wfn.org | United Methodist Sculptor

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CONTACT: 	Linda Bloom
(10-21-71BP){124}
		New York (212) 870-3803
March 3, 1998

NOTE: 	A photograph is available upon request.

Sculptor uses art
to raise life's questions

				    A UMNS News Feature
				by Linda Bloom*

	NEW YORK -- For sculptor Tim Holmes, the purpose of art is to
raise questions -- but not quite answer them.
	In his work, the 42-year-old United Methodist from Helena,
Mont., expresses the questions he finds most compelling. His themes on
the human condition range from personal loss and transformation, to
collective suffering in places like apartheid-era South Africa, to the
hope of freedom from oppression.
	His religious faith has reinforced "how absolutely vital the
making of art is in my own life," he said. "I really equate it with
prayer."
An exhibition of Holmes' art, "Sculpture in Bronze," is on display at
the Cathedral of St. John the Divine here through May 1.
	The exhibit includes "I Shot An Angel By Mistake," which Holmes
presented to South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the 1987 United
Methodist Global Gathering. A copy of another sculpture, "China Peace,"
which was commissioned by the China Information Center of Boston, is to
be presented soon to the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader.
	Raised in a Montana family that boasts six generations of
Methodist preachers, Holmes became fascinated with sculpting at age 11
after seeing a display in Carmel, Calif. While other kids took on paper
routes to buy record albums or comic books, he used the money he earned
to buy welding tanks.
	His art was self-taught. "I had read all the books (on
sculpting) in the library and just learned by doing it," he explained.
	In his late teens, Holmes became an apprentice of Lyndon
Pomeroy, a pioneer of American welded sculpture, and then attended Rocky
Mountain College, where he earned a fine arts degree.
	During his college years, he played Jesus in the musical,
"Godspell," which led to a flood of religious themes in his sculpture.
	"After a while, I began to realize I was doing some pretty dark
work and couldn't really figure out what was happening," Holmes said.
	Eventually, he realized the darkness was his growing awareness
of the shadow on society.
	Pointing out the shadow is not a popular position in a culture
oriented toward the positive, he acknowledged. But if you ignore the
shadow, he added, "it's going to become monstrous."
	However, symbols of suffering also can become symbols of hope.
"China Peace," created in response to the Tiananmen Square Massacre in
1989, sends an almost joyful message. The front of the sculpture depicts
the Chinese characters for peace, reflecting the nonviolent resistance
of the Chinese dissidents. Viewed from the side, the same characters
become a leaping figure, expressing the quest for liberty.
	Another piece in the cathedral exhibition, "Welcome Home," is
being used to raise funds for the construction of the International
Peace and Reconciliation Center on Robbins Island, where Nelson Mandela
and other South Africans were held in prison.
	For the past 15 years, Holmes has worked mostly in bronze. His
sculptures usually are done in limited editions of up to 20 copies
before the mold is destroyed.
Holmes experienced a turning point in his career after a Russian woman
who had seen an exhibit of his work at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle in
1991 contacted him. Their correspondence led to an invitation for Holmes
to stage a one-man show at The Hermitage in St. Petersburg in 1993 -- a
first for an American artist.
	"They were opening to the art of the West at the time," he said.
"As a consequence, they treated me like a superstar."
	Three sculptures remain on permanent exhibit at the Hermitage.
"I discovered that the Russian people very much connected with the
illumination of suffering that is apparent in my work," he added.
	As an artist sometimes commissioned to create awards for human
rights groups, his work has found its way into the private collections
of notable individuals. Besides Tutu, those people include former
President Jimmy Carter; former Czech President Vaclav Havel; civil
rights leader Coretta Scott King; noted child care expert Dr. Benjamin
Spock; and playwright Edward Albee.
	Holmes, who had an exhibit at the 1996 General Conference in
Denver, also is known to United Methodists as a member of the Montana
Logging and Ballet Company, a singing group.
	He compared the relationship of his music and sculpture as "two
facets of the same thing."
	"I would characterize what we do on stage as getting people in
touch with a sense of hope through their own sense of humor and a
connection to their core values," he explained.
	Bob FitzGerald, another member of the Montana Logging and Ballet
Company, manages the sale of Holmes' sculptures.
	Information on Holmes and photographs of his work are available
at his World Wide Web site: http://blueuniverse.com/thsculptures
				# # #
*Bloom is news director of United Methodist News Service's New York
office.

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