Mark Sfirri, Bouquet (detail), 2022. Holly and brass, 15 x 6 x 6 inches. (Credit: Kim Sfirri)
"Mark Sfirri: The Flower Show" features turned wooden botanicals and lively floral arrangements in exotic woods.
Bucks County artist and woodworker Mark Sfirri’s first solo exhibition at the Michener Art Museum displays an all-new springtime series, resulting from a two-year obsession with turned wood flowers. This garden of dynamic botanical creations is on view from December 14, 2024—May 4, 2025.
The concept for Mark Sfirri: The Flower Show emerged when the artist learned that his son’s wedding venue, the Museum for Art in Wood in Philadelphia, did not allow cut flowers at events in order to protect its collection from potential bugs, pests, and pollen. Sfirri decided to make the wedding flowers himself, creating a bouquet for the bride and a boutonniere for the groom. The preoccupation continued for years as he incorporated different exotic woods, painted elements, and produced more elaborate compositions.
Sfirri’s flowers dance on twisting brass stems and emerge in lively arrangements from custom-carved and turned bases. The artist is known for continually blurring the line that separates woodturning from sculpture. These floral sculptures convey a whole range of personalities and emotions, with accompanying titles like The Gossipers, Sibling Rivalry, and Des Patates de Divan (Couch Potatoes).
Selections of Sfirri’s work are already included in the permanent collection at the Michener Art Museum as part of its studio craft holdings. Sfirri’s humorous sculpture, Rejects from the Bat Factory, is displayed alongside pieces by American studio craft luminaries Wharton Esherick and George Nakashima.
“Mark considers objects and shapes that should be straightforward—bats, rolling pins, bottles, and table legs—and reimagines them as playful, strange, and unexpected,” said the Michener Art Museum’s Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest Chief Curator Laura Igoe. “His flowers display the artist’s characteristic sense of humor, whimsy, and experimentation evident in his previous bodies of work.”
Sfirri is professor emeritus at Bucks County Community College where he ran the Fine Woodworking Program from 1981 to 2017. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Educator Award from the Renwick Alliance (2010), the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Collectors of Wood Art (2012), and the Professional Outreach Program’s Merit Award from the American Association of Woodturners (2024).
The exhibition program in the Bette and Nelson Pfundt Gallery at the Michener Art Museum is presented by Vivian Banta and Robert Field.
Exhibition Programming for Mark Sfirri: The Flower Show, on view December 14, 2024—May 4, 2025:
Artistic Excursion: Museum for Art in Wood
Wednesday, Jan. 22, 1 – 2 p.m.
$20 Member/ $25 Non-Member
Artist Mark Sfirri will take guests on a tour of his exhibit La Famiglia, currently on display at the Museum for Art in Wood. Hear Mark’s perspective on what family means and the inspiration and process behind the pieces in the exhibition. Don’t miss this special opportunity to view a highly autobiographical exhibition of new and never-before-seen work.
Virtual Behind the Scenes Tour of Mark’s Studio
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 7 – 8 p.m. on Zoom
Pay What You Wish (free/$10/$20)
Join sculptor Mark Sfirri as he takes us on a virtual tour of his studio. Learn more about the process and materials used. See him create his flowers and gain a better understanding of how Mark creates these incredible works.
Artist Talk: Mark Sfirri
Wednesday, March 12, 1 – 2 p.m.
$10 Member/ $20 Non-Member
Join sculptor Mark Sfirri in person for this artist talk. Learn more about his inspiration, process, and what direction he plans to take in the future.
About the Artist:
Mark Sfirri received his BFA and MFA in furniture design at Rhode Island School of Design. His specialty is multi-axis spindle turning, an area that he has been exploring since the early 1990s. He has lectured and demonstrated his techniques throughout North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway. His work is included in the permanent collections of twenty-eight public institutions, including the Michener Art Museum.
About the Michener Art Museum:
138 S. Pine Street, Doylestown PA 18901
michenerartmuseum.org
Wednesday—Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Open until 8 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month.
Admission is free on the second Sunday of the month.
The Michener Art Museum in Doylestown is dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting the art and cultural heritage of the Bucks County region. Home to the largest public collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings, the Michener is named for Doylestown’s most famous son James A. Michener, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who first dreamed of a regional art museum in the early 1960s. The Museum was originally home to the 19th-century Bucks County Prison and is surrounded by the historic stone prison walls which are part of the Patricia D. Pfundt Sculpture Garden, terraces, and a landscaped courtyard. The Museum features nationally touring special exhibitions, work from regional artists in distinctive galleries, and the quiet and serene Nakashima Reading Room.
