“Think outside the box,” was a phrase Gerald K. Stone heard often in a prior professional career.
Now, he strives to “think inside the box” with found objects crafted into intricate assemblage pieces inside wooden trays or boxes.
An exhibition of Stone’s work will take place May 5 through June 17 in the Cultural Council’s Solo Gallery at its downtown Lake Worth Beach headquarters. Free and open to the public, exhibition hours are Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.
Inspired by renowned sculptor Louise Nevelson, Stone incorporates wooden toy blocks, boxes, and trays; fragments of discarded furniture and scrap lumber; as well as other found objects into coherent works of art. The work provides an opportunity to reincarnate detritus as objects of contemplation.
“Gerald K. Stone’s work is both an homage to Nevelson and a meticulous inquiry of his life experience through the media of assemblage,” said Jessica Ransom, the Cultural Council’s director of artist services, who is curating the exhibition. “Each of Stone’s works tell a story and often have deep personal meaning. Visually, they are magical puzzles of shapes connected by his unerring eye for precision and a touch of whimsy.”
Originally from Montreal and now based in Lake Worth, Stone is a published author and visual artist who began creating assemblages a decade ago, augmenting his longstanding interests in book collecting and photography. With a distinct style, he crafts his works from wooden objects arranged carefully inside confined spaces.
“As an artist, this style of work challenges me to create artwork within prescribed boundaries, similar to photography,” he said. “Creativity comes from standing a box, and the objects with which I populate it, on its head and re-contextualizing these through arrangement and color.”
The exhibition at the Cultural Council is titled AESBGLM. Based on The New York Times’ Spelling Bee word puzzle in which seven letters (any of which may be reused) are used to create as many words of five or more letters, the letters chosen for the exhibition title can be rearranged and reused to make the words “assemble,” “assemblage” and their plural forms.
Selected through a highly competitive application process, Stone is one of six Palm Beach County professional artists whose work was chosen by a committee for a coveted Solo Gallery exhibition.
Stone, who retired in 2009 after a lengthy career at Canada’s national archives and library (including positions in the National Photography Collection and Documentary Art and Photography Division), has had his assemblage work featured in exhibitions in Florida, Missouri and Canada since 2016. He will open his Lake Worth workshop to guests as part of the Cultural Council’s Palm Beach County Open Studios event (part of the annual MOSAIC program), set for May 20 from noon to 5 p.m. More information can be found at mosaicpbc.com.
Gerald K. Stone’s ‘AESBGLM’ will run from May 5 through June 17 at the Council’s headquarters in Lake Worth Beach. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Visit palmbeachculture.com/exhibitions for more information or to register for the opening artist reception on Thursday, May 4, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
About the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County
The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County is the official support agency for arts and culture in The Palm Beaches, Florida’s Cultural Capital®. Headquartered in the historic Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. building in Downtown Lake Worth Beach, the Council presents exciting year-round exhibitions and performances featuring artists who live or work in Palm Beach County. The Council features spectacular work by Palm Beach County-based professional artisans in its Roe Green Uniquely Palm Beach Store, offers complimentary resources for visitors in its Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Visitor Information Center and hosts frequent events in its outdoor Project Space, offering views of the building’s iconic Martin Luther King Jr. mural by renowned Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra. The council is open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information and a comprehensive calendar of cultural events in The Palm Beaches, visit palmbeachculture.com.
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Media Contact:
Linnea Bailey (561) 713-0673
pr@palmbeachculture.com
Calendar item:
Exhibition: Gerald K. Stone — May 5 – June 17, 2023
Gerald K. Stone’s assemblage works pay homage to the renowned artist Louise Nevelson. Stone incorporates wooden toy blocks, boxes, and trays; fragments of discarded furniture and scrap lumber; as well as other found objects into coherent works of art. The work provides an opportunity to reincarnate detritus as objects of contemplation. This free public exhibition will take place at the Solo Gallery at the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, located in The Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. Building at 601 Lake Avenue in Lake Worth Beach. Hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Call (561) 471-2901 or visit palmbeachculture.com.