NetWorks Rhode Island and the Chazan Collection Exhibition, WaterFire Arts Center (2024) Bio:
Peter Diepenbrock has achieved a distinguished record of accomplishment as one of Rhode Island’s most prolific contemporary sculptors. Diepenbrock holds a BFA, and a BID in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design. He has exhibited his mid-scale work locally and nationally in prestigious museums and fine art galleries. In addition, Peter has received several awards for his earlier design work including the Marc Harrison Award for Excellence; Best Design Award at Accent on Design, New York International Gift Show; Excellence in Design for Dansk International; as well as multiple Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) Fellowships in Craft, Design and Sculpture. Past design projects include flatware for Dansk International; functional objects for The Museum of Modern Art; metal furnishings for Dennis Miller Associates in New York; and the Troy Collection, founded by Peter, as a collection of sculptural and functional objects, sold through Barneys, The Nature Company, and over 400 boutiques across the country.
His current public art practice has produced dozens of larger commissions which can be seen publicly and in private collections throughout the northeast. Past public sculptural projects include the 9/11 Memorial for the Rhode Island State House, Torsion III for The University of Rhode Island, Torsion IV for The Glass House in Bridge Water, New Jersey, Transversion for The Lakewood Public Library, Lakewood, Ohio, and the monumental roof top Clock Man for The Foundry in Providence RI.
Recent completions include: Bunny Bikes, for River Side Square, East Providence, Spectral Shift, for Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Providence, And Lastly, Ostara, Village Green in Peacedale, in celebration of The Town of South Kingstown’s Tricentennial.
Peter currently resides in Jamestown, Rhode Island.
Original NetWorks Catalogue Bio:
After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1984, with two degrees in Industrial Design, Peter Diepenbrock launched his sculptural career. He simultaneously supported his studio, producing limited edition furnishings and tabletop functional objects. While designing for his private label TROY, as well as Dansk and Umbra, Diepenbrock’s sculpture continued to develop. His practice shifted to full-time commissions in 2002, with the completion of his first significant one, the 9/11 Memorial for the Rhode Island State House. Subsequent site-specific and public art projects followed, including private and corporate installations. ‘The Practice of Spatial Reasoning’ is how he describes his process which “blends the concept development of industrial design, a deep concern for high craft, an interest in space, place, and site, a sculptor’s sense of form, a poet’s use of visual metaphor, and an engineer’s grasp of structure.” Originally from Sacramento, Diepenbrock lives and works in Jamestown.
Source: NetWorks 2015-2016 Catalogue
Silicon bronze, 114 x 168 x 132 in.
Credits:
Video: Richard Goulis
Artwork Photography: Didi Suydam
Ben Tre/ Bonner Photographs: Lucas Foglia
Executive Producer: Joseph A. Chazan, M.D.
Additional Resources:
Artist’s website: peterdiepenbrock.com
Highlighting the work of selected artists who have played vital roles in shaping the contemporary visual arts community in Rhode Island. This collection of brief video portraits provides a window into the lives, practices, and cultural contributions of professional artists.
