From Intern To Professional Sculptor: Saint John Artist Leaves A Legacy During Sculpture Saint John
It’s been 10 years since Kingston Peninsula-based artist, Phil Savage was first fascinated by Sculpture Saint John, an international symposium that has built a lasting legacy of public art for the Saint John region and beyond. But it wasn’t until 2016 when Phil received his first taste of stone carving, during an internship through the symposium.
“I learned a lot about stone carving during that six-week internship,” Phil explained. “In fact, I don’t think there is any school or program in the world where I could have learned as much. It was kind of like stone carvers’ bootcamp, but also a lot of fun.”
Phil took the skills he developed and started working with stone in his own practice, which previously consisted of wood sculpting. In 2018 he applied to do another internship with Sculpture Saint John and was accepted – but one week prior to the 2018 symposium kickoff, he received a call asking if he would be interested in taking on a Sculptor role, when one of the artists from Europe couldn’t make it.
“I said yes and was thrilled about it, I was moved up to the big league,” Phil said. “The symposium experience has been amazing for my development as an artist. The hands-on experience, and the interactions with sculptors from all over the world has allowed me to grow in my work.”
His 2018 creation, “Pod,” lives in Rainbow Park in the south end of Saint John, and according to Phil, knowing that his sculpture will last for decades, if not centuries, has been one of the most rewarding experiences.
Although there have been many highlights over the years, Phil has also grown from the challenges he faced during his work with Sculpture Saint John.
“It is quite physically demanding, pounding and cutting granite for weeks on end,” he said. “Sometimes a rock can fracture in a way not intended by the artist and then you have to start from scratch or else change your design.”
Phil began his second sculpture with the symposium on August 11 on the Saint John waterfront. His completed piece will find its permanent home at City Hall following the completion of the fifth and final Sculpture Saint John Sculpture Symposium on September 10.
The final international symposium also brings a new batch of emerging artist interns, and when Phil thinks back to how far he has come since his internship role in 2016, he has some advice for those taking part this year.
“Learn all you can from the artists and the site manager. It can be exhausting for the first two weeks as you get used to the hard physical work, but it’s an extraordinary opportunity to learn technical skills as well as the design and the philosophy of stone sculpting,” he said.
He encourages emerging artists to work with different sculptors when possible, as everyone will bring different techniques.
And it’s not only the artists who benefit from taking part in this unique event – Phil explained how communities throughout the province of New Brunswick have benefited from all the permanent public sculptures.
“As travel opens up again post-pandemic, I’m seeing so many visitors coming from out of province and I tell them about the stone sculpture trail. It’s another cool little element in southern New Brunswick that is making us a destination spot for travelers.”
To view a full list of Sculpture Saint John sculptors and interns for the 2022 symposium, as well as events taking place on Long Wharf until September 10 – visit Sculpture Saint John’s website.