Arthur Roger Gallery announced that a memorial concert, celebrating the life and legacy of internationally-recognized sculptor Lin Emery, a beloved figure in the New Orleans art world, will be held at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Performed by members of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the concert will feature a composition that Emery commissioned composer Jay Weigel to create and play at this service to her life. The memorial will take place on Sunday, March 6, with a reception from 4–5 pm followed by the concert from 5–6 pm.
Lin Emery, photo by Mike Smith courtesy of Arthur Roger Gallery
In 2008, Emery commissioned composer Jay Weigel to create a piece of music about her life. The song, titled The Light Is On, will be played at the concert as requested by Emery. The program will include four songs, conducted by Chelsea Gallo. Opening remarks by Weigel, Susan Taylor, director of the New Orleans Museum of Art, and Emery’s son Brooks Braselman will precede the concert.
Emery was born on May 20, 1926, in New York. She began sculpting at the age of 21, studying under Russian sculptor Ossip Zadkine while living in Paris. Upon returning to New York, she learned to weld and cast bronze before moving to New Orleans in 1945 where she opened a corner shop that made oyster tongs. Emery first began creating kinetic sculpture in 1954, experimenting with aquamobiles (water), magnetmobiles (magnetic force), wind-powered works, and even musical sculptures. Emery was influenced by natural forms and attempted to recreate the fluid, organic, and often whimsical movements of the natural world in her artwork.
In the 1970s, Emery began using internal ball bearings which allowed her sculptures to move gracefully in the wind. Speaking about her sculptures, Emery said, “Sculpture is living, it’s vital, it’s changeable. Even when you walk around it, it can be something different. Drawing is a reflection and coordinating eye and hand, but sculpture is your mind and an idea.” She paved the way for countless women to enter the world of sculpture and the arts. Emery died on March 11, 2021, at the age of 94.
Emery’s work graces many prestigious public and private collections, including the National Collection of American Art, the Hunter Museum, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Chrysler Museum of Art, and the Zen Garden of the Hohen-in Temple in Kyoto, Japan. Over her nearly 75-year career, Emery was honored with countless awards and accolades, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kinetic Art Organization, Opus Award from the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, winner of the International Kinetic Art Exhibition and Symposium, the Grand Prize for Public Sculpture from the Osaka Prefecture in Japan, the New Orleans Mayor’s Award for Achievement in the Arts, and the Louisiana Governor’s Arts Award.
The New Orleans Museum of Art is located in City Park at 1 Collins Diboll Circle. For more information, please contact the Arthur Roger Gallery at (504) 522-1999.
