Bronze sculptor Chad Fisher has garnered a lot of attention and some memorable commissions for a young artist. Earlier this year, the Philadelphia 76ers unveiled Fisher鈥檚 bronze sculpture of Sixers great Allen Iverson. Fisher had previously captured other Sixers greats like Charles Barkley, Maurice Cheeks and Julius 鈥淒r. J鈥� Erving.
This Sunday, the CPTV original series 鈥淲here Art Thou?鈥� features an interview with Fisher about his art and career, which brought him to 黑料吃瓜网 after a separation between the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Old Lyme and the University of New Haven in 2018.
Rather than offering a curriculum suited for traditional bachelor's and master's degrees, the institution returned to teaching the foundational skills of drawing, painting and sculpture in the figurative tradition, which is art derived from real objects in the world, like the human body.
Four years later, Lyme Academy announced a major expansion with the addition of a sculpture program. They chose Chad Fisher to chair the new program. As the Charlotte Colby Danly Sculpture Chair at Lyme Academy, Fisher is uniquely suited for the position 鈥� his method of learning the art of sculpture can be traced back to the monumental French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917).
鈥淒ilution of information and lineage matters within the arts,鈥� Fisher said. 鈥淪o just tracing this lineage back to the Beaux Arts tradition allowed really authentic and sincere information to be shared and learned, because the arts are quantifiable at a foundational level.鈥�
Fisher spent his twenties and thirties learning as much as he could about traditional bronze sculpture. In 2017 he took a huge step very few sculptors take 鈥� opening his own foundry where liquid bronze (or other metals) are poured into molds (casting). In this case, molds of Fisher's sculpture.
鈥淚n having a foundry you have an enormous amount of control,鈥� Fisher said. 鈥淏ronze is a material that we're trying to control that does not want to be controlled. That sounds incredibly frustrating, but you're always learning, you know. The material is like a great teacher.鈥�
Fisher is in the process of moving his foundry from Pennsylvania to the grounds of the Lyme Academy.
Fisher鈥檚 foundry has helped him secure some important commissions. Along with sculptures of former Sixers players, Fisher has sculpted Babe Ruth and Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton, among others. In 2020, Fisher completed a life-size likeness of actress Marion Ross (of 鈥淗appy Days鈥� fame) for her hometown of Albert Lea, Minnesota.
鈥淪he's very funny,鈥� Fisher said of Ross. 鈥淚 spoke with her over the phone several times before meeting her in person for the unveiling. She's actually in the TV show 鈥淕ilmore Girls,鈥� so my three daughters knew who she was immediately.鈥�
Fisher said more than just making a sculpture as realistic as possible, he strives to bring out the soul of the subject. To make that happen, he said he works much like a method actor.
鈥淢y naive understanding of method acting is that they're trying to absorb the character, to actually become them,鈥� Fisher explained. 鈥淪o, I feel in order to make a sculpture of Julius Erving I need to see what motivated Julius? Players listen to music sometimes before games, what did he listen to? I think all of that informs.鈥�
Learn More:
Watch the full segment on 鈥淲here Art Thou?鈥� Sunday, June 30, at 7:30 p.m. on 黑料吃瓜网 Television, and streaming online.
