Chris Riccardo

View Chris Riccardo’s works featured on Ceramics Now Magazine

Chris Riccardo received his BFA in sculpture from the College of Fine Arts at Boston University.

In 1995, Chris opened his own commercial bronze casting foundry, RDK Studios in West Palm Beach, FL. A few years later, he began teaching figurative sculpture at the Armory Art Center. Shortly after he decided to sell his foundry and concentrate on his work and teaching. In 2007, Chris was named the Director of the Sculpture Department and Foundry Manager. He set up a small foundry at the Armory and began teaching the fine art of bronze casting.

For a number of year his work dealt with the figure in bronze. Recently, he has started to work less in bronze and more in clay. His figures are one of a kind, fired clay with underglazes. For years his color palette was that of the limited bronze patina finishes. Working in clay has opened up new doors to his work with the unlimited color palette available with glazes.

In 2002, Chris created a memorial for CeeCee Lyles, a flight attendant who was on board Flight 93, on Sept. 11. The memorial is located in her home town, Ft Pierce, FL. He designed and fabricated the award for the Nashville Scene’s Iron Fork Award as well as the Judge Knott Award for the Palm Beach County Historical Society and the Arthur R Marshall Foundation Award. In August of 2010, Chris was accepted into the National Sculpture Society as an elected member.

He is currently represented by the Mindy Solomon gallery in St. Petersburg, FL.

“They point and laugh, tease and ridicule all the while unaware of the consequences.
As important as play is to our development as adults, what effect does play have on those who cannot participate in the traditional sense of the word?
Consequences comments on the epidemic of childhood obesity in our country and how the disease affects our children’s ability to play, leading to low-self esteem, inability to interact and work with others and possible future psychological abnormalities.
It is these abnormalities that have been the focus of my recent work, starting with my series entitled: Mugz: American Heroes. The pieces in Mugz are taken from police blotter mug shots and the accused crimes are woven into their portraits. Consequences takes this idea one step further and explores the idea of how these people end up in front of the authority’s camera.” Chris Riccardo

Chris Riccardo’s C.V. (resume) – View his works

EDUCATION
1990 – Bachelor of FIne Arts- College of Fine Arts, Boston University, Boston, MA

RECENT EXHIBITIONS
2011 – AIR ALUMNI EXHIBITION- The East Gallery, West Palm Beach, FL
– HOT & HUMID- South Florida Craftsman Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL
– FLORIDA SOUVENIRS- The Mindy Solomon Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL
– THE MAD HATTER’S LUNCHEON AND EXHIBIT- Club Colette, Palm Beach, FL
– INWARD & OUTWARD- JF Gallery, West Palm Beach,FL
– SOFLO- Ceramics- The East Gallery, West Palm Beach. FL
– VISIONS IN CLAY- LH Horton Jr. Gallery, Stockton, CA ( Juried by Judith Schwartz )
2010 – BODY & SOUL – Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD (Juried by Arthur Gonzalez)
– HEAD SHOTS – The Mindy Solomon Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL
– GRAND OPENING EXHIBIT – JF Gallery, WPB, FL
– NUDE NITES – Kelley Stevens Gallery, Orlando, FL
– DIRTY SHOW 2010 – Detroit, MI
– TAKE HOME A NUDE – Colaciello Gallery, AAC, WPB, FL
– FACULTY EXHIBITION – Montgomery Hall, AAC, WPB, FL
– THE MAD HATTER’S LUNCHEON & EXHIBIT- Club Colette, Pam Beach, FL
– THE EROTIC SHOW – Gallery 101, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
– ANNUAL FACULTY EXHIBIT – Colaciello Gallery, AAC , WPB, FL
2009 – ART UNDRESSED – Wynwood Social Club, Miami, FL
– THE MAD HATTER’S LUNCHEON & EXHIBIT – Club Colette, Palm Beach, FL
– FACULTY EXHIBITION – Montgomery Hall, AAC, WPB, FL
2008 – ART UNDRESSED – MES, Miami, FL
– THE MAD HATTER’S LUNCHEON & EXHIBIT – Club Colette, Palm Beach, FL
– FACULTY EXHIBITION – Montgomery Hall, AAC, WPB, FL
2007 – HAVE A NICE BIDET – Montgomery Hall, AAC, WPB, FL
– FIREWORKS – Colaciello Gallery, AAC, WPB, FL
– THE MAD HATTER’S LUNCHEON & EXHIBIT – Club Colette, Palm Beach, FL
– FACULTY EXHIBITION – Montgomery Hall, AAC, WPB, FL
2006 – FACULTY EXHIBITION – Montgomery Hall, AAC, WPB, FL
– THE MAD HATTER’S LUNCHEON & EXHIBIT, Club Colette, Palm Beach, FL
2005 – FACULTY EXHIBITION – Montgomery Hall, AAC, WPB, FL
2004 – SEPIA & BRONZE- (Chris Riccardo & Bruce Zeines) – The Apartment Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
– FACULTY EXHIBITION – Montgomery Hall, AAC, WPB, FL
2003 – FACULTY EXHIBITION – Montgomery Hall, AAC, WPB, FL
2002 – FACULTY EXHIBITION – Montgomery Hall, AAC, WPB , FL
2001 – GRAND OPENING EXHIBITION – Christopher David Gallery, WPB, FL
– FIGURATIVE WORKS 01 – Colaciello Gallery, AAC, WPB, FL
– FACULTY EXHIBITION – Montgomery Hall, AAC, WPB, FL

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2010 – ELECTED MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL SCULPTURE SOCIETY
2010 – SCULPTURE DEPARTMENT CHAIR/ FOUNDRY DIRECTOR – Armory Art Center, WPB, FL
– DESIGNED & FABRICATED ANNUAL AWARD – The Arthur R. Marshall Foundation, WPB, FL
2008 – DESIGNED & FABRICATED ANNUAL AWARD – Judge Knott Award, Historical Society of Palm Beach County
– DESIGNED & FABRICATED ANNUAL AWARD – Providencia Award- Palm Beach
– County Convention Bureau, WPB, FL
– FINALIST – My Wendy, My Way, Wendy’s International, Dublin, OH
2003 – DESIGNED & FABRICATED CEE CEE LYLES MEMORIAL- Veteran’s Park, Ft. Pierce, Ft. Pierce, FL
1998 – 1996- RDK STUDIOS – Owner/Operator, FIne Art Bronze Foundry, Riviera Beach, FL

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2010 – 2008 – SCULPTURE DEPARTMENT CHAIR- Figurative sculpture, anatomy, bronze casting
2008 – 1998 – ADJUNCT FACULTY MEMBER- SCULPTURE DEPARTMENT – Armory Art Center, WPB, FL

PUBLICATIONS
2009 – THE WORLD’S GREATEST EROTIC ART OF TODAY, VOLUME 3 – ES Publishing, Miami, FL
2008 – THE WORLD’S GREATEST EROTIC ART OF TODAY, VOLUME 2 – ES Publishing, Miami, FL

ARTICLES
2010 – ART & CULTURE OF PALM BEACH COUNTY MAGAZINE – “An Arsenal for Art “
– PALM BEACH DAILY NEWS – “Tuscan Treasure”
2009 – PALM BEACH DAILY NEWS – “Scripps’ decor taps local artists”
2008 – PALM BEACH POST – “County Commission wins Historical Society Award”
2007 – NEW TIMES – ART BEAT – “Have A Nice Bidet”
2006 – PALM BEACH POST – NEIGHBORHOOD POST – “Artist, art teacher specializes in ancient bronze-cast technique”
– SOUTHERN EXPOSURE- “Armory Art Center’s Faculty Exhibition”
– BOCA MAGAZINE – “hand’s on approach” – Artist Spotlight
2003 – ARK NEWS – “Why do you make art?
– PALM BEACH POST- “Standing Tall in Memory” ( Front Page)
– PALM BEACH POST – “Statue to honor former officer killed in 9/11 crash”
– FORT PIERCE TRIBUNE – “9/11 terror victim honored”
1997 – PALM BEACH POST – “THE BRONZE AGE- revisited”

GALLERY REPRESENTATION
– THE MINDY SOLOMON GALLERY, St. Petersburg, FL
– GALLERY 101, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

COLLECTIONS
– Ralf and Martha Gshwend, Geneva, Switzerland
– Regina and Herman Porten, Palm Beach, FL
– Terry and William Cooper, San Diego, CA
– Mary Montgomery, Palm Beach, FL
– Paula Butler, Palm Beach, FL
– Sonny Kamm Teapot Collection, Los Angeles, CA
– Anja Farber, Palm Beach, FL
– Mindy Solomon, St. Petersburg, FL
– Sharon and James Jacobs, Boca Raton, FL
– Mark McManus, New York, NY