Unearthing A Life Through Sculpture

Did you ever wonder what happens to those nuts and bolts lost at the bottom of a tool box or where used spark plugs find their final resting place? Well, with a little luck, these “useless” objects may find new life in sculpture created by artist, Laura McCarty.

“Artifact," currently on display at the through Feb. 26, is a collection of provocative sculptures created with discarded materials found in basements, junkyards, and antique stores. McCarty’s work explores the personal significance of objects which have been lost to their original owners. These objects with past histories and functions have been resurrected into beautifully crafted pieces wrapped in wire, carved out of wood, nested in stones and lovingly displayed on pedestals built from old books, fruit crates, wire reels and garbage can lids.

McCarty’s pieces are intimate and seductive. They invite the viewer to walk among them, examine their flawless construction and perhaps even entice a few of us to touch them with the hope of unlocking their secrets. It takes some serious will power not to try to deconstruct these fantastic works and you will find many gallery guests with their hands in their pockets resisting temptation.

A wife and working mother, McCarty pursues her craft and obsession as “collector of junk” when she is not caring for her family or cataloguing work as Tufts University’s Art Collections Registrar. During her recent visit to the MAC, McCarty spoke to a group of about 20 people. The lecture was friendly and relaxed. Many participated in the discussion asking questions about construction, interjecting with their interpretation of the work and laughing at the endearing family stories the artist shared. It was a group made up of fast friends all brought together by the archetypal themes of childhood, motherhood and memories personified in McCarty’s sculptures.

Many attendees became teary eyed when McCarty tells of the time she was led to a “vein of spark plugs” in the yard of her 92-year-old grandfather, now deceased. She animatedly described the joy of her small daughter who helped her excavate them from their grassy tombs. So exciting was the task that it was like a “dig in Egypt”. The spark plugs, collected and stored after being unearthed, have since been repurposed into a piece called “Excavation”. The sculpture of a female form cast in cement stands about 2 feet tall and rises from a twisted column of spark plugs antiqued and discolored with age.

Treasured moments with her grandfather and daughter, unearthing once functional items, reshaping them into new forms and finding a new purpose for them are all intrinsic to the work created by Laura McCarty. With a reverence for family and history and a respect for artifacts, she portrays a life in search of peace through connections and her roles as a woman, wife, mother, daughter and grand-daughter.

“Artifact” will be open until Feb. 26 at the Mystic Arts Center in conjunction with the Annual Members Exhibition. The gallery is open daily from 11 to 5 p.m. For more information on “Artifacts” or any of the upcoming exhibits at the MAC, you can visit www.mysticarts.org. You can also see work by Laura McCarty at the Foster Gallery in Dedham, MA. Her exhibition titled “Prior Lives” will be on display until March 2.