Students visit Fallbrook to see art-in-progress

On March 26, the Fallbrook Art Foundry welcomed students from Brea Jr. High School that were interested in viewing and following the progress of the “Hawk” sculpture that is being constructed for their town by Fallbrook artist Michael Stutz. Upon completion of the piece, it will be transported to its permanent location.

The sculpture was commissioned by the City of Brea as part of their Art in Public Places project and will reside in Carbon Canyon at Olinda Park.

“We currently have 146 statues which will include “Hawk,” displayed throughout the city,” says Trinitee Manuel, Art in Public Places administrator. “We are really excited about this program. Due to the grant we received from the National Endowment for the Arts, the students not only were able to come to Fallbrook, but it allowed us to really let the students get to experience hands-on activities such as creating their own sculptures.”

The students observed art in progress, toured the foundry and connecting art campus, viewed fine art at local Fallbrook galleries and overall, experienced the diversity of the art scene in Fallbrook.

Michael Stutz is a Fallbrook artist who was raised in Southeast Tennessee. His impressive resume includes prop design and building for numerous national magazines in San Francisco, and parade float sculptor and designer for the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, LA.

He has participated in many public art projects, and currently has exhibits displayed through out the United States.

“Using organic forms, I explore the dichotomies between permanent and impermanent, public and private, external and internal, to create an intimate and humane ideal,” Stutz said. “Light plays through the latticed forms of the woven sculptures, blending line, movement, time and the body. Focused, hand-wrought, craftsmanship reveals a yielding openness that invites viewer interaction.”

The Art Campus at Fallbrook and foundry is a full service sculptural facility that offers workshops and seminars on a variety of topics in association with the School of the Arts. The facility also includes rental space for artists. For more information on the campus, call (760) 723-1124.