Sean Derry, associate professor in the Department of Art and Design, was awarded first prize in Sculpture for his installation, "to borrow breath."
"to borrow breath," his contribution to Art of the State 2020, is a kinetic installation that collects and distributes air, mimicking the inhalation and exhalation of breath. While some of Derry's past work has been larger than life, "to borrow breath" is built on a more human scale. The work evokes the ephemerality of air and the fragility of human bodies that cannot sustain themselves without it.
Art of the State is an annual juried exhibition that has been showcasing the work of Pennsylvania's artists at the State Museum of Pennsylvania since 1968.Winners were chosen from 108 works selected from 1,901 entries.
