GRAND RAPIDS, MI.-Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, the most significant sculpture and botanic experience in the Midwest and an emerging cultural destination on the national scene, has organized a major museum presentation of works by internationally-acclaimed sculptor Sophie Ryder. The exhibition, Sophie Ryder is open through September 3, 2007.

Although well known in her native England , and throughout Europe and Canada , this is Ryder’s first major museum exhibition in the United States . Important examples of the artist’s work in a variety of media and in varying scale will be presented. Work in wire, bronze, installation, drawings and prints will draw both connections and distinctions within the artist’s repertoire. Central to the exhibition will be the recently completed bronze masterwork, Introspective and the colossal Curled-Up Figure in wire.

The idea of making three-dimensional sculptures entirely from wire was pioneered by Ryder. She begins with a metal armature, which is covered with wire of different thickness, including bed springs and other pieces salvaged from ships. To shape the wire she uses her bare hands and pliers, sometimes aided by a hammer. It is a very physical job and tough on the hands, which inevitably get filthy and cut at times.

“Sophie Ryder’s upcoming exhibition is an excellent opportunity to present a major International sculptor to American audiences,” said Dr. Joseph Becherer , Director of Exhibitions and Curator of the Sculpture Program at Meijer Gardens . “Ryder’s installations have enthralled audiences all across the globe, and we are honored to offer her premier museum presentation in the U.S. ”

“I have always considered myself an artist not a painter or a sculptor or anything in particular. I have always enjoyed experimenting with different media. I never realized that when you went to art school you had to be one thing or the other.” said Ryder. “I sculpt characters and beings – the dogs, the hares, the minotaurs – all characters beyond animal form. That’s what interests me – I am not interested in making a replica. I haven’t sat down and studied anatomy and bone structure. I just look at the way a dog moves, a hare jumps and translate it into my work.”