It is with great regret that we mourn the loss of our colleague Sculptor and Tree Poet Jim Vandenboom. The following article is from aroundKent Magazine. Vol 4, 2014, written by Mark Keffer.

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‍The fundamental forms seen in the cut wood sculptures of Jim VandenBoom arise from different aspects of growing up in Northeast Ohio. A balance is struck between the industrial rhythms of steel bridges and ship yards on one hand, and the organic forms of the natural landscape on the other. He is committed in his efforts to “investigate the geometric systems that each utilize structurally.” He further clarifies his intentions by stating, “The Tree is both subject and material. It is left raw and natural. There is a kinship between the human trunk and the trunk of the tree. Both have forms of bone, muscle and skin. I bring the trees inside to an architectural environment and present them in human scale and proportion.

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Within this setting a bond of physicality is established by the volume of the human vessel and the vessel of the tree. Formally, I enjoy slicing pairs, two halves, circles, triangles and rectangles. These geometric cuts expose a lifetime of the annual cycles of growth and adaption. This work is both a celebration and affirmation of the natural cycles of life: Life, Growth, Decay, Death...”

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Seven years ago VandenBoom started a personal creative project called “Poems From the Tree”. Each spring, twenty poems by Kent third graders (on the subject of trees) are selected. The poems are displayed in a gallery and read on an outdoor stage in the grand finale of the “Whoʼs Your Mama Earthday and Film Festival”. A limited edition chapbook is also published for all participants. The effect of this process has been deeply felt. “These poems have dramatically increased my appreciationof My time and place, and the ability of Art to reflect Life. These third graders reflect so many personal emotions.”

A long-time Kent resident, VandenBoom has shown his work extensively throughout the area, most notably at the Sculpture Center, Cleveland; SPACES; Asterisk Gallery; the Loren Naji Studio; Lakeland Community College and the N. Water St. Gallery. He received a BFAdegree from the Cleveland Institute of Art and an MFA from Kent State.

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