As a native of Brevard, NC, J. Aaron Alderman studied at Brevard College. Upon graduation he continued his studies by working with local sculptor Tim Murray and coppersmith J. T. Copper. Alderman has been awarded multiple public and private art commissions and has displayed work across the United States and internationally in select galleries and juried public sculpture exhibitions. Through a highly physical process Alderman creates sculptures through the use of pure line to capture a tender emotional expression of the human form. He creates art that is ego-less, idea driven, form driven, emotive and connective. He is currently represented by The Haen Gallery in both Asheville and Brevard, NC.
Select Shows
2022 National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition, North Charelston, SC
2022 Sculpture Walk, Springfield, MO
2020 Sculpture On the Lawn, Orlando, FL
2020 Salmagundi XXIV, Rocky Mount, NC
2020 “Black Lives Matter”, Dragon Fly Gallery, Chicago, IL
2016-2017 Sheridan Public Arts, Sheridan WY
2016 Art Encounters, Douglas County, CO
2015 Articulations, Haen Gallery, Brevard, NC
2014 Atlanta Belt-Line, Atlanta, GA
2013 Sea Islands Center Gallery, Beaufort, SC
2010 Sculpture Walk IV, Kingsport, TN
2008 Chattanooga’s Third Biennial Sculpture Exhibition, Chattanooga, TN
2010 Brevard College Art Faculty Show, Spiers Gallery, Brevard, NC
2009 “Through the Looking Glass”, Green Rice Gallery, Charlotte, NC
2009 “Small and Miniature”, Aaron Gallery, Washington D.C.
2007 River Sculpture Festival, Asheville, NC
2007 Art in the Airport Exhibit Two, Art in the Airport Gallery, Asheville, NC
Select Public Commissions
2019 “People of the Reflected Sky, Smith Collection, Sherrills Ford, NC
2016 Lowe Park, Marion, Iowa
2012 Brevard Sculpture Project, Brevard NC
2011 Peitroasa, Bihor, Romania
2008 Keystone Memorial, Brevard NC
2006Turkey Creek Commercial Development, Knoxville TN
Select Publications
Bold Life, December 2014
Esquire, Romania, Spring 2012
CitiScape, Metro Monthly October 2009
Our State, Down Home in North Carolina June 2009
Carolina Home+Garden, Summer 2008
WNC, Mountain Living in Western North Carolina May 2008
Smokey Mountain Living Spring 2008
American Style, June 2008
Select Honors and Awards
2020 Interview, “Dreamers & Doers”, ashevillefm.org, Asheville, NC
2013 Adjunct Professor, Sculpture, Brevard College
2011 Artist in Residence, Peitroasa, Bihor, Romania
2008 Challenges/Violates the Borders between Public and Private, Collaborative dance with Kathy Meyers, Fringe Festival, Asheville, NC
2004 “Art Speak”, Brevard NC
2002-2003 “Diversity” Dance Performance, Brevard School of Dance
Statement
As an artist and a sculptor, I use the repetition of simple lines, in the form of round stock steel, to capture a tender emotional expression of the human and animal form. Through this highly physical process I am driven to create sculptures that are ego-less, expressive in their form, emotive and connective. With simple tools I draw in space, repeating stylized lines, which in-turn creates the structure of my sculptures. As each line captures the contours and musculature of the body, these same lines begin to tell a subtle story. Each line builds on the next, flowing with rhythm and pattern, the form is revealed, and the story builds along with the rawness of emotion. Hand-made copper elements accent most works, usually highlighting the expressiveness of the hands. Once this process is finalized and oxidation has begun the sculpture is then completed in the presence of the viewer.
J. Aaron Alderman
