Payne to Discuss Making Site-Specific Sculptures Abroad

Kenneth Payne, professor of sculpture, will present “Big Art and Hot Iron” on Tuesday, March 19, at 12:15 p.m. in Upton Hall 230. His talk is the second in the spring 2019 “Artists on the Road: Travel as Source of Inspiration” series. Co-sponsored by the Art and Design Department and the International and Exchange Programs Office, the series is free and open to the public.

Payne will discuss living and working around the world to make site-specific sculpture.

“Traveling has afforded opportunities for networking across Europe,” Payne said. “Visiting the old Soviet block just after the communists were pushed out, meeting people and working within the various cultures, learning the folklore and creation stories of cultures and countries completely changed my approach to making sculpture.”

Payne was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After attending seven colleges and universities, he received his master of fine arts from the University of Wisconsin. He began teaching at Buffalo State in 1990 where he has run the sculpture program for the past 25 years.

He has lived and worked in many places and has completed large-scale sculpture projects in several countries, including Hungary, Israel, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, and the United States. He recently completed a new sculpture in Zheng Zhou, China. 

Represented in numerous public and private collections, Payne has served on and chaired several national and international conference panels and symposiums. His work may be viewed on his website.

The third artist for this spring’s series is Jozef Bajus, associate professor of fibers, who will present “Prayer for the Inca: Inspiration Found in Peru’s Sacred Valley” on April 23 at 12:15 p.m. in Upton Hall 230.

For more information, contact Carol Townsend, associate professor of art and design, at (716) 878-4986.