With the establishment of the Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. Center for American Sculpture, Brookgreen Gardens extended its educational reach to a broader audience with workshops in sculpture and drawing under the tutelage of nationally known sculptors throughout the year. To contact our sculpture department, click here and choose "sculpture" on the contact form.
2023 Wallace Master Sculptor Program Workshops
September 25-29 – Plein Air Figure Sculpture with Kevin Chambers. $650 + material/model fees.
Students will utilize sculptures from the gardens at Brookgreen to create master studies onsite. Students will spend the morning of each workshop day outside creating a small-scale study of a sculpture of their choosing. The afternoon will be spent in the studio sculpting from a live model. This allows each student to study how the master sculptors have addressed such challenges as gesture, proportion, and anatomy. Then they will come into the studio and work on a 18”-24” sculpture to which they will apply these skills.
Kevin Chambers is an elected member of the National Sculpture Society. He received a BFA in Media Arts and Animation from the Art Institute of Atlanta, a program that allowed him the latitude to develop his own personal style while he apprenticed for talented artists. He studied the figure with contemporary masters such as Glenn Villpu, Brian Booth Craig, David Simon, and did anatomical workshops with Andrew Cawrse.
October 16-19 – Sculpting Extinct Animals with Gary Staab. $550 plus materials cost.
In this 4 day workshop each student will be given the option to sculpt one of 3 subjects A Mammoth, a Camarasaurus or a T-rex. We will discuss the anatomy of living animals and how it informs the restoration of extinct life forms. Working over an armature and using skeletal diagrams and fossil reference casts, each student will flesh out their chosen animal. Students will be able to pick the pose of the animal or follow along with the instructor. We will cover techniques to create believable movement as well as a variety of textural finishes in clay. Staab will also discuss the challenges and complexities of working on a large- and small-scale Paleo Art sculptures. We will discuss the philosophy of what material to use and when to use it. Beginning students are welcome.
Gary has been making sculptures for Natural History Museums for over 35 years and is an elected member of the National Sculpture Society. He first started his interest in animals at age 11 by taking a taxidermy correspondence course. Since then, his entire life has been focused on understanding the shapes and complexity of the natural world, both past and present.
His work has been displayed at the National Geographic Society, The Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History. The Carnegie Museum of Natural History, The Beijing Museum of Natural History and the British Museum of Natural History, among many others. You can see his work featured on the PBS NOVA special. “Iceman Reborn.”
October 23-27 – Birds in Sculpture with Sandy Scott, FNSS. $650 + materials fee.
The class begins with a discussion of bird anatomy, the principles of aerodynamics, and how to achieve the illusion of movement in sculptures of birds in flight. Students will learn how to construct an armature for blocking-in birds in flight. Scott will help students determine the difference between a sculpture that is technically adequate and one that has spirit and life. All aspects of modeling in oil-based clay will be explored, and beginning students are welcome. Students will learn the importance of assembling strong, meaningful shapes and how eliminating unimportant details can create the bird’s essence. Students will work from photography, drawings, field guides, and videotapes of birds in flight. Above all, armature building, assembling references for a specific species, aerodynamics, anatomy, and creating art is the focus. Scott has instructed bird sculpture for over 30 years and is recognized as one of America’s leading wildlife artists.
Sandy Scott is a Fellow with the National Sculpture Society. Sandy trained at the Kansas City Art Institute and worked in animation before turning her attention to etching in the 1970s and to sculpture in the 1980s. An elected member of the National Sculpture Society, she has won awards from the National Academy of Design, Allied Artists of America, Pen and Brush Club, American Artists’ Professional League, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, and a Gold Medal for sculpture from the National Academy of Western Art. In 1998 the Gilcrease Museum honored Scott with a retrospective. Her work may be seen in numerous public installations and museums, including Brookgreen Gardens, and she was commissioned to sculpt an eagle for the Clinton Presidential Library. She participates in many annual juried exhibitions, including Prix de West, Autry, Northwest Rendezvous, Cheyenne Frontier Days Museum Show, and the National Wildlife Museum Fall Exhibition. A veteran instructor, Scott teaches at Scottsdale Artists School and Brookgreen Gardens and is the subject of a book, Spirit of the Wild Things: The Art of Sandy Scott.
November 6-10 – Modeling the Tao of Equus: Structure & Expression with Stephanie Revennaugh. $650 + materials fee.
We will explore the dance between the structure of equine anatomy and the expression that resonates with the heart. How do we reach beyond the critical building of bones and muscles toward the ineffable that makes a piece of clay or metal seemingly exude life?
Stephanie Revennaugh is an elected member of the National Sculpture Society. “Soulful and dynamic” describes Stephanie Revennaugh's work. Her sculpture is born from an intimate acquaintance with her equine and canine subjects that is executed with delight in form and texture. Revennaugh’s work has been featured in exhibitions, collections, and publications globally. The National Sculpture Society awarded her the Marilyn Newmark Memorial Grant for a meritorious body of work in animal sculpture. In 2018 she was elected as an NSS member. Revennaugh is largely self-taught through workshops with notable artists in the US and France. Living her early years in Ohio and in Central and South America gave her a taste for adventure and exploration. She currently resides in Montana, where she can be found exploring Big Sky country with her whippet pups or training with her Thoroughbred Eventer. Drawing on experiences around the world, Stephanie continues to evolve, creating ever more evocative work.
WORKSHOP POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Registration and Payment
Registration is accepted on a first come/first serve basis by contacting Curatorial Associate Kay Filar at 843-235-6034 or kfilar@brookgreen.org. A registration fee of $150—charged online on a major credit card (American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa) or paid in cash or by check (made out to “Brookgreen Gardens” and sent to ATTN: Sculpture Workshops, Brookgreen Gardens, PO Box 3368, Pawleys Island, SC 29585)—secures a spot in the class. Students are asked to provide a complete mailing address, phone number, and email address when registering. A waiting list is established once a class has filled. After attending one workshop, students may receive a 10% discount for attendance in subsequent workshops during the same year.
Withdrawals, Cancellations, and Refund Policies
Withdrawals from a workshop must be in writing and be given at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the workshop except in the case of emergency. Our preference is to apply the registration deposit to a future workshop; but if this not possible, the deposit will be refunded. If a student withdraws during a workshop, a prorated tuition payment plus any fees for materials and models must be paid. The $150 registration deposit will not be returned if a student does not attend and does not provide a written notice of withdrawal. Students will receive a full refund if a workshop must be cancelled by Brookgreen Gardens.
Levels of Skill
All workshops require students to have a basic familiarity with the subject matter of the class; but most, unless otherwise noted, are suitable for beginners.
Supplies, Books, and Additional Fees
Some instructors prefer to have specific supplies ordered for the entire class and delivered directly to the studio. Others send out a supply list a few weeks before the workshop and require that students buy and bring their own supplies. Students may not bring their own clay to the workshop unless the instructor has requested them to do so. If an instructor recommends books for the class, students are encouraged to obtain them prior to the first day of the workshop. Additional fees for materials (at cost) and/or models will be totaled for the week and divided evenly among the number of students participating. Students will receive individualized invoices including remaining tuition and these fees for payment on the last day of the workshop.
Entering Brookgreen Gardens
On the first day you will enter after 9:30 am, when the Gardens open, through Brookgreen’s main entrance and proceed to the Admissions Plaza. Stop there and give your name to the attendant, who then will admit you. On subsequent days you will enter before 9:30 through the security/staff entrance located on the south side of the main entrance. Stop there and give your name to the safety officer, who will then admit you. On those days you may pass through the right side of the Admissions Plaza without stopping since no one will be there at the time you arrive.
Location
The workshop takes place in the studio at the Campbell Center for American Sculpture located next to the entrance of the Lowcountry Zoo. It is approximately 1.5 miles from Brookgreen Gardens’ entrance to the Center. Follow the signs to the Welcome Center (passing it on your left), proceed past the Lowcountry Center (also on your left), and then follow the signs to the left turn-off to the Campbell Center and the Zoo. The Campbell Center will be the second building on your right, with angled parking on the road.
Workshop Times
Workshops begin at 10 am on the first day (usually a Monday) and conclude at 5 pm on the last day of the workshop (typically a Friday). All other days the workshop is scheduled to start at 9 am and conclude at 4 pm, but may be adjusted by the instructor after the first day. Please be punctual.
Lunch
There is an hour break each day for lunch. This is not enough time to leave the Brookgreen property, so you should bring your own lunch. A refrigerator, microwave, coffeemaker, and vending machines are located in the studio building. You also may purchase lunch at a Brookgreen Gardens’ food service facility. The Lowcountry Café—with sandwiches, drinks, snacks—is located nearby.
Payment
The final payment of remaining tuition plus any materials and models fees will be due on the last morning of the workshop and may be made with cash, check, or online with major credit card.
Questions? Contact Kay Filar at 843-235-6034, kfilar@brookgreen.org or Bryan Rapp at brapp@brookgreen.org.
Please call Bryan Rapp, Director of the Master Sculptor Program (843) 235-6027, or, Kay Filar, Curatorial Associate, (843) 235-6034, or, Robin R. Salmon, VP of Art and Historical Collections and Curator of Sculpture, (843) 235-6012.
Recommended Places to Stay
Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort (closest)
The Oceanfront Litchfield Inn
Airlines that service Myrtle Beach are - Allegiant Air, American, Delta, Porter Air, Spirit, United, US Airways and WestJet.
Airlines that service Charleston are - American Eagle, Delta, Jetblue, Southwest, United, and US Airways.