Ep: 016 - Stephen Shaheen

Our guest on this episode is Steve Shaheen, a well-known sculptor and stone carver. As painters, we had a lot of questions about the logistics involved in this particular strain of contemporary art-making: what happens when, during a process that is based on removal rather than addition or application, one makes a mistake? How does a sculptor store his works, which typically take up more 3-dimensional space than those of a painter? And how does carving massive blocks of marble that, if left unattended, could persist as they are for centuries to come, affect one's sense of permanence and legacy? Steve gracefully answers all of our novice questions about technique and logistics, weaving in humorous and instructive anecdotes about the hidden deformities of Michelangelo's sculptures and Rodin's incompetence with his own tools. We also get to hear the remarkable story of his leap of faith into a life as an artist at a vocational program in Italy as well as his efforts to erect a 9/11 memorial in his New Jersey hometown. Interview recorded, edited and written by Michael Gusev.

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