BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.4.0.1//EN TZID:America/New_York X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VEVENT UID:8593@royaltonradio.org DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260913T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260913T170000 DTSTAMP:20260614T152350Z URL:https://www.royaltonradio.org/events/hugh-townley-grand-finale-at-big- town-gallery-in-rochester-2026-06-20-2026-06-21-2026-06-27-2026-06-28-2026 -07-04-2026-07-05-2026-07-11-2026-07-12-2026-07-18-2026-07-19-2026-07-25-2 026-0-12-2026-09-13/ SUMMARY:Hugh Townley Grand Finale at Big Town Gallery in Rochester! DESCRIPTION:\nHUGH TOWNLEY Grand Finale\n\n Saturday\, June 20\, 20263:00  PM\nSunday\, October 25\, 20264:00 PM\n\n\n BigTown Gallery99 North Main StreetRochester\, VermontUnited States (map)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nHugh Townley Against The Grain Exhibit at The Fleming Museum of Ar t\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBigTown Gallery is proud to honor its longstanding relationship with Hugh Townley and his estate with this final exhibition\, Grand Finale\, marking both the close of the estate’s stewardship and a defining chapter in the gallery’s history.\nIn the weeks following the gallery’s opening\, it quickly became a gathering place for artists acro ss the region. Among the earliest to visit were Hugh Townley—recently re located from Rhode Island after a distinguished tenure at Brown University —and his longtime colleague Nancy Taplin of Waitsfield. Townley’s arri val marked a formative moment. He immediately recognized the gallery’s v ision and offered steadfast support\, drawing on his deep knowledge of Ver mont’s artistic community to help broaden its reach and foster enduring connections.\nOur meeting in Vermont remains one of the highlights of my w ork with BigTown\, and it was a pleasure to have encountered him as both a n artist and a teacher\, Anni Mackay\, gallery owner and director\, recall s\, capturing the spirit of collaboration that would shape the gallery’s identity.\nHugh Townley (1923–2008) sustained a prolific career as a sc ulptor and printmaker for more than five decades\, teaching and making art from 1952 until his death. Born in Lafayette\, Indiana\, and raised in Ma dison\, Wisconsin\, his early life included military service in Europe dur ing World War II\, followed by studies at the University of Wisconsin and in Paris with Ossip Zadkine. These formative experiences\, along with subs equent work in postwar Europe\, informed a practice that was both material ly rigorous and expansively imaginative. By 1955\, his work was featured i n the Museum of Modern Art’s Penthouse Gallery as part of its New Talent series\, establishing his reputation as a distinctly original voice in Am erican sculpture.\nWorking primarily in wood—ranging from mahogany and m aple to oak and plywood—Townley created intricate reliefs and freestandi ng sculptures composed of interlocking\, bandsawn forms. The grain of the wood\, the rhythm of the saw\, and the material’s natural variations wer e integral to his compositions. His evolving use of color\, particularly i n later works\, introduced a vivid\, playful dimension\, while his recurri ng visual language drew on nature\, Native American cultural traditions\, and Eastern spiritual thought. Whether in monumental outdoor concrete work s or small\, intimate constructions\, his sculpture maintained a balance o f formal intelligence and inventive wit.\nTownley’s career was marked by extensive teaching and exhibition. He held academic positions at institut ions including Beloit College\, Boston University\, Harvard University\, a nd Brown University\, where he was named Professor Emeritus upon his retir ement in 1989. He went on to produce a significant body of work in Vermont \, where he lived with his wife\, the artist and writer Mary Ross Townley. Over his lifetime\, he presented more than fifty solo exhibitions and par ticipated in nearly one hundred group shows\, receiving numerous honors\, including the Rhode Island Governor’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts. His work is held in major museum collections across the Unite d States\, including the Museum of Modern Art\, the Whitney Museum of Amer ican Art\, and the Museum of Fine Arts\, Boston.\nGrande Finale brings tog ether the breadth of Townley’s work while honoring the relationships and shared commitments that defined the gallery’s history. His presence was foundational—not only in shaping its early trajectory but in modeling a spirit of generosity and collaboration that endured. This exhibition stan ds as both a celebration of an independent and deeply personal artistic vi sion and a reflection on community\, continuity\, and the passage of time. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHugh Townley 'Against The Grai n' Exhibition at The Fleming Museum of Art\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSource: https://bigtownvermont.com/bt-vt-e xhibitions/hugh-townley-grand-finale\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.royaltonradio.org/wp-content/uploads /2026/06/BTVT_INNOV_0187.webp LOCATION:Big Town Gallery\, 99-147 North Main Street\, Rochester\, VT\, Uni ted States X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=99-147 North Main Street\, Rochester\, VT\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Big Town Gallery :geo:0,0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260308T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR