, iron and stone, as well as materials with rich contextual histories, bronze, copper, brick, glass, to manufacture forms with a human gesture of an architectural reference. I use the inherent connections of these things to create metaphors of the emotional potency, in the form of sculpture.
As a sculptor I have always believed that form can speak for itself. That is to say that a sculpture has the power to present its own narrative through its abstract qualities of mass, gesture, texture, etc. We “read” these qualities in the sculpture the way we read others body language. That is, on a subconscious level, an emotional level as well as an intellectual or conscience one.
We reveal our personal histories and emotional states of mind through the language of our movement and our posture. Through a lifetime of learned habitual gestures our bodies betray who we are and send a powerful message of our physiological well being. We are mirrors of our fortune, good and bad. I translate these histories in my sculpture. I take personal histories and give them a universal tongue.”-Ken Payne
Chronology:
1950- Born.
1979- Exhibited, two person show, Gallery 7041, West Allis, WI.
1979-81- Taught at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI.
1980- Exhibited, group show, UWM Union Gallery, Milwaukee, WI.
1981- Received his MFA from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI. Exhibited, group show, Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL. Exhibited, two person show, UWM Union Gallery, Milwaukee, WI.
1982- Exhibited, group show, Milwaukee School of Architecture, Milwaukee, WI.
1983- Exhibited, invitational show, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI.
1983-85- Taught at Mt. Mary College, Wauwatosa, WI.
1984- Exhibited, group show, Mt. Mary College, Wauwatosa, WI.
1985- Exhibited, group show, Joy Horwich Gallery, Chicago, IL. Exhibited, solo show, National Gallery, Milwaukee, WI. Exhibited, solo show, Sixth Street Gallery, Milwaukee, WI.
1987- Exhibited, solo show, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY.
1988- Exhibited, solo show, Chautauqua Institute, Chautauqua, NY.
1990 Exhibition, group show, University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG), Greensboro, NC. Exhibited, solo show, Joy Horwich Gallery, Chicago, IL. Participated in the Contemporary Cast Iron Conference, Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY.
1990-Present- Professor in the fine arts department at Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY.
1991- Exhibited, Directions in the Collection, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY. Hlabaja Chemical Holocaust Memorial, Exhibition for the competition, Tehran, Islam Republic, Iran. Exhibited, Arts and Industry, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo NY. Salem Witch Trial Memorial, Exhibition for the competition. Co-organizer for the Cast Iron Conference, Greensboro, NC.
1993-Exhibited, Small Sculpture Show, Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, TX. Exhibited, 65th Annual Exhibition, Art Association of Harrisburg, Harrisburg, PA. Exhibited, Finger Lakes Exhibition, Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY.
1993-94-Exhibited, The Academic Artist, curated by Donald Kuspit, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY. Exhibited, the New York State Museum, Albany NY.
1994- Exhibited, invitational, Iron at Ramapo, Ramapo College, Mawa, NJ. Participated in Earth Fire and Iron, Cast Iron Pour, Art Park Lewiston, NY. Participated in the Second International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art, Birmingham, AL. Participated in an Iron Pour with the Historic Stave Cupola Furnace Group. Was on panel, on mold making. Was on group panel, on furnace design, Winner Worlds smallest cupola contest.
1995- Exhibited, solo show, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC. Participated & lectured at the Tri-State Sculptor's Annual Conference, Greenville, NC.
1996- Exhibited, group invitational, Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia.
1997- Exhibited, The American Exhibition - The Cologne Art Group, Bergheim, Germany and Cologne, Germany. Exhibited, group show, Malmskulptuur, Tallinn Academy of Fine Arts, Tallinn, Estonia. Was on the panel, international cast iron conference College Art Association (CAA) Annual Conference, Boston, MA. Participated in a cast iron art symposium, Tallinn, Estonia.
1998- Exhibited, invitational, Cast in Iron, Grounds for Sculpture, Mercerville, NJ. Exhibited, The M&T Bank Collection at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY. Exhibited, Ten Year Anniversary Celebration, M&T Center, Buffalo, NY. Did a report on the Third International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art, Chicago, IL. Participated in the Mid-America College Art Association (MACAA) Conference, Lexington, KY. Was on the panel, state of contemporary cast iron art, Lexington, KY. Participated in the CAA Annual Conference, NYC. Was on panel, contemporary cast iron art movement in America. Was Director for the Third International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art, Mercerville, NJ. Was the Guest Director for the Third Annual Baltic Cast Iron Symposium, Tallinn, Estonia.
1999- Exhibited, Millennial Fire, Performance/Installation with molten iron, Griffiths Sculpture Park, East Otto, NY. Exhibited, Millennial All Stars Sculpture Review, Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY. Exhibited, Pedvale Iron Works, Performance and Installation, Pedvale Open Air Museum, Pedvale, Latvia. Exhibited, Cast Iron Exhibition, Muveszet Malom, Szentendre, Hungary. Exhibited, The Iron Circus Exhibition, University of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN. Exhibited, Gravities Rainbow, Performance with molten iron, University of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN. Exhibited, solo show, Drawn Together, exhibition of drawings at the Winona Arts Center, Winona, Minneapolis, MN. Exhibited, Spring Exhibition, Grounds for Sculpture, Mercerville, NJ. Exhibited, Navy Pier Show, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL. Exhibited, Maquette Exhibition for Navy Pier Show, Chicago, IL. Co-director for a Cast Iron Symposium, Szentendre, Hungary. Held a presentation at the Iron Circus for the International Sculpture Conference, University of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN.
2000- Exhibited, Betekints Garden, Veszprem, Hungary. Exhibited, symposium show, Jish, Israel. Exhibited, summer show, Grounds For Sculpture, NJ. Exhibited, summer show, Pedvale Open-Air Museum, Pedvale, Latvia. Exhibited, Maquette Exhibition, for the Navy Pier Show, Chicago, IL. Co-directed a Land Art Workshop, Sabile Latvia. Participated in a Cast Iron Sculpture Symposium as an invited artist with catalog essay, Veszprem, Hungary. Participated in a Stone Carving Symposium, El Jish, Israel. Participated in a Cast Iron Sculpture Symposium, Pedvale Open Air Museum, Pedvale, Latvia. Participated in an International Sculpture Center Conference as a panel moderator/fine art casting, Houston Texas. Held an Iron Casting Workshop, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT. Led a iron-pour workshop with fellow professor Carl Billingsly (East Carolina State University, Greenville, NC), which resulted in their collaborative piece “Valley Fire”, which consisted of a twelve-foot tall stone, brick and cast iron structure with a working fire pit at the base, Pedvale, Latvia.
2001- Exhibited, Cast Iron Invitational, Riverside Art Center, Riverside IL. Lectured, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Led a workshop with fellow professor Carl Billingsly (East Carolina State University, Greenville, NC), Pedvale, Latvia.
2000- Led a iron-pour workshop with fellow professor Carl Billingsly (East Carolina State University, Greenville, NC), which resulted in their collaborative piece “Valley Fire”, which consisted of a twelve-foot tall stone, brick and cast iron structure with a working fire pit at the base, Pedvale, Latvia.
2007- Exhibited, two person show with Doreen Cutting, “Constructions”, 11 sculptures were shown. Meibohm Fine Arts, East Aurora, NY.
You can view the artist's works on our September 2007 Exhibition page
2008- Curated a sculpture exhibition, “Various Positions”, Upton Gallery, Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY. Exhibited, group show (finalist), “Edges `08”, outdoor sculpture competition, for the sculpture “In the Realm of the Spirit”, Artpark, Lewiston, NY.
2009- Exhibited, solo show, “Goddesses, Lonely Hearts, and Pragmatic Devils”, Center for Inquiry/Transnational, Amherst, NY. The exhibit will be on display until June 2009.
Also Exhibited: Numerous Juried Shows from 1967 to 1980.
Collections: City of El Jish, Israel; Veszprem Sculpture Collection, Veszprem, Hungary; Betekints Hotel, Veszprem, Hungary; Griffiths Sculpture Park, East Otto, NY; Muveszet Malom, Szentendre, Hungary; Pedvale Open Air Museum, Pedvale, Latvia; Grounds For Sculpture (two sculptures), Mercerville, NJ; Academy of Art, Tallinn, Estonia; Burchfield-Penny Art Center, Buffalo, NY; M&T Bank Collection, Buffalo, NY; Erie County out door sculpture collection, Buffalo, NY; Milwaukee Jewish Center, Milwaukee, WI; Permanent Collection, East Carolina University (ECU) Sculpture Park, ECU campus, for the sculpture “Libestote”, Greenville, NC; and Numerous private collections.
Artist In Residence: Burchfield-Penney Art Center, 1990, Buffalo, NY; Art Park, 1994 & 1995, Lewiston NY.
Gallery Affiliations: Sculpture Showcase, New Hope, PA; Wood Lot Gallery, Sheboygon, WI; Meibohm Fine Arts, East Aurora, NY.
(Rewritten & compiled chronologically by Mark Strong of Meibohm Fine Arts, Inc., East Aurora, NY, meibohmfinearts.com, sources: Furnished upon request.)
