Ray Pisano: A Lifetime of Achievement

Gallery Hours
Open to Montserrat community M-F, 10am-5pm or by appointment: [email protected]

November 12, 2022 – March 18, 2023

Dates November 15, 2022 – February 24, 2023

 

Ray Pisano: A Lifetime of Achievement highlights a selection of drawings, studies, and documentation celebrating the life and work of the renowned sculptor and one of Montserrat College of Art’s Founding Faculty.

Born in Lynn and residing in Nahant, Pisano has been carving and creating major stone sculptures, friezes, and memorials for over seven decades. He has been commissioned to create large-scale sculptures in bronze and stone since the early 1950s locally and nationally including major installations at the Forest Hills Cemetery, the Mary Baker Eddy monument in Lynn, and the Frederick Douglass monument in New Bedford, among others.

Pisano, who often makes his own tools on his own forge in his studio as integral to his studio practice, has worked on restorations of many major historical sculptures around New England, including restoration work for sculpture and edifices for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston University, Harvard University, and others.

In addition to creating sculpture, Pisano has also worked as a product designer for the commercial sector. He was a product director for the housewares division of General Electric and conducted product development for Newhart Products, specializing in precision trace masters for jet engines. As a corporate director of product development at Towle Silver, for whom he traveled internationally introducing new technologies to the trade, Pisano designed homeware and tableware, and example of which is included in this exhibition.

A decorated World War II veteran, Pisano holds a fifth-year certificate with highest honors from the Boston Museum School, where he joined the faculty after graduating. He has also been a faculty member at Boston University.

He was honored by the City of Lynn for his bronze relief sculptures of Frederick Douglas and Mary Baker Eddy, during an event at Lynn City Hall last fall.

At the age of 99, Ray still works in his Nahant studio.  Ray’s words of wisdom on his longevity are “Never finish anything.” He believes you can’t leave if you still have work to do.