The John Elder Gallery  529 West 29th Street New York, NY will open a new exhibition of contemporary iron sculpture on the evening of April 6, 2000. This presentation will feature the distinctive iron sculptures of Hoss Haley, Tom Joyce, Christina Shmigel and David Secrest. The four artists, inspired by industrial, historical, architectural and abstract influences, utilize traditional blacksmithing techniques and metal materials to create contemporary iron sculptures.

The John Elder Gallery represents artists who create contemporary studio furniture, glass and ceramics for decorative function and form.

Tom Joyce: Tom's work employs the ancient techniques of blacksmithing to create forged sculpture and functional forms with historical references. He maintains his own studio in Sante Fe, NM. In addition to teaching workshops and lecturing around the country, he recently curated Life Force at the Anvil; the Blacksmith's Art from Africa, which brought works of African blacksmiths to tour the United States. Tom's work has recently been published in Metalsmith and Sculpture Magazine.

Christina Shmigel: Christine's work is influenced by the landscape, architecture and culture of Southern Louisiana where she has resided and taught prior to moving to Missouri. She most recently presented her work at a solo exhibition at the Thomas K. Lang Gallery, Vienna, Austria. Her work has also been shown at group exhibitions both nationally and internationally, most recently at the GutGasteil Gallery, Gasteil Austria.

David Secrest: Process and architectural forms heavily influence David's sculpture. He uses multiple developmental processes to achieve his final art forms. His decoratively abstract work is inspired by historical eras, and includes sculptural and functional pieces of forged iron, fabricated steel, and cast bronze. David's work was recently presented at Chicago's SOFA '99, and he has several pieces in the University of Montana's permanent outdoor sculpture collection. David lives and maintains his studio in western Montana.