Artist Biography

SCULPTOR: Olympus Within - Peter Schifrin created a monumental bronze for the new U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, CO, installed in 2020. His work titled, Olympus Within, is inspired by the concept that, although we may not all be Olympians, we each have within us the dream to pursue excellence. Placed at entry to the stunning Museum building, designed by McArthur Award-winning Architect, Liz Diller (of Diller Scofidio + Renfro) a 60,000-square-foot interactive museum at the base of the Rocky Mountains that is dedicated to telling the stories of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes, one of the world’s most accessible museums for people with disabilities.

In 2018, in collaboration with sculptor David Duskin, Schifrin unveiled his life-size bronze monument to legendary television producer and political activist, Norman Lear, in Boston, MA.  Peter also created two 22-foot bronze monuments, Confluence and Skyward at Post and Mason St. in San Francisco’s Union Square District, commissioned by the Academy of Art University.  Peter’s work is highlighted in the hardcover monograph, Love and Fear: The Sculpture of Peter Schifrin with accompanying film on DVD. 

Peter Schifrin is a professional sculptor who has created large-scale public and private commissions in bronze, including 18-foot bronze, Full Sky for an award-winning home in New York; 17-foot bronze, Earth & Sky for De Loach Vineyards, Sonoma; 16-foot bronze and steel, Coyotes in downtown San Jose; 11-foot bronze and steel, Firefighter in San Ramon, CA; 9-foot bronze, Wounded Man for the city of San Mateo’s Performing Arts Center; and Play Sky a 12-foot bronze at a private residence in Sonoma.

Peter received his MFA in Sculpture from Boston University (1992) and his BA in Sculpture from San Jose State University (1982).  He is represented by SculptureSite Gallery. Peter also collaborated with artist David Duskin, to create the monumental work, J-Line, a fabricated ‘ribbon of steel’ redefining a private sculpture park in upstate New York. 

An Olympian himself, Peter showcased bronze works, created during the 2012 Olympiad, some work exhibited in London. His bronze Wings series, inspired by the Olympics, and inner ‘spiritual flight’ were a traveling exhibit, ‘Silver Lining Mother F*cker’, held at Varnish Fine Art Gallery in San Francisco, and Art of the Olympians Museum & Gallery in Ft. Myers, Florida.

EDUCATOR: For 12 years, Peter Schifrin was Director of the School of Fine Art Sculpture at the Academy of Art University where he instructed for over 25 years. Peter has taught at numerous colleges, including UC Santa Barbara, Boston University, Montserrat College of Art. Peter Schifrin is a member of the International Sculpture Center and was voted into the National Sculpture Society as a ‘Fellow’. Peter is inspired by his wife of 25 years, and his 3 children.

ATHLETE:  Peter Schifrin was a member of the 1984 US Olympic Team, NCAA National Champion, on numerous National and International Teams. His event was Fencing with Épée

Artist Statement

When our son was born with a profound disability, after wiping my wife’s tears, I took some sculpting wax into my fingers to shape a small coin, no bigger than my thumbnail. I pressed four letters into that wax coin, spelling out the word ‘gift’ on both sides. I replicated 1,500 of these ‘gift’ coins into bronze. They were small sculptures. They were gifts. They were reminders. When flipped, these hand-stamped coins always land gift-side up -- A reminder that, despite how things appear, it is possible to discover something positive, hidden within.

Art making is rejoicing. I am interested in creating work that, despite our suffering, celebrates joy within our brief gift of life. One of my college students wrote in a statement that sculpture should be, ‘more fun, than un-fun.’ I resonate with this wisdom.

I push and coax clay and wax with my bare hands. I weld steel or cast bronze into animated forms. This interaction often leaves raw, personal marks in these three-dimensional records of life-force. Imperfect marks are mirrors to my imperfect humanness. In my ‘all that I know’ series, I condensed principles, which inform my life, into twenty-four sculptures -- twenty-four single-word affirmations. One of these affirmations is ‘gift’.

In the face of adversity, it is difficult to remember our wisdom. Life may not seem like a ‘gift’ at all: A broken arm, a flat tire -- worse -- a car accident, a roadside bomb, AIDS, the death of a child. These are not gifts. Life often feels more like a harsh slap in the face, than the soft cuddling of a teddy bear.

I am interested in the relationship of artist and viewer. I say, ‘Touch the art. Flip the coin’. I offer works as visual mnemonics, affirming life -- Reminders to seize the day. Sculptures and coins are dedicated to remembering the affirmative quality that enables us to act, in spite of our fears.

- Peter Schifrin, 2018

Resume (pdf)

Resume

Education:            

MFA           Boston University, Sculpture, 1992

BA             San Jose State University, Sculpture, 1982

Commissions:           

Olympus Within Awards, 6 bronze sculptures, US Olympic and Paralympic Museum, Colorado Springs, CO, 2023

Emerson College Legacy Hall, interactive museum (design only), Emerson College, Boston, 2021-23

Elma Lewis Legacy Monument, life-size bronze (design only), Emerson College, Boston, 2021-23

Olympus Within, over life-size bronze, US Olympic and Paralympic Museum, Colorado Springs, CO, 2020

Norman Lear Monument, 11-ft bronze, Boston, MA, 2018, with David Duskin

Wings, bronze series, private residence, NY, 2013-14

J-Line, half-mile ribbon of steel, private residence, NY, 2009-12, with David Duskin

Earth and Sky, 17-ft bronze, DeLoach Vineyards, CA, 2009

Play Sky, 12-ft bronze, private residence, CA, 2009

Full Sky, 20-ft bronze, private residence, NY, 2008

Skyward & Confluence, two 22-ft bronzes, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA, 2004

Firefighter, 11-foot bronze & steel, Fire Protection District, San Ramon, CA, 1990-91

Wounded Man, 9-ft bronze, San Mateo Performing Arts Center, 1989-90

Coyotes, four bronze, 4-ft high,16-ft steel pedestals, Park Street Bridge, San Jose, CA, 1988-89

Exhibitions & Series (partial list)

2024                 Wings, new paintings and sculptures (with Art of the Olympians) Mayor’s Palace, 7th District, Paris, France

2023                  Olympus Within, print and sculpture exhibition, US Olympic and Paralympic Museum, Colorado Springs, CO

2023                  Human Race & Wings, monoprints, Interni e Dintorni Architecture, Nervi, Italy

2023                  Wings, bronze & monoprints, Solo exhibition, Galleria Capoverso, Genova, Italy

2020                  Olympus Within, limited ed. Drawing, Ribbon cutting, US Olympic & Paralympic Museum, CO

2018                   Faculty and Alumni Auction, Academy Galleries, San Francisco, CA

2017                   Affirmations & Wings, Faculty Exhibition, Atelier Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2017                   Mask Color Series (18 Wall Pieces) Open Studio, Santa Rosa, CA

2000-16              Faculty and Alumni Auction, Academy Galleries, San Francisco, CA

2015                  Figuratively Speaking, bronze & ceramic, Sculpturesite Gallery, Sonoma, CA

2014                  Peter Schifrin: Ceramic & Bronze, Palmetto Center for the Arts, Northwest Vista College, San Antonio, TX

2014                  Peter Schifrin Artist Talk, Palmetto Center for the Arts, San Antonio, TX Northwest Vista College, San Antonio, TX

2014                  Art is You, Artist Talk, images & spoken-word, Hilton, Petaluma, CA

2013                  Silver Lining Mother F*cker, Art of the Olympians Museum, Ft. Myers, FL

2013                  Silver Lining Mother F*cker, exhibit & spoken word, Varnish Fine Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2012                  New Works, bronze & ceramic, Sculpturesite Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2011                  New Works, bronze & ceramic, Sculpturesite Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2009                  New Works, bronze & steel works, Sculpturesite Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2006                  Love and Fear, nine bronze & steel works, Sculpturesite Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2005                  Confluence, exhibition & book signing, A New Leaf Gallery, Sonoma CA

2004                  Confluence & Skyward, maquette exhibition, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA

2004                  Figures, Claudia Chapline Gallery, Stinson Beach, CA

2004                  Group Exhibition, The New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley,

2003                  Peter Schifrin, Claudia Chapline Gallery, Stinson Beach, CA

2003                  New Works, New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA

2003                  All That I Know, Academy of Art College Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2002                  Group Exhibition, Claudia Chapline Gallery, Stinson Beach, CA

2002                  New Works, New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA

2001                  Sh’Arc Angel, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA

2001                  Group Show, The New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA

2001                  Dream of Wild Canaries: Peter Schifrin, D. P. Fong Gallery, San Jose, CA

2001                  National Feats of Clay, Art League Gallery, Gallery, Lincoln, CA

2001                  Peter Schifrin, Central Sierra Arts Council Gallery, Sonora, CA

2000                  Group Show, The New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA

2000                  Group Exhibition, D. P. Fong Gallery, San Jose, CA

2000                  California Clay Competition, (First Place Winner), The Artery, Davis, CA

1993-99              Faculty Exhibition, Academy of Art College, San Francisco, CA

1999                  Peter Schifrin Ceramic Sculpture, Ann Saunders Gallery, Jamestown, CA

1999                  Peter Schifrin & Marti Somers, Central Sierra Arts Council Gallery, Sonora, CA

1998                  5 Elements, performance & exhibition, Zaccho Dance Theatre, San Francisco, CA

1998                  Group Exhibition, D. P. Fong Gallery, San Jose, CA

1997                  Open Studio, Yosemite Studios, San Francisco, CA

1997                  Group Exhibition, Claudia Chapline Gallery, Stinson Beach, CA

1995                  Group Exhibition, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA

1994                  Group Exhibition, D.P. Fong Gallery, San Jose, CA

1993                  Faculty Exhibition, Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA

1993                  Faculty Exhibition, Boston University, Boston, MA

1992                  Graduate Exhibition, Boston University, Boston, MA

1990-93             Group Exhibition, Fong and Spratt Galleries, San Jose, CA

1989                  Fresh Views, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA

1989                  New Works, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA

1988                  Introductions, Firehouse Gallery, San Francisco, CA

1988                  Introductions, Claudia Chapline Gallery, Stinson Beach, CA

1987-88             Juried Exhibition John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA

1986                  Juried Exhibition, Gallery 364, Belmont, CA

1982                  Self-Portrait (group exhibition), San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA

Commissioned Sculpture & Projects

Robert Frost, bronze bust (for Norman Lear), Los Angeles, CA

Norman Lear, bronze busts, (two bronzes, one painted plaster), Los Angeles, CA

Bathers, 3 life-size fiberglass, Barbara Dorn, Associates, San Francisco, CA

Action Torso, Hans Kainz, Wilkes Sport, Associates, San Francisco, CA

Leaves, (Hilton Hotel project), Eleonora Palagi Sculpture Studio, Hollywood, CA

University Art Instruction:  

Instructor, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA, (over 27 years) 1993 - 2020

Director, School of Fine Art Sculpture & Sculpture Center, (12 years), 2001- 2013                  

Oversaw all aspects of Curriculum, hiring, facilities, budgeting, etc.

Diverse problem-solving Including disciplines of:

Courses: Introductory, Intermediate & Advanced Sculpture, Graduate & Undergraduate levels:

Ceramic Sculpture, Plaster & Soapstone Carving,

Wax-Modeling and Bronze–Casting, Wood Construction.

Head & Figure Sculpture, Anatomy for Artists, Figure Drawing and Modeling:

Graduate Seminar in Sculpture (MFA Studio).

Sculpture 1, 2, 3, 4 (introductory thru advanced portfolio courses)

Graduate Seminar: Mixed Media, Professional Practice: Graduate and Undergraduate level

On-line (OL) Instruction & Building: written two OL courses (Sculpture One and Sculpture two)

Oversaw building of OL curriculum

OL Instruction: Figure Modeling, Head & Figure Sculpt, Grad. Figure Modeling, Grad. Prof. Practice

Additional Art Instruction:

Sculpture Instructor, UC Santa Barbara, CA 1997-1998, Ceramic Solutions: Sculpture 105, Sculpture 12

Teaching Associate, Boston University, Boston, MA, 1992-93

Drawing Instructor, Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA, 1993

Teaching Assistant, Boston University, Boston, MA, 1990-92

Mold Making Seminar, De Cordova Museum of Art, 1993

Figure Sculpture, California College Arts & Crafts (summer), 1988

Memberships:                      

International Sculpture Center, Fellow, National Sculpture Society, (former) Pacific Rim Sculptor’s Guild

U.S. Olympic Fencing Team, Los Angeles, CA, 1984

Publications & Films:

Love and Fear (hard bound monograph)

Silver Lining Mother Fucker (book)

All that I know (book)