Sculpture Exhibit coming in February
Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation (BM&CF) announces Michel Sicardi: Finding Paradise in the Woods on exhibit from February 10 – March 11, 2023, in the Alexander Black House main galleries, 204 Draper Road SW, Blacksburg, VA, blacksburgmuseum.org, 540-443-1600.
Admission is free, hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10–4. Michel Sicardi: Finding Paradise in the Woods reception and artist talk will be on Friday, February 10, from 5:00 -7:00 pm, and is open to the public.
Michel Sicardi is a native of the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps, where he grew up on his grandmother’s farm and tended the cows on his uncle’s land. It was there that Sicardi began working with wood, as most of the farm’s tools were made of it. Those well-used tools, especially the ones used for making cheese, constantly needed repair and Sicardi learned to carve and shape wood in repairing them.
However, at the age of 15, he was sent to a chef school and left his valley home to work in various resorts in France, eventually becoming a river guide. This work suited him as he loved being in nature. During his time as a river guide, he met his wife and they moved to Paris, where he continued his education and eventually started his own business. Then in 2018, his wife was offered a job with Volvo at their truck production plant in Dublin VA. His family was relocated to Southwestern Virginia, and they settled in Blacksburg with their two youngest sons.
Sicardi recounts how difficult it was not speaking English, not knowing anyone, and for the first time in his life, he didn’t have a job. He began walking in the woods near his home, initially foraging for mushrooms, “My inspiration was often in the forest where I picked up wood and a lot of mushrooms too.” says Sicardi, “No one was in the woods, it was quiet, almost paradise, but I was surprised by the American lifestyle and the pollution I saw, especially plastic bags, cups, straws.”
Sicardi states that he was not as conscious about the environment in France, it was not until he lived in the United States that he became preoccupied by the environmental damage caused by plastics, and American’s propensity for using plastic bags. During his walks in the woods, reflecting on his growing concerns about the earth and pollution, he began selecting wood for sculpting. All of the wood he collected was already felled or had fallen. “I started creating in wood, as it had a relation with Mother Nature, who was defending herself against us,” Sicardi exclaims, “I wish that more people are aware that their actions have an effect on nature and that we should do our best to lessen our impact.” Sicardi will be giving an artist talk during the reception on Friday, February 10. The reception and talk are free and open to the public.
