MICHAEL ALFANO AND HIS SCULPUTRE AT ROBERT ROARK STUDIO GALLERY

ROBERT K. ROARK

ANITA WINSTANLEY ROARK

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MICHAEL ALFANO

Michael with his sculpture,
"Holocaust Monument", 2001
Bronze, 7' x 6' x 6'
Jericho Jewish Center, NY

Michael Alfano has been sculpting figures, monuments, and philosophical pieces for fifteen years. After graduating with a degree in business, his original career was as a stockbroker. Soon dissatisfied, he turned to sculpting, in part as a way to transform the pain he experienced after his college girlfriend was killed by a drunk driver.

He first studied at the Art Students League of New York with an emphasis on life size sculpture and anatomy. His formal education continued at Boston University, and was augmented by internships with several prominent sculptors.

Michael has exhibited his work in many public venues. He has garnered dozens of awards and his sculptures are found in private collections throughout the world. The public monuments he created are on permanent display throughout the Northeast U.S. Many newspapers and magazines have featured Michael's work and his story.

Some of the professional associations Michael belongs to are the New England Sculptors Association, National Sculpture Society and the Copley Society.

Recent Unveilings:

Putting Brown in Bronze

In April 2008, Michael's sculpture of the legendary George V. Brown, will be unveiled at the MetroWest Symphony Orchestra Marathon Week Kickoff Concert. The sculpture was commissioned by the Hopkinton Athletic Association (HAA) with a grant from the state of Massachusetts to promote tourism in the MetroWest area based on the marathon.

Brown (1880 to 1937), a lifelong Hopkinton resident, served as starter for the Boston Marathon for over 30 years and played a role in moving the starting line for the event to the town in 1924. An all-around sports advocate, Brown was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame for his role in building the sport, held various positions with the US Olympics organization, was General Manager of the Boston Garden, and much more.

After the unveiling, the sculpture will be on view at various locations--details will be posted here in the coming weeks. A permanent location is to be determined. The hope is that it will be installed near the actual race start line, where viewers can enjoy it with the Hopkinton Town Common and can pose with the sculpture for photos.

Sculpture in place at Zion Union Heritage Museum

Embracing and reaching out from Africa, Michael Alfano’s sculpture, “The Journey,” is a fitting focal point for Zion Union Heritage Museum on North Street in Hyannis.

Museum President Harold Tobey unveiled the statue July 9 in a brief ceremony during which he praised official and private contributors to its creation.

Speaking for one of the latter, the Lyndon Paul Lorusso Foundation, Mark Thompson recalled the longtime NAACP membership of Lila and the late Paul Lorusso. “It has always been their wish for harmony among the races,” he said.

Paul Lorusso grew up as a first-generation American in Walpole, Thompson said, encountering “first-hand what it is to be slighted. His wish was that no man would be slighted on this earth.”

Thompson offered high praise to sculptor Alfano, a Hopkinton resident who has been described as a “sculptor with a conscience.” His works address the Holocaust, the Sept. 11 attack and response, and the need for peaceful resolution of conflicts.

The heritage museum in Hyannis, which is open daily, focuses on the stories of African-Americans, Cape Veterans and other contributors to Cape Cod and America. The statue highlights this heritage by displaying boats sailing from Africa for the New World.

Some thought an early version of the statue bore a slight resemblance to U.S. Sen. Barack Obama. “I’ve been asked who the statue looks like,” Tobey said. “That statue looks like us – the black community, people of color.”

Related News Coverage:

Bronze Monumental and Portrait Sculpture

 Current commissions for Boston Marathon, Zion Museum, and Larusso Foundation; 2008

 Life-size portrait of Daniel Weadock, child, and fox for The International, Bolton, MA; 2007

 Life-size portrait of Mother Clelia, Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Hamden, CT; 2007

 Fox, life-size, Harvard Museum of Natural History, MA; 2007

 Children’s Holocaust Memorial for Temple Emanuel in Great Neck, NY; 2006

 Bust of Arnie Snider III, business founder, unveiled at a gala at the Met, NY; 2005

 Portrait bust of Lt. Maxwell for Maxwell AFB, Alabama; 2005

 Peace Offering, displayed by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Yucatan, Mexico; 2005. At Clifton NJ Arts Center from 2005 to 2009.

 9/11 memorial for the town of Norfolk, MA; 2003. Also at Clifton NJ Arts Center; 2005.

 Holocaust memorial with three over life-size figures for the Jericho Jewish Center, NY; 2001

 Ethics of Peace, with a fellowship from the Newington Cropsey Academy, for Georgetown University, Washington, DC; 2000

 Two life-size figures for a MADD memorial, at Farmingdale State College, NY; 1999

 Stand Up and Speak Out, three life-size figures, at Nassau University Medical Center, with a grant from the NY State Regrant program; 1998. Featured in New York Times and Associated Press articles.

 Portrait bust of Anwar Sadat for the Sadat family. Featured in Boston Globe article; 1997.

 Walt Whitman for the East Meadow Public Library in New York, NY State Regrant; 1996

Other Fine Art Sculpture

 Created hundreds of fine art originals, including surrealistic pieces and nudes, with casts in galleries, museums, art shows, and private collections.

 Sculpted six realistic hands for production resale by Garden Hands in MA; 2004.

 Commissioned to create five small-scale sculptures of members of the Pittsburgh Steelers for production in a fine art limited edition line; 1999.

 Taught sculpture at the Center for the Arts in Lexington, MA; 1999 to 2000. Also taught at the Sulkowski Academy of Fine Arts in Houston, PA; 1994 to 1995.

Professional Affiliations

 Copley Society of Boston, Juried Member and Portrait Artist; since 1998

 National Sculpture Society; since 1998

 New England Sculptors Association; since 2000

 National Art League; since 2003

 American Artists Professional League; since 2004

 Cultural Arts Alliance of Hopkinton; 2005. Board of Directors since 2006.

Education

 Portrait Sculpting with Anthony Antonias at Brookgreen Gardens, NC; 2006

 Boston University Sculpture Program; 1995-1996

 Art Students League of New York (student scholarship); 1993-1994

 Columbia Presbyterian Hospital (anatomy study from the cadaver); 1994

 State University of New York at Albany, Bachelor of Science; 1991

RETURN TO MR. ALFANO'S ART

Robert Roark Studio Gallery
PO Box 992
766 Route 6A
Dennis, MA 02638

508-385-4713