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Bethlehem, PA, August 16, 2023 – ArtsQuest and the Steel Weekend Arts Sub-Committee has selected Dr. Lee Riley for the 2nd Annual Sculpture Artist at SteelStacks exhibition. Dr. Riley’s sculpture will be installed at the weekend of Sept. 29th in front of the Visitor Center at SteelStacks presented by St. Luke’s University Health Network.
During the Steel Weekend, Dr. Lee Riley will host an in-person, on-site artist talk on the date of installation. The sculpture will be on display from October 2023 to October 2024.
“We are very excited that the piece selected for 2023 is by Banana Factory Resident Artist, Dr. Lee Riley. Dr. Riley’s work incorporates elements of steel, a nod to the industrial heritage of the site, as well as glass. We are excited to see how Dr. Riley’s sculpture will enhance our campus,” said Lisa Harms, Senior Director of Visual Arts and Education. “Public art inspires conversation, opens minds, and is accessible to all. These are all core to ArtsQuest’s mission. We are grateful to our partners from The National Museum of Industrial History, the SouthSide Arts District, Lehigh University Art Galleries and the Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission for their contributions on the Review Committee.”
About Dr. Lee Riley
Working with glass fascinates Riley – “when the glass is molten it can be blown like gum, when warm it can be bent like putty and when cold, sculpted like marble.” Riley uses each of these phases of glass combined with its ability to reflect, refract, and bend light to create unique complex colorful works. Riley grew up in Houston Texas where his grandmother, a well-known artist, instilled a passion for the arts. Unfortunately, she had lost a daughter at the age of nine to cancer. This event traumatized his grandmother and mother and led him to pursue a career as a cancer researcher and surgeon.
His advanced medical training prepared him for the technical portion of his profession, but not the emotional demands of his field. Since his specialty was stage IV melanoma, where many of his patients rapidly passed away, he soon realized that he needed to recharge emotionally from day to day. Remembering his childhood roots, he turned to art.
Eventually, he found working with glass fulfilled his needs; not only was he recharged, but he quickly became passionate about glass art. With no formal training in glass or art, Riley sought classes and workshops starting at the Banana Factory. It was his cold glass workshop with Martin Rosol at Corning Museum where he envisioned combining his interest in minerals with his glasswork. There were no instructors for this, but with his background as a chemistry major, perseverance and luck, he was able to succeed.
In addition to “healing thyself,” Riley began incorporating art into his medical practice. Initially, he donated his art to support numerous cancer fundraising events. He made 700 glass “pink ribbon” pendants for a local breast cancer race, and now he works with a resident artist at his medical office to help patients create glass pendants during their treatments.
His first gallery show was a successful solo event with regional artists, physicians and patients attending – most of his work was sold. With growing confidence in his skillset and creativity, he began expanding his work to include other mediums, but almost always with glass! During COVID Riley became a resident artist at the ArtsQuest Banana Factory where he absorbed everything he could from his fellow resident artists. He subsequently presented his work in several local galleries and ultimately travelled to Santa Fe NM where his work is now represented by Globe Fine Art. Riley continues to live and work in Bethlehem PA as a surgical oncologist and artist and travels, when possible, with his wife Val to Atlanta, Austin and San Diego to visit their three daughters.
“I am incredibly honored and extremely excited to receive this award for my sculpture. This recognition means the world to me as it reflects the culmination of my emotions, philosophy and life lessons poured into this artwork,” Dr. Lee Riley said. “I am deeply grateful to the Banana Factory, which served as the nurturing incubator for my artistic development. This achievement inspires me to continue exploring and expressing myself through my art, and I hope it resonates with others as well. Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this creative journey.”
Each year ArtsQuest and the Steel Weekend Arts Sub-Committee send out a national call to experienced professional sculptors, students and emerging artists who were invited to submit their work for the annual Sculpture at SteelStacks exhibition. The outdoor display is featured at the entrance of the former site of Bethlehem Steel, where work will be visible for over a million people. This annual program includes educational and community outreach events such as artist talks, public art walking tour and an artist-led knitting loom that will be hosted in Spring of 2024.
For more information on Steel Weekend and Steelworkers Reunion weekend you can visit, www.nmih.org. For a full schedule of current and upcoming Art Exhibitions you can visit www.bananafactory.org.
About ArtsQuest
ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest™ supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the Banana Factory Arts Center; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization’s programs and events, of which over 50% of which are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.
Information provided to TVL by:
Abigail Wolf
