EXHIBITIONS | Frame by Frame

Next month, a new exhibition featuring the work of California sculptor John Frame opens at The Huntington. "Three Fragments of a Lost Tale: Sculpture and Story by John Frame" will include sculptural figures, some together on stage and others on single pedestals, along with still photography and a short stop-motion animated film.

One of Frame's characters, O-Man; Photo by John Frame.

For the past five years, Frame has been assembling a body of work featuring an eclectic cast of fully articulated characters composed of found materials and meticulously carved wood. These figures build on the distinctive, often theatrical stationary sculptures Frame has created throughout his career, examining the human condition since the 1980s. In this most recent project, Frame has expanded into photography and filmmaking to give additional dimension to the pieces. Frame characterizes this as a "mid-point look-in" as the project continues to evolve.

Filmmaker Johnny Coffeen explores the artist's process in this 8-minute film, scored by Frame. It will be presented in the exhibition with Frame's own stop-motion animation film featuring his handmade characters.

"Three Fragments of a Lost Tale: Sculpture and Story by John Frame" runs from March 12 to June 27, 2011, at The Huntington in the MaryLou and George Boone Gallery.

Frame's longstanding interest in The Huntington's rich holdings of works by William Blake (1757–1827) will be reflected in a concurrent installation curated by Frame in the Works on Paper Room of the Huntington Art Gallery.

Sean Hanrahan is developer of digital media at The Huntington.