James Wolfe Sculpture Collection
Flying Goat Cellars Winery features installation of James Wolfe Sculpture
Flying Goat Cellars and Lompoc Valley Arts Council have stewardship of 11 pieces of steel sculpture created by James Wolfe*. The sculpture are on display at Flying Goat Cellars Winery, 1241 West Laurel Ave in Lompoc. We seek other community partners to find a home within the city or county for public display of the sculpture collection. We believe they add to the aesthetics of the city for local residents and attract visitors as a unique public art destination. They complement the murals and sculpture installed across town.
The James Wolfe sculpture collection has historical significance in Lompoc. The collection was originally installed by the City Parks & Recreation/Urban Forestry Dept. at the corner of H St. and Ocean Ave. from 2004-2012. Flying Goat Cellars proprietor Kate Griffith was the City Economic Development Manager from 2002-2009 and was instrumental in the installation. She continues to work on behalf of the sculptor James Wolfe.
In 2012, the sculpture was removed from the H/Ocean sculpture garden site at the request of the property owner and was stored at Imerys for 8 years. In 2020, CoastHills Credit Union made a $3,000 grant to the Lompoc Valley Arts Council to help restore and install the sculpture. Home Depot contributed some supplies and rentals for restoration. The same year Imerys relocated the pieces from the mine. Flying Goat has been providing labor, vehicle and forklift for relocation, as well as storage at the winery, all gratis. Flying Goat has also provided oversight for the restoration of some of the pieces.
*James Wolfe is well established as a sculptor nationally and has enjoyed numerous one man exhibitions, special projects and commissions, as well as selected group shows. He is also featured in many public collections, such as Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and James Wolfe Sculpture Trail. James Wolfe Sculpture Collection 1. Henge, 1990, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works) 2. Blue Blade, 1990, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works) 3. Top Rock 1990, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works) 4. Necklace, 1990, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works) 5. Up and Up, 1990, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works) 6. Carnival Red, 1990, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works) 7. Magic, 1990, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works) 8. Back Twist, 1990, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works) 9. The Study, 1992, Los Angeles, CA 10. Landscape, 1993, Los Angeles, CA 11. Falling Water, 1992, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works)
James Wolfe Sculpture Collection in Lompoc, CA
Henge, 1990, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works)
Blue Blade, 1990, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works)
Top Rock 1990, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works)
Necklace, 1990, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works)
Up and Up, 1990, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works)
Carnival Red, 1990
Magic, 1990, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works)
Back Twist, 1990, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works)
The Study, 1992, Los Angeles, CA
Landscape, 1993, Los Angeles, CA
Falling Water, 1992, Johnstown, PA (Bethlehem Steel Works)
Special thanks to the community organizations that have supported a James Wolfe Sculpture Garden in Lompoc since 2004: Flying Goat Cellars, Lompoc Valley Arts Council, CoastHills Credit Union, Imerys, Home Depot and the City of Lompoc. Please contact Kate Griffith 805-588-0996 if you are interested in stewardship of the collection.
James Wolfe Bio
James Wolfe (b. 1944, NYC) has built a distinguished international career, with solo exhibitions at galleries in Germany and Canada, and in the US at the André Emmerich Gallery and the Meredith Long Gallery, NYC; Baumgartner Gallery, Washington, D.C.; Marion Meyer, Laguna Beach, CA; the Rubiner Gallery, Bloomfield, MI; Turtle Gallery, Deer Isle, ME, and the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting & Sculpture, NYC. His sculpture has also been shown in solo exhibitions at the James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA, and the Civic Center Plaza Palo Alto, CA. The James Wolfe Sculpture Trail in Johnstown, PA, features a permanent installation of ten large-scale, commissioned sculptures.
In 1966 at the age of 22, Wolfe became associated with the Bennington, Vermont circle of artists, including Antony Caro, Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski, Isaac Witkin, and Willard Boepple. Wolfe taught Witkin to weld and assisted him with his first group of metal sculpture exhibited in 1969. That same year, he became Kenneth Noland’s assistant, when Noland acquired some of his late friend David Smith’s equipment and material and began working in steel. Wolfe also worked closely with Caro at Noland’s studio in 1969 and 1970, and later in 1972 in Veduggio, Italy and in 1974 at York Steel Works in Toronto, Canada. In 1978, Caro tapped Wolfe to fabricate and assemble in situ his large Ledge Piece, commissioned by the National Gallery of Art. “Despite these close associations with Witkin, Noland, and Caro,” writes critic and scholar Karen Wilkin, “Wolfe’s own sculpture always remained entirely personal, distinguished by his mastery of gesture. Whether exultant, elegant, or playful, Wolfe’s ‘drawing in steel,’ with its suave polychromy, is as recognizable as a signature.”
James Wolfe’s work is included in many important public collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Fort Worth Art Museum; Storm King Art Center; Harvard University; Lowe Art Center, Syracuse University, and Creative Arts Guild, Dalton, GA. Noted corporate collections include American Express, American Airlines, Bethlehem Steel, Mobil Oil, NYNEX Corporation, and Steel Case Corporation.
He has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Saint-Gaudens Foundation; and has taught at the School of Visual Arts, NYC; the Boston Museum School; Emma Lake Workshop, Saskatoon, Canada; Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV; Virginia Polytechnic Institute; and Bennington College. He currently lives and works in Northport, ME.
https://jameswolfeart.com