The Incredible Public Art of Sergey Gornushkin

Sergey Gornushkin installing his sculpture, "Hello, is this the Pacific?", on the Embarcadero
              (Public art sculpture built for the Port of San Diego Urban Trees 7 Collection)
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Hello All,

It's rather early on Monday morning...2:27 a.m. to be exact, and I am up trying to get this blog out on the incredible art...public art, that is, of Sergey Gornushkin.  Sergey's work is literally, in a word, "monumental"... bold, bright and completely captivating (I guess that's a few more than one word, but Sergey's work commands it).  Although, he has been creating for quite some time, in the United States and his home of St. Petersburg, Russia, we at Spanish Village Art Center are more than proud to claim him as one of our own.  Sergey is the current President of the San Diego Sculptors Guild, and a very welcome addition, indeed.  Young, gifted and Russian, Sergey brings to the public a wealth of background in the arts, co-mingled with the energy and dedication to his field of endeavor.  These qualities undoubtedly come across in his sculptures, and speak to the emotions of the spectator.

                        "Hello, is this the Pacific?", sculpture by Sergey Gornushkin
                                     (Port of San Diego Urban Trees 7 Collection)
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And, if that is not impressive enough, Sergey has several sculptures installed at scholastic institutions such as Roosevelt Middle School, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School and Walter J. Porter Elementary School in San Diego, as well as a public art work installed in downtown Vista, California.

                              "The Key to Success", sculpture by Sergey Gornushkin
                      (installation at Roosevelt Middle School, San Diego, California)
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Recently written up in City Beat on January 11, 2012, as "A Sculptor for San Diego Schools" (article by Kinsee Morlan), I would say that Sergey Gornushkin has "hit his stride".  The subtext to this article says, "Sergey Gornushkin works hard at getting his large scale sculptures out in public."  I'll go Kinsee one better, and say, "Sergey Gornushkin works hard!"  A real "labor of love" that pays off in spades for the public.  If you haven't read this wonderful article on Sergey, look it up.  You won't be disappointed.

                                    "Bookworm", sculpture by Sergey Gornushkin
             (installation at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, San Diego, California)
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Oh boy, it is now 4:15 a.m., and I need some "shuteye", badly.  Just couldn't sleep a wink until I got all of this out about Sergey.  How's that for stimulation, folks?  Sergey Gornushkin's sculptures will do that for you...back later to top off the story of our amazing sculptor and promoter of public art.


February 22, 2012

Back with the scoop on Sergey Gornushkin...President and valued member of the San Diego Sculptors Guild, studio 36 located in Spanish Village Art Center.  For those who are less familiar with Sergey, he is a native of St. Petersburg, Russia and attended the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.  He earned his BFA at the University of Florida in Graphic Design, with a minor in Sculpture.  Following his education, Sergey worked for General Motors on the design team for modeling and design.  While there he acquired invaluable knowledge about metric conversions, large scale fabrication, project management and the value of team work.  In addition, Sergey taught art and design at the Los Angeles Technical Institute (LAORT) in Los Angeles, California.

While teaching, he exhibited and created art work in the progressive art movement in Los Angeles.  Upon completion of his teaching contract, Sergey moved to San Diego, California, where he became President of the San Diego Sculptors Guild, and the rest is, as they say, "history".  Yes, "his story"... Sergey's story...a study in progress.  A journey to educate the public and to promote the public art movement.  Not bad for his years, huh, folks?  If one were to compare Sergey Gornushkin's career to...a sandwich, let's say.  Sergey Gernushkin would be a "Dagwood" by my estimation (a super "Submarina" to the younger generation).

And, yet, with all of this behind him, Sergey exudes a consumately relaxed low key presence and manner.  Unimposing, yes, but you can sense something of magnitude just below the surface, when you are near him.  His fiery red hair and warm smile alerts one to the rich humor harbored inside the artist.  To exemplify this, I will close with an excerpt from Kinsee Morlan's article:

[Of Sergey, Kinslee writes], "...he's found that schools seem to be more resourceful when it comes to finding donors or other creative ways to fund public art.  As we neared the school's somewhat drab buildings, he described why, despite the permitting and other hurdles that come with working in the public rather than private realm, he's come to enjoy adding his bright colorful pieces to mostly monochromatic school environments.

"The architecture is like the oatmeal", he said in his slight Russian accent, "and the art is the raisins; you know, it just makes it a little sweeter."

So true...So Sergey Gornushkin.

                               "Higher Standards", sculpture by Sergey Gornushkin
                                      (installation in downtown Vista, California)
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Written and posted by Cassandra Shepard, Studio 32
All images, text and content copyrighted, 2012, all rights reserved