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POP sculptures by Stanley Learner at Housatonic Community College
News Release
Nov. 10, 2011, FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT ROBBIN ZELLA at 203-332-5052
Bridgeport - A new exhibit by the late Stanley Learner, designer, graphic artist and illustrator, opens November 15th and continues through January 7th, 2012. The exhibit is on view in the Community Gallery located on the 3rd floor of Beacon Hall on the campus of the Housatonic Community College.
The show includes the out-sized letter A, a fish totem, typewriter and whimsical "alpha boxes" that feature assemblages of objects all beginning with the same letter in the alphabet. Colorful and humorous, these objects were not made for sale or show, but for the amusement of the artist himself.
Stan Learner was a prolific artist who took his aesthetic cue from Claes Oldenburg, taking everyday objects to larger-than-life proportions. He incorporated all manner of materials into his assemblages, such as braided rope, wood, papier mache and found objects, then painting the surfaces in bright colors and patterns.
A graduate with honors from the School of Industrial Arts in New York City, Learner was offered, and refused, a prestigious position at the Walt Disney Studios preferring instead to work with such corporate giants as Pepsico, Johnson and Johnson and Philip Morris, among others. Learner was only 43 when he retired from corporate life to design and build LeMans, a popular Hamptons nightspot, which featured hundreds of automotive sculptures and art objects. After the sale of his club, he went on to found Stan Learner Sculpture as a hobby that soon had him making commissioned pieces for private clients and collectors only.
Since his death in 2004, Learner's work has found a broader audience through the efforts of his brother, Dr. Leonard Learner of Stratford, Connecticut. Exhibitions of Stan Learner's work have been held at the Loggerhead Museum in Juno, Florida; the Children's Museum of the East End (CMEE) and Guild Hall, both in the Hamptons, and at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival in Florida. Although his work is held in numerous private collections, several pieces have been acquired by public collections including the Housatonic Museum of Art.
The exhibit is available for view when the college is open. For further information contact 203-332-5052 or visit www.housatonicmuseum.org.
Housatonic Community College provides an affordable and accessible education through two-year degrees, transfer preparation, and certificate programs, as well as a wide variety of continuing education and personal/professional enrichment seminars and workshops. In addition, HCC offers employee and occupational training for businesses, municipalities, government agencies, and professional associations to help develop the educated and skilled workforce required to meet regional business and industry needs. HCC is nationally recognized as an "Achieving the Dream"; institution.
HCC is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in downtown Bridgeport, less than 150 yards off I-95 (Exit 27) and Rte. 8 (Exit 1), a block from the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard. Free parking is available in the Housatonic garage.