A colorful, varied retrospective of artwork by local artist and arts educator Sherman Hay is on display at Columbia College. Exhibits of more than 40 paintings, drawings and sculpture are on display at Columbia College’s Manzanita Building (11600 Columbia College Drive, Sonora) through Dec. 15. The Manzanita Building upper level is open Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
A public reception and talk is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 9, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Stacy Hay, wife of the late Sherman Hay, will be on hand to discuss his artwork and the mediums used, as well as answer questions. The Columbia College Foundation is hosting the event and the exhibit.
This exhibition – the first since Hay’s recent passing – features a collection of his paintings, drawings, handmade paper, prints, and ceramic sculptures. Stacy Hay curated the show, and said a combination of abstract-surrealist vision and technical mastery manifested a life’s work comprised of an original and challenging investigation into material, design, and human imagination.
“I am very excited to have this retrospective exhibition at our local college, including 40 of Sherman’s artworks,” Hay said. “I feel grateful to share his incredible legacy of artwork with the community and encourage everyone to come and experience it. I know I treasure it.”
Sherman Hay grew up in San Jose and started his love of art at age five working alongside his grandmother creating mosaic designs on bowls. He enjoyed drawing in high school, but after graduating from Lincoln High School, Sherman was drafted into the military, where he joined the Marine Corps and was stationed near the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone. After his service he used the G.I. Bill to attend San Jose Community College and Los Angeles Pierce College in Woodland Hills. He earned his B.A. from California State University, Hayward (East Bay) in 1976. He received his Masters of Arts degree from Humboldt State University in 1979.
Hay’s teaching career was spent as an art instructor at Columbia College, Modesto Junior College, and Merced Community College. Sherman spent 20 years teaching art in the California State Prison system and California Youth Authority. He was able to do this work as a contract artist working with the William James Association and he earned 13 Artist-in-Residence grants through the California Arts Council.
He completed several Public Art Projects, including a sculpture at the Calaveras County Library, San Andreas; ten brass butterflies embedded into the cement sidewalk in front of Harrison Elementary School in Stockton; and two mosaic tile murals: an image of Mark Twain for Mark Twain Elementary School, Angels Camp, and a cougar for Copperopolis Elementary School. He also won awards in numerous juried competitions throughout the country.
Hay devoted his life to creating art through painting, drawing, mosaics, environmental works, functional art, digital art, papermaking, printmaking, and sculpture in ceramic, stone, metal, and a variety of other mediums. Visit his website at www.shermanhay.com
For more information, visit http://www.gocolumbia.edu or call (209) 588-5065.
