Richard Friedberg, November 5, 2023

Item

Title
Richard Friedberg, November 5, 2023
interviewee
Richard Friedberg
interviewer
Sarah Roberts
Date
2023-11-05
Subject
Antioch College
Baltimore, Maryland
Central New York
Clinton, New York
Kirkland Arts Center
Kirkland College
Metal Art
New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)
Sculptures
Sculpture Space
Upstate New York
Utica, New York
Yale University
Description
Richard Friedberg is an artist and educator, originally from Maryland but currently residing in Jefferson, New York. Mr. Friedberg attended Antioch College and Yale University, and has taught art as a university professor. As a young man, he was one of three founders of Sculpture Space, an organization in Utica, New York that provides residencies for sculptors.

Mr. Friedberg examines the art of sculpture and how he came to become a sculptor. He discusses his parents, who were both artists themselves, a playwright and a dancer, and probes how he came to appreciate working with his hands as a young child.

Mr. Friedberg was involved in the founding and early years of Sculpture Space, along with John von Bergen and Charlie Fisher. In the interview, he reflects on the history of the organization and how it has changed and evolved over time. The City of Utica was also discussed at length, including the demographic history of the city and social milieu at the time of the founding of Sculpture Space.

Mr. Friedberg also discusses the physical environment of Sculpture Space in the early days, including the state of the workshop and the machinery available to them. He discusses his co-founders and how he came to know them and how they came to work together.

I spoke to Mr. Friedberg in his home, with his dog as an audience. The interview took place only a few yards from his workshop with several of his art pieces in the yard.
Time Summary
START OF TRACK 1, 0:00 - Introduction
TRACK 1, 1:15 - Education
TRACK 1, 6:05 - Sculpture
TRACK 1, 25:10 - Development of Sculpture Space
START OF TRACK 2, 0:00 - Growth of Sculpture Space
TRACK 2, 3:45 - Co-founders
TRACK 2, 7:30 - Utica
Creator
Sarah Roberts
Publisher
Cooperstown Graduate Program, State University of New York at Oneonta
Rights
Cooperstown Graduate Association, Cooperstown, NY
Sculpture Space, Utica, NY
Media
Richard, Friedberg Photo