INTERVIEW: David Schneider | Ogunquit Art Association (OAA) 50th Anniversary Showcase Artist

David Schneider is an Ogunquit Art Association member-artist (Sculptor) and is being honored with a 50th Anniversary Showcase at Barn Gallery for the 2025 Season.

David Schneider’s 50th Anniversary Showcase at Barn Gallery will run from August 6th – September 6th, 2025 with an Opening Reception on Saturday, August 16th (from 4PM – 7PM) and a Gallery Talk on Thursday, August 14th at 6PM.

Learn more about the Barn Gallery 2025 Schedule: barngallery.org/2025-season

What is the title of your Showcase and how does your artwork reflect it?

The title is ‘David Schneider: Introspective Into A Life In Art.” My showcase exhibition highlights 31 art works in clay, bronze and digital collages – re-imaginings- that celebrate my life as an artist. Most of the pieces are from my personal collection of cherished works.

What techniques, materials and ideas will you be showcasing?

The majority of art pieces are of fired clay and have been done over the last forty years that I have worked as a successful artist and art professor. Considering the concept of an ‘Introspective” ( Intentionally Not a retrospective,) I looked back with wonder at the serendipitous occurrences that have had lasting affects on my life. I assembled a ‘memory/experience case’ for this exhibition that contains old photos, small gifts from friends and mementos that reflect my appreciation of my life’s journey. Recently, enamored by new digital and technical processes I have also been working in digital collages that combine two dimensional images and three dimensional forms.

Are your titles important to your artwork?

The highlight of the show “Boy From Illinois” is a bronze cast from clay. This larger sculpture alludes to my personal journey from a childhood outside Chicago, teaching and making art throughout the Midwest, and settling in Maine. “Spirit of the Forest” is a clay wall sculpture that combines suggestive elements – antlers for example – with abstract forms that invite the viewer to find personal meaning.

How does this body of artwork fit into your larger art production?

I live in the secluded woods of Maine in a house and studio that I built myself. This art reflects my preference for a simple straightforward lifestyle. The clay works are austere and poetically figurative. My more recent digital ‘re-imagings’ reveal a very active artist, embracing new technical processes and using them to create artwork that reflects my life.

Education
MFA, Ceramics Major, Sculpture Minor, Tulane University
BFA, Sculpture and Ceramics, The Art Institute of Chicago

Awards
Sculpture Award, Speed Museum of Art, Louisville KY
Sculpture Award, Memphis Museum of Art, Memphis TN

Collections
Speed Museum of Art, Louisville KY
Shands Collection, Louisville KY

Exhibitions
Dwelle Gallery, Mint Museum of Art,