Later this month, the Springfield Museums will unveil a new installation of whimsical sculptures created by New York –based artist Don Porcaro. The exhibit, titled Sentinels and Nomads: Imaginative Sculpture by Don Porcaro, will be on display in the Community Gallery of the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts from August 27, 2013 through June 1, 2014. MassMutual is the Springfield Museums 2013 Premier Sponsor.

Porcaro’s highly animated Sentinels are constructed from recycled industrial materials such as concrete, stone, metal and paint, but recall the worlds of Hironymous Bosch, Philip Guston and Japanese anime. Colorful and quirky, they stand at the cusp of what the artist refers to as “the monster and the child,” the region of our collective psyche that informs our youthful imagination. Six Sentinels mounted on pedestals flank two walls are stationed at the Gallery entrance to greet viewers as they arrive.

The Nomad series consists of hundreds of small colored and cast sculptures with legs that, when seen en masse, speak to the wonderful diversity of cultures around the world. The Cabinet of Nomads (2013) is 19 feet-long with 193 Nomads positioned on shelves, representing the various member states of the United Nations. Each shelving unit diminishes in height, length, and width, leading viewers down the long corridor of the gallery where a separate installation of Nomads titled Yellow Brick Road (2011-2013) brings the exhibit to its end.

Porcaro, who is currently an Associate Professor at Parsons the New School for Design, has exhibited his work extensively throughout the United States and Europe. “We are very excited to have an opportunity to feature Don Porcaro’s sculptures,” said Curator of Art, Julia Courtney. They are quirky and colorful yet entrenched with meaning. Our visitors always respond favorably to works created with recycled materials and we know they will appreciate Porcaro’s aesthetic vision.”