About Harry Autobiographical Information Forward to Resume I was born in Wichita, Kansas. I lived in Missouri, New Jersey, and North Carolina growing up. As a child I always enjoyed taking things apart and putting things together. My mother tells me that I took my pacifiers apart. On a driving trip once she bought a pacifier guaranteed to be indestructible. Five minutes down the road I had taken it apart. Maybe I already had a three-dimensional/mechanical fascination (then again, maybe the pacifier was just poorly engineered). When I got old enough to use a hammer and a saw I built countless go-carts, tree-forts, and explosive devices. Through school I enjoyed art projects, but I never took them particularly seriously. In eighth grade I got a "D" in art one quarter. In ninth grade I received an award for being the "Best Ninth Grade Artist" (same teacher). I built a kayak in my basement. It looked pretty good, but it was too short, so it rode very low in the water and sank a lot. In twelfth grade I did not take art because the teacher was too negative to the students who weren't doing well and it didn't feel good to be in her classroom. I found literature to be very powerful during my high school years and I did quite a bit of writing. Writing was really my first art form. Most of my writing was journal-writing and was intended only to help me figure out how to cope with the world, but I also wrote poetry. I was on the staff of my high school literary magazine. In twelfth grade I remember getting very involved in writing a sonnet dealing with the implications of B.F. Skinner's writings on Behaviorism (not your typical sonnet). I worked on the sonnet sporadically for months, often getting up in the middle of the night to write a new line or two. I was consumed by the challenge of expressing those particular ideas in that particular form. I was a little bit tormented by it, but ultimately I found it fulfilling to be compelled to create something. I grew up in the time when "environmentalism" became a word. I remember learning about pollution in fourth grade. By high school my concern was very deep and I felt a lot of personal responsibility for my impact on the earth. I wore used clothing, made my own shoes, avoided using cars, and more. I was rather depressed about the state of the world and felt compelled to do something about it. My vision of my life ahead involved living in the middle of nowhere, growing all of my own food, sewing my own clothes, and making my own house. I felt like I ought to become a lobbyist for Friends of the Earth or The Sierra Club and I felt guilty for knowing that I didn't want to. My notions for "saving the world" all seemed to revolve around making things. I started making musical instruments in my first year out of high school. They weren't very good, but they were probably my first attempt at making something to a professional standard. I was in and out of college for a few years. In many ways I loved being a student, but I struggled with the constant time pressure. It seemed that there was always some aspect of a course which I was fascinated by, but which I didn't have time to explore because I had to do a lot of other non-fascinating things before the deadline. I was a slow reader. My mind always seemed to wander. Quite often the distraction was a three-dimensional design problem. I designed a backpack frame with pivoting hip supports, non-slipping cross-county skis, a rowboat that could be rowed facing forward, etc. Or sometimes the reading material would suggest some scenario and my mind would start creating a story, and soon, I would find that I had been staring at the same page for five minutes adrift in a fantasy. Sometimes my eyes wandered from the pages and I would notice a pattern in the carpet or the woodwork and my eyes would begin following the pattern around the room or trying to discern different patterns within the dominant pattern. When I was really interested in the book I could read just fine. Of course everyone has their distractions, but in retrospect I wish I had paid a little more attention to my distractions and been a little less motivated by what I thought I SHOULD do. The places were one's mind wanders reveal a lot about one's passions and propensities. A couple of years into college my fascination with instrument-making (woodwinds) became a lot bigger than my fascination with being a student. I had built a treadle lathe and used the lathe to make several dozen mediocre penny whistles and recorders (and a few good ones). I decided that I wanted to become an apprentice to a recorder maker, so I found a book of woodwind instrument-makers in the library and perused it (with very little distraction) to find recorder-makers. I then traveled around visiting seven of them and one offered me a job. I moved from Bar Harbor, Maine to New York City. That move would have been absolutely inconceivable to me a few years earlier, but after living on a couple of farms in Maine, and tempering my pastoral visions with reality, I was eager to try it. For a year-and-a-half I assisted in the construction of Baroque bassoons, Renaissance recorders, and a few other woodwinds. I learned to work to a high degree of accuracy. I developed skills in shaping and fitting, machining, and silver-soldering. I thought that I might like to set-up my own workshop making recorders. I got tired of day after day of sanding and I needed a change. I moved to New Haven, Connecticut and set up a workshop there and (without a clear sense of purpose) began making slit drums. I continued making slit drums (over 700) for quite a few years as my interest in sculpture emerged. In 1983, I took a painting class at a community art center and REALLY liked it. I then took a metal sculpture class and really liked it too. In these classes I found that I had a strong inner drive to keep doing more. In the summer of 1984 I saw an ad in a local weekly paper requesting design submissions for a public art project for the train station in Stamford, Connecticut. I thought, "Well, I always look at public sculptures and think that I could do better; I guess that I should put my money where my mouth is." So I spent the next week designing and creating a couple of models. I became totally absorbed in the project and at the end of the week (though I was not awarded the commission) it was clear that creating artwork was deeply satisfying to me and I needed to make it an ongoing part of my life. In the ensuing years artwork has become a central part of my life. I have explored many different directions and numerous opportunities and honors have come my way. I hope to always continue exploring. Resume Back to Autobiographical Information SELECTED AWARDS 1998  Honorable Mention; Combined Talents; Florida State Univ. Museum of Fine Arts 1998 Merit Award; Sculpture Celebration; Lenoir, NC 1997 Merit Award; Juried Regional Exhibition; Staunton-Augusta Art Center 1997 Honorable Mention; Art Calendar Crabbie Awards 1997 Award of Excellence; Roanoke Art Show; Art Museum of Western Virginia 1995 Honorable Mention; Environmental Exhibition; HERA Gallery 1995 Honorable Mention; N.C. Artists Exhibition; Fayetteville Museum of Art 1992 First Prize--Other Media; 64th Art Association of Harrisburg Exhibition 1991 Juror's Award; National Exhibition; Maryland Federation of Art 1987 Best in Show; National Juried Exhibition; Mari Gallery 1986 R.A. Rathbone Prize; 85th New Haven Paint and Clay Club Exhibition GRANTS 1998 Visual Arts Fellowship; North Carolina Arts Council 1993 Alternate Visions Project Grant; Alternate Roots; Atlanta, GA 1993 Visual Arts Fellowship; North Carolina Arts Council 1992 Emerging Artists Grant; Community Arts Council; Buncombe County, NC PUBLIC COMMISSIONS 2001 "Avian Muse"; 30' long mobile; Robert Morgade Library; Stuart, FL 2000 "Neptunian Frolic" (purchase); Brevard County Health Department; Titusville, FL 1999 "Eclipse"; 55' long mobile; Outpatient lobby, Moore Regional Hospital; Pinehurst, NC 1988 "Agrisculpture"; nine-piece suspended sculpture commissioned by the Maryland--National Capital Parks & Planning Commission; Derwood, MD 1997 (Finalist) Adam Service Area Center; Charlotte, NC 1996 (Runner-up) UNCA Justice Center; Asheville, NC 1995 (Runner-up) Miami D.O.T. Construction Office; Miami, FL 1994 (Runner-up) Thomas Wolfe Memorial; Asheville, NC 1986 (Runner-up) Whalley Avenue; New Haven, CT OUTDOOR SCULPTURE EXHIBITIONS 2000 Tri State Sculptors; Brevard College; Brevard, NC 2000 Red Spire, Orange Spire and Blue Spire; James Madison Univ.; Harrisonburg, VA 1999 Orange Spire and Blue Spire; Hickory Museum of Art, Hickory, NC 1999 Asteroids; Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County; Camden, SC 1999 Art in Public Places; Central Park; College Station, TX 1998 MASS Exhibition; Greensboro Cultural Center; Greensboro, NC 1998 Outdoor Sculpture; Western Carolina University; Cullowhee, NC 1998 Outdoor Sculpture; Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County; Camden, SC 1998 Sculpture Salmagundi II; Rocky Mount Arts Center; Rocky Mount, NC 1997 Outdoor Sculpture Competition; Watuaga Arts Council; Boone, NC 1997 Sculpture on the Grounds; Rockville Civic Center Park; Rockville, MD SELECTED 1-, 2-, & 3-PERSON EXHIBITIONS 2001 American Artifacts; District of Columbia Arts Center; Washington, DC 2000 Invitational Exhibition; Transylvania County Arts Council; Brevard, NC 1999 American Artifacts; Hand Workshop Art Center; Richmond, VA 1998 American Artifacts; University of South Carolina Spartanburg; Spartanburg, SC 1998 Souvenirs . . . and Figurative Works; Community Council for the Arts; Kinston, NC 1998 Souvenirs from My Visit to America; Univ. of Tenn. at Chattanooga; Chattanooga, TN 1997 Souvenirs . . . and Figurative Works; Mars Hill College; Mars Hill, NC 1997 Souvenirs from My Visit to America; Greensboro College; Greensboro, NC 1997 Souvenirs from My Visit to America; Warren Wilson College; Swannanoa, NC 1997 Souvenirs from My Visit to America; ACME Art Co.; Columbus, OH 1997 Figurative Works; Sinclair Community College; Dayton, OH 1996 Souvenirs from My Visit to America; Burke Arts Council; Morganton, NC 1996 Souvenirs from My Visit to America; Spirit Square; Charlotte, NC 1996 Images of the Human Spirit; Asheville Art Museum; Asheville, NC 1995 Souvenirs from My Visit to America; U.I.C.A.; Grand Rapids, MI 1993 Alien Eyes; 800 East; Atlanta, GA SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2000 NCAC Fellowship Recipients; Weatherspoon Gallery; UNC-G; Greensboro, NC 2000 Trouble Shooting Gun Violence; organized by Hodges Taylor Gallery; Charlotte, NC 1999 Sculpting the Human Figure; The Upstairs Gallery; Tryon, NC 1999 The Florida National; Appleton Museum of Art; Ocala, FL 1998 The Florida National; FSU Museum of Fine Arts; Tallahassee, FL 1998 The Sculpture Salmagundi; Rocky Mount Arts Center; Rocky Mount, NC 1998 Greater Midwest International; Central Missouri State Univ.; Warrensburg, MO 1997 Visual/Verbal; Hickory Museum of Art; Hickory, NC 1997 Regional Exhibition; Staunton Augusta Art Center; Staunton, VA 1997 Festival '97; Creative Arts Guild; Dalton, GA 1997 Roanoke City Art Show; Art Museum of Western Virginia; Roanoke, VA 1997 The Sculpture Salmagundi; Rocky Mount Arts Center; Rocky Mount, NC 1997 Southworks '97; Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation; Watkinsville, GA 1997 25th N.C. Artists Exhibition; Fayetteville Museum of Art; Fayetteville, NC 1997 National Competition; Community Council for the Arts, Kinston, NC 1996 Sculpture; Charlotte/Douglas International Airport; Charlotte, NC 1996 Materials: Hard and Soft; Greater Denton Arts Council; Denton, TX 1995 Environmental Exhibition; HERA Gallery; Wakefield, RI 1995 23rd N.C. Artists Exhibition; Fayetteville Museum of Art; Fayetteville, NC 1994 Alumni Exhibition; College of the Atlantic; Bar Harbor, ME 1994 '93/'94 N.C. Fellowship Recipients; SECCA; Winston-Salem, NC 1993 Emerging Artists ‘93; The Gallery on Broadway, Nashville, TN 1992 64th Juried Exhibit; Art Association of Harrisburg; Harrisburg, PA 1992 Environmental Perspectives; Erb Union; University of Oregon; Eugene, OR 1991 Contemporary Art on Canvas; Maryland Federation of Art; Annapolis, MD 1991 Tri-State Sculptors; Spartanburg County Art Association; Spartanburg, SC 1990 Expanding Boundaries; Flossie Martin Gallery; Radford, VA 1987 National Juried Exhibition; Mari Gallery; Mamaroneck, NY 1986 Connecticut Circumscribed; Erector Square Gallery; New Haven, CT CORPORATE COLLECTIONS 2000 Three mobiles purchased for X-Files set; episode: All Things; aired 4/9/00 SELECTED REVIEWS 4/01 "Art in Unfamiliar Places--Neptunian Frolic"; Florida History & the Arts 7/27/98 "Art Outdoors"; Chronicle-Independent (Camden, SC) 2/15/98 A. Nichols; "Souvenirs from My Visit to America"; Chattanooga Free Press 10/26/97 T. Patterson; "Souvenirs: Artist looks at current artifacts"; Winston-Salem Journal 3/16/97 M. Clement; "Awe inspiring"; Fayetteville Observer-Times 1/7/96 D. Neal; "Three artists create portraits of inner life"; Asheville Citizen-Times 10/23/94 D. Gold; "Artists’ wit puts glow on a grim subtheme"; Maine Telegram 2/12/92 L. Millegan; "Exhibition features environmental focus"; Oregon Daily Emerald 7/90 M. Oberlaender; "Tri-State Sculptors Exhibition"; Art Papers 10/4/87 C. Battista; "Artists craft worldly sounds"; New York Times 10/86 S. Wadsworth; "Connecticut Circumscribed"; Art New England EDUCATION 1980-81 College of the Atlantic; Bar Harbor, ME; Human Ecology 1979 Warren Wilson College; Swannanoa, NC; Ecology PRESENTATIONS 2000 Computer-Aided Design for Sculptors; Tri State Sculptors Conference; Brevard, NC 1999 Panelist; Cultural Iconography; Hand Workshop Art Center; Richmond, VA PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS 1990--pres. Tri State Sculptors member 1998--pres. Webmaster for <www.TriStateSculptors.org> TRAVEL 1989 Guatemala; Three months studying Spanish and traveling 1985 Zaire; Two months living in rural village and studying Kikongo Back to Top of Page All images included in this site are protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Comments about this website: webmaster@HarryMcDaniel.com