William Zorach, Visiting Artist Lecture 1956

William Zorach gives a lecture at Skowhegan talking to the participants and faculty about his experiences as an artist. Throughout the lecture, Zorach talks intimately about his sculptural practice, and uses a wide range of materials that range from bronze, marble, wood, and stone. Zorach then starts talking more intimately to the participants, first by telling them to elevate the importance of drawing in their mediums, and then urging them to always be aware of art history in order to think more critically about how they wish to engage with their chosen material. Zorach goes on further to state that the material shouldn’t just be something that they use to copy the model, but something to collaborate with. Zorach says that this will allow them to understand that art is about communication and not decoration, and that art’s real power lies in the ability to be expressive and to move, awe, and exalt people.