By Michael Samuels 09F

Sculptor and art professor Bill Brayton likes to show his work outdoors. “We're really not supposed to touch sculpture. That's the implication of going to a museum,” he says “But sculpture invites touch. It's tactile, it's often kinetic, and certainly with outdoor sculpture people assume that they can touch it.”

This year, two of Brayton’s sculptures were selected for the outdoor exhibition Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood. The exhibition, which opened in June and runs until October 8, is on the grounds of Daniel Chester French's country home in Stockbridge, MA.

The exhibition’s curators selected sculptures “for how they activated different locations around the grounds,” Brayton explains.

This is the sixth time that Brayton has shown at Chesterwood. The two sculptures in this year's exhibition, Encounter and Williwaw, share a swirling quality with much of his earlier work. Wind is an important inspiration for Brayton, who explains that a williwaw is a violent wind that comes down from mountains to the sea, endangering ships.

The ship as well as the wind might be visible in Williwaw. Boat-like forms are among the shapes that Brayton often uses. “I trained with a wooden boat builder when I was in my late teens,” he explains. “A lot of those techniques I'm coming back to after many years.”

True to Hampshire’s interdisciplinary spirit, Brayton has also brought chemistry into his work. His invention, Braytoncrete, combines qualities of concrete and clay, and appears in the piece Encounter.

Still, Brayton says, “I’m continuing to try to push my comfort zone” in terms of interdisciplinarity. “I want my work to be accessible on a lot of different levels.”

As a Hampshire College professor, Brayton says he has a lot of opportunities to do so. He’s surrounded by professors in other disciplines who are interested in collaboration, and his students routinely combine visual art with other forms.

The founder of the College’s sculpture program also notes how the art department has come into its own. “Four of my newest colleagues are showing internationally,” he says, listing Andrea Dezsö, Sara Rafferty, John Slepian, and Daniel Kojo Schrade.

When the season at Chesterwood ends, Williwaw and Encounter will come back to Amherst. Encounter will be part of the 2012 Amherst Biennial: Art in Expected & Unexpected Places. It will stand on the lawn of the Lord Jeffrey Inn through the spring, before moving to the center of the new rotary near Atkins Farms.

Brayton’s online portfolio >>