Sidney Simon, Visiting Artist Lecture 1964

In this personal lecture, Sidney Simon gives a lecture talking about his life over the years becoming an artist. Simon begins by explaining to the participants how growing up in rural Pittsburgh was a healthy place to grow up as an artist. In Pittsburgh, the environment for Simon was so “anti-art” and even his own family didn’t understand his artistic impulses. Being brought up in an “anti-art” atmosphere gave Simon a private strength to keep pursuing his life as an artist. Simon then talks about his artistic practice which is rooted in sculpture and doing architectural work. Simon works in a variety of materials including wood carving, metal, and ceramics. Simon ends his lecture by stating that his unique upbringing and his multi-disciplinary artistic practice has allowed him to always be bold in exploring his ideas; especially his current ideas which tap into digression, tyranny, and liberty.