Tribute in Light artist to be focus of upcoming exhibition

Recent sculpture and drawings by Julian LaVerdiere will be featured in ?Julian LaVerdiere: Mobile Monuments,? a new exhibition scheduled April 17 to June 20 at Skidmore College?s Schick Art Gallery.

An opening reception will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, in the gallery. There will be a gallery talk with the artist at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 24. Both events are free and open to the public.

LaVerdiere, a production designer and artist, is perhaps best known for his collaboration with Paul Myoda on the Tribute in Light Initiative, a temporary light memorial to honor the victims of the attack on the World Trade Center. The memorial was first approved and illuminated at the WTC site in 2002. A year later, Mayor Michael Bloomberg selected Tribute in Light to become a permanent, official annual ceremonial addition to the WTC memorial.

LaVerdiere?s sculpture, drawing, and photography have been exhibited internationally including the following locations the Library of Congress, the United Nations General Assembly building, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami, the Musee de Elysee in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the National Museum of Natural History in Lisbon, Portugal.

His honors include a Warhol Foundation public art grant, a Gold Metal Award from the Society of Publication Design for best New York Times Magazine cover, an Urban Visionary award for Emerging Talent from Cooper Union, the International Association of Art Critics choice as the Best Public Art Exhibition and a Distinguished Service Award from the New York Society of Architects.

A 1993 graduate of the Cooper Union School for the Advancement of Science and Art, where he received a B.F.A. degree, LaVerdiere earned an M.F.A. degree with honors at Yale University Graduate School of Art in1995 and was awarded the F.B. Pardee prize for excellence in sculpture. In 1996 LaVerdiere founded the production design company BIGROOM with three fellow Yale Graduates. Under the aegis of BIGROOM, LaVerdiere has individually designed sets and engineered unique props for a number of fashion photographers and commercial directors.

Hours at Skidmore?s Schick Art Gallery through May 18 are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week and from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on weekends. Summer hours beginning May 19 are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the week, 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and closed on Sundays. Admission is free.

[Featured photo: Imperial Dragster (Napoleon Re-built), 2003, 9' x 9' x 9' Fiberglas, automotive paint, dragster wheels, florescent lights, industrial felt and acrylic]