Holly Smith graduated from Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia in 1977.  (She is NOT an 'Outsider' Artist.)   These large paper sculptures were from the first body of work she did out of school.  They were purchased, as a group, from the Roger Lapelle Gallery in Philadelphia in the mid-1980s by an art collector and displayed in a theme restaurant he owned in Allentown.  They were then placed in storage for almost 15 years, until they were sold to an antiques dealer in Reading, and then to George and Sue Viener, owners of the Outsider Folk Art Gallery.  However, in the transition, the name of the artist was lost!  George and Sue did not know the name or anything about the artist who made these sculptures!
When OFAG obtained the sculptures they were in disrepair from being poorly stored, and GoggleWorks artist Alvin Booth worked on repairing the figures.  The Reading Eagle ran a story about the restoration project.  Holly Smith was alerted by a friend in Reading who read the article, that her sculptures had been purchased and were being restored, and that the owners did not know she had made them.  Holly contacted the Vieners and came to the GoggleWorks to be reunited with her art.  She took over the restoration of the figures, which is now complete. Smith is currently creating large scale wood sculptures that share the color and whimsy of these early works.

 

HOLLY E. SMITH 

h.smith007@comcast.net

 

EDUCATION: B.F.A. Moore College of Art 1977

AWARDS: Third Place, 28th Annual Bucks County Sculpture Show, 2005

                Grace Klinges Carlin Award for Drawing, Sabine Rose Gallery, 2005

                Second Place, The 26th Annual Bucks County Sculpture Show, 2003 

                Honorable Mention, The Plastic Club 2001

         Best of Show, “3rd Street Gallery Group Show” 2000, Juried by Guggenheim Curator,

         Matt Drutt

                     Award of Merit, “Twenty Years on the Parkway” 1979

 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

  Philadelphia Sculptors at West Chester University, West Chester, PA

2007  Solo Drawing Exhibition, Peter Becker Community, Telford, PA

           “Art of The City”, City Hall, Philadelphia, PA

           “Now ApPiering”, Philadelphia Sculptors at Atlantic City Art Center, New Jersey

           “Receive, React, Respond” Juried Alumnae Exhibition, Moore College of Art, Phila., PA

  “Kites: Art Takes Flight”, Main Line Art Center Outdoor Show, Haverford, PA

            Howard County Art Center Sculpture Exhibition, Ellicott City, MD

            Philadelphia and Baltimore Sculptors at Washington Square, Washington, DC

            “Seeing Double”, Afif Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

           “Side By Side” Highwire Gallery Members and Invited Artists, Philadelphia, PA

 Howard Gallery of Fine Art Opening Show, New Hope, PA

            “A Case For Art”, Juried Sculpture Exhibition, Philadelphia, PA

            The 28th Annual Bucks County Sculpture Show, Warrington, PA

            Doylestown Arts League Juried Fine Arts Exhibition, Doylestown, PA         

 The 27th Annual Bucks County Sculpture Show, Warrington, PA                                       Small Sculpture Show, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC                        “Three Rivers Arts Festival” Juried Sculpture Exhibition, Pittsburgh, PA

           “Nano Show”, Nexus Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

“The Comix: Cartoons as Art”, City Hall, Philadelphia, PA

           “Celebration of Arts in Healing”, Pavillion Art Gallery, Mt. Holly, NJ

           “Monumental Micros”, Muse Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

 “Too Funny For Words”, Artforms Gallery, Manayunk, PA

2003   The 26th Annual Bucks County Sculpture Show, Doylestown, PA

            “Animal Images”, The Plastic Club, Philadelphia, PA

            “Monumental Micros” Towson Commons Gallery, Towson MD

            Group Sculpture Installation, Burlington County College, Mt. Laurel, NJ

            “Chairs in the Air” An Outdoor Collaborative Installation, Philadelphia, PA

2002    One Person Drawing Exhibition, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA

“Crossing the Line” Joint Sculpture Conference Juried Show, Philadelphia, PA
3rd Street Gallery Juried Exhibition, Philadelphia, PA
“Building Unique Worlds”, Philadelphia Sculptors in Washington DC

             “Art Unleashed” Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA

             “Journeys” Moore College of Art and Design Alumnae Exhibition, Philadelphia, PA

The 24th Annual Bucks County Sculpture Show, Chalfont, PA
“Art for Artists’ Sake” Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
Woodmere Art Museum 61st Annual Juried Exhibition, Chestnut Hill, PA
“Black and White” The Plastic Club Juried Exhibition, Philadelphia, PA
3rd Street Gallery Juried Show, Philadelphia, PA
“Art for Artists’ Sake” PVLA Juried Exhibition, Philadelphia, PA
“Art Works/Water Works” Invitational Sculpture Show, Philadelphia, PA

    Two Person Exhibition, Roger LaPelle Galleries, Philadelphia, PA

 

1985      Christmas Show, Roger LaPelle Galleries, Philadelphia, PA

              Group Sculpture Show, Roger LaPelle Galleries, Philadelphia, PA

1984      Christmas Show, Roger LaPelle Galleries, Philadelphia, PA

  Group Sculpture Show, Roger LaPelle Galleries, Philadelphia, PA

1983      Marion Locks New Talent Show, Philadelphia, PA

    “Double Positive” Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, PA

              “People” Roger LaPelle Galleries, Philadelphia, PA

1982      “Sculpture ‘82” Cheltenham Art Centre Invitational Show, Philadelphia, PA

1981      “Once Moore- Award Winning Alumnae” Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, PA

1979       “Twenty Years on the Parkway” Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, PA                                                      1978      “ArtAffair”, Sugarloaf, PA

 

 

LECTURES

Moore College of Art and Design, September 2002

The College of New Jersey, December 2002

Burlington County College, December 2003

The College of New Jersey, April 2004

 

 

PUBLICATIONS AND REVIEWS

The Welcomat, July 24, 1985

The Welcomat, November 20, 1985

Art Matters, December 1985

The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 27, 2000

The Philadelphia Daily News, August 4, 2000

The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 18, 2000

Philadelphia City Paper, August 3, 2000

Art Matters, November 2001

The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 26, 2003

The Intelligencer, September 12, 2005

 

Ms. Smith’s work is in many private collections throughout the United States. The Health and Wellness Center by Doylestown Hospital recently added one of her sculptures to their permanent collection.