Broken Time: Sculpture by Martin Payton,” a collection of the artist’s most sophisticated improvised creations, will be on display at Pensacola State College through Friday, Nov. 30.
Inspired by New Orleans jazz musicians, the exhibition of works created by Payton over the last 20 years is in the Charles W. Lamar Studio on the Pensacola campus. A reception followed by a question-and-answer session with Payton is set for 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, in the Lamar Studio.
Using scrap metal, Payton welds the medium into sparse, lyrical steel sculptures that are deeply rooted in the modernist tradition. Characteristics of his works include striking lines, curves and planes deepened with nuanced layers of meaning rooted in African symbolism, the African American experience and jazz.
Born in New Orleans in 1948, Payton lives and maintains a studio in Baton Rouge. A professor of art at Southern University from 1990 until 2011, he received his BFA from Xavier University and MFA from Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. His work is in the permanent collections of NOMA, the Amistad Research Center, the William King Regional Arts Center and the Rosekrans Runnymede Sculpture Garden.
The Charles W. Lamar Studio gallery hours are 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday. Tours are available with prior arrangements. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 850-484-2550.