First time in 34-year history of the Pops that artwork will be a sculpture
March 18, 2019 (Hyannis, MA) – This year, a sculpture will serve as the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod’s (AFCC) Citizens Bank Pops by the Sea commemorative artwork, marking a first in the 34-year history of the summer concert.
That piece, which is being created by Sandwich artist Joyce Utting Schutter, will be unveiled on Wednesday, April 17th at the Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre. The event is being sponsored by AFCC Patron Supporter, Keller Company, Inc. of Hyannis. Joseph Carr is the wine sponsor.
“This is the first time in the history of the Pops that we’ve had a sculptor as our Pops artist. We felt it was time,” said AFCC Executive Director Julie Wake. “It’s fun to introduce this new medium to the Pops which has never been done before. Joyce’s work is innovative and modern. We’re really excited to see what she will do.”
The AFCC selected Schutter as the 2019 Pops commemorative artist last summer. Each year, the regional arts nonprofit selects a local artist to create a piece that epitomizes the concert which brings the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra to the Hyannis Village Green every August.
Schutter’s piece will be auctioned off at the AFCC’s Prelude to Summer on June 6th at the Hyannisport Club to help raise funds for its annual grant-giving program, fellowships, scholarships, and new AFCC Access program, which connects area youth facing economic barriers to artistic opportunities.
Born in Boston and raised in Guilford, Connecticut, Schutter spent two decades in the Midwest where she balanced work as an artist and an art professor while raising a family with her husband, James Schutter, who currently serves as a hospice chaplain in Southeastern Massachusetts. The pair have two daughters, Judith Bernhardt of Seattle, and Johanna Schutter of New York City.
Schutter, who holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa, said she has always had a passion for the arts. “I never really considered anything else,” she said, noting that initially her work was focused on drawing and sculpting people.
It was when she was studying for her master’s degree that she began experimenting with an entirely different subject matter, nature, which has since served as the focus of her work. It fit in perfectly with a new method for sculpting that she started developing around the same time–a labor-intensive process that incorporates either sprayed or hand-applied plant pulp.
“I love looking at the cross sections of plants, even down to their cellular structure,” she said of her interest in the natural world. “In my studio, you’ll see books that have many electron microscope photos of different plant parts, just fantastic stuff. That is where the inspiration comes from.”
Along with plants, Schutter’s work draws heavily from the intricacies of bones, seeds, feathers, roots, thorns, and similar items found in nature.
As for the Pops by the Sea piece, she hinted that it will combine elements of music with the ocean, tying into the event as well as the Cape’s proximity to the water. “I am enjoying this,” Schutter said of her latest artistic venture, noting that “I was very inspired and excited” when she received the call that she had been chosen as this year’s Pops by the Sea artist.
Schutter, who is represented by Cove Gallery in Wellfleet, currently has pieces in the Eastham Public Library’s show “Art Creel” which runs through the end of February, and The Umbrella Community Arts Center’s show “Migration” in Concord. She also has a solo show at ArtScapes in New Bedford, which concludes at the end of the month.
Her art has been shown on Cape Cod as well as galleries, museums, and juried shows throughout the country. To learn more about Schutter or to view her work, visit www.artbyjus.com.
About the AFCC
The AFCC’s mission is to support, promote, and celebrate the arts and culture of Cape Cod. It fulfills its mission by funding grants, fellowships, and scholarships; by advocating for more awareness on the impact the Cape’s creative economy has on our region and beyond; and by building a strong arts community network through membership. Visit www.artsfoundation.org to learn about the AFCC’s history, events, and programs.
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