Moose Myth
ARTIST: Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein
HOME: Jamaica Plain, Ma and Bow, N.H.
LOCATION: Moose Myth has gone to moose heaven….. but it was beautiful while it lasted.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
The Moose Myth is based on the poem at the right and the explaination below. There is a story told of twin moose brothers, each robust and noble, who shared the Northern Kingdom. One fine day they met in a glade and neither would yield. They charged and impacted with a resounding crash of angry power. In the ensuing battle they entangled antlers in a death lock. Unable to separate, they continued to battle. After days of throwing their enmeshed antlers and bodies about, unable to eat or drink, exhausted, they were on the brink of death. A small child came upon the feuding but now feeble twins and offered to free them, but only if they would promise to live in peace. They thankfully accepted the offer. Freed, the twins stood on two feet in honor of their human friend and lived their lives striving to solve conflicts with negotiation and compromise. They agreed that one would live by the sea and rule over the Portsmouth waterfront and all the bridges and seaways linking NH to the world. The other mighty moose would rule inland, near the confluence of the Nashua and Merrimack Rivers, majestically protecting the vital and diverse city of Nashua.
Donna Dodson graduated cum laude from Wellesley College in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts. Her pre-med studies and her passion for Egyptian art led her to study sculpture with Joseph Wheelwright at his studio in Boston in 1995. She continued her studies in sculpture with Peter Haines at his studio in Cambridge by learning how to abstract and resolve forms. Since 2000, Dodson has been honored with solo shows in New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Kansas, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Dodson enjoys public speaking, and has been a guest speaker in conferences, panels and forums at the University of Rhode Island, Pittsburg State University, School of Visual Art and Stonehill College. She is a member of the International Sculpture Center, National Association of Women Artists and the Women’s Caucus for Art. In May 2007 she started the Art Salon Boston at her studio in Jamaica Plain to meet artists of all disciplines and host monthly conversations on topics of interest to artists in Boston and beyond. Learn more on her blog.
Andy Moerlein is a nationally exhibited sculptor. His work has been shown in museums, sculpture gardens, and galleries from Alaska to New York. Mr. Moerlein has an extensive resume of public art works. This past summer, his installations graced Downtown Ithaca NY, Mill Brook Gallery and Sculpture Garden, the Riverway Park in Brookline MA, Main Street in Stockbridge MA, Elm Park in Worcester MA, and Ehva Gallery in Provencetown MA. Mr. Moerlein’s installation work has also been featured indoors at venues such as the Johnson Museum, Ithaca NY, the Hood Museum, Hanover NH, the Currier Museum, Concord NH, the Everson Museum, Syracuse NY and a variety of private galleries and college art settings. His smaller models and indoor work were featured in two late summer shows. In August Moerlein showed a large body of new work at the Windsor Whip Works Gallery, Windsor NY and then in September he had a solo exhibit at New Hampton School in NH.
He has been an arts advocate, gallery director, educator, and professional juror for over 30 years. He has curated shows in Bend, OR; Rochester, NY; Brockport, NY; Ithaca, NY; and Manchester, NH. His articles and reviews have been published in numerous regional newspapers and arts magazines. He has been a teacher and gallery director at the Derryfield School in Manchester NH for 15 years. Moerlein holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MFA from Cornell University. He lives in Bow, NH. Read the latest on his blog.
