Munson Museum of Art in Utica, N.Y., presents the extraordinary artwork of contemporary artist Karen LaMonte, one of the most celebrated sculptors of our time, in a comprehensive exhibition, “Celestial Bodies: Sculpture by Karen LaMonte,” on view June 27 through Dec. 31, 2025. “Celestial Bodies” will explore LaMonte’s award-winning career, featuring sculptures in porcelain, bronze, glass, and stone.
“Celestial Bodies” is an expansive array of about 60 cast and carved works from the artist’s archival collection, many of which have never been seen in public, that not only reflect LaMonte’s life and career but her artistic soul as well. Her body of work connects ideas of timeless beauty, strength and fragility, and the fleeting nature of life.
“Karen LaMonte’s sculptures are nothing short of breathtaking,” exclaims Stephen Harrison, director and chief curator of the Munson Museum of Art. “She harnesses the heaviest, most unlikely materials to express sublime beauty.”
Karen LaMonte was born in New York City and spent her early years attending museums. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, LaMonte received several prestigious fellowships to hone her artistic technique, including a coveted Fulbright Scholarship, that supported her further study of the concepts of beauty, culture, and the human form.
LaMonte’s work has been exhibited and collected by many museums around the world. From her earliest experiments in casting glass to her astonishing achievements in ceramic, bronze, and marble, “Celestial Bodies” includes works that explore size, light, and darkness. Harrison observes, “LaMonte’s art conveys a sense of connection from the past to the future that transcends time.”
Her most recent sculptures—scientifically accurate representations of clouds—derive from a childhood interest in how these shapes form in the sky then magically go away. Of this new series, LaMonte reveals, “Clouds intrigue me because they make visible the invisible forces of the natural world.”
Given her assertion that carbon emissions and rising ocean temperatures are causing some cloud formations to become extinct, LaMonte has taken the extra step to think about her work in a more global context. Though she has always tried to work in an eco-friendly manner, her collaborations with climatologists have also inspired her to offset the carbon emissions of her studio through a combination of increased efficiency and emissions reductions.
In celebration of LaMonte’s exhibition, Munson is hosting a wide variety of enticing programs, including Community Arts classes in which students can learn LaMonte’s draping and form techniques; Lunch & Listen concerts and a Keyboard Conversation® concert featuring some of Chopin’s works that inspired LaMonte’s work; and a bus trip to Corning Museum of Glass.
Admission for “Celestial Bodies: Sculpture by Karen LaMonte” is $10 for the general public and free for Munson Members. Plan your next visit at munson.art.
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