CHUCK VON SCHMIDT
ARTIST BIO
Perhaps best known for his crystal sculpture, “The Ideals of Aaron”, presented to Saint Pope John Paul II, in 2005, von Schmidt’s work has also been included in exhibitions in the Anchorage Art Museum and the Nassau County Art Museum, the Hammond Museum as well as numerous other exhibitions around the country.
In 1966 von Schmidt’s architecture studies at the University of Florida were interrupted by the military draft. While serving in the US Army, in Germany, he created a permanent sculpture installation for his military base, in Kaiserslautern. After military service, he worked as an architectural draftsman and as an assistant to the sculptor, Anthony Cipriano.
A graduate of The Cooper Union (BFA, 1973), and Brooklyn College (MFA, 1977), von Schmidt was on Staff and Faculty of both institutions after receiving his degrees. In 1977 he was a visiting lecturer at the Rhode Island School of Design, in conjunction with a solo show of his prints/sculptures.
One of his sculptures was featured in the 1968 Haskell Wexler film: Medium Cool, and the following year he won a sculpture award at the Miami Pop Festival. He has work in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum, the Hammond and SUNY, Purchase, among others.
In 2004, von Schmidt was commissioned by Pave The Way Foundation to create “The Ideals of Aaron.” The sculpture, a pair of crystal hands holding a globe, was to be presented to Pope John Paul II, in recognition of the Pope’s milestone accomplishments in furthering relations between the various world religions. During an audience in the Vatican in January 2005, von Schmidt personally presented the sculpture to the Pontiff.
In 2006 he completed a commissioned Torah Ark for Temple Beth Torah in Melville, NY.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work is generally representational, but not necessarily realistic or anthropomorphic.
Time has always figured prominently in my work. Whether it is an astronomical date such as the Equinox, or the anniversary of an event, (a birthday or death date), or the marking of the passage of time or the idea contained in the site of an historical event, the Fourth Dimension is somehow represented.
I am fascinated by Mother Earth and all Her diverse expressions of life, especially the human species. When I present something in a way that is different from its intended purpose, I hope to invite the viewers to see something they had not recognized before. This is one way to see the true nature of things. So, in that way my work is a quest for the truth.
Always, I try to keep sight of the humor in life.