Nationally-recognized Napa Valley sculptors Arminée Chahbazian, Jack Chandler, Gordon Huether, Randy Hussong, Clifford Rainey and Rachel Riser will be celebrated at the Napa Valley Museum with an exhibition of their works from May 16 through July 6, 2008.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, May 16, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Napa Valley Museum. Admission to the reception is free for members and $5 for non-members.

A Conversation with the Sculptors will take place at the Museum on Saturday, May 17 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. The Saturday program is free with admission.

Arminée Chahbazian has had extensive education in art history, theoretical and philosophical approaches to art making and hands-on training in traditional stone carving. She earned her MFA in Sculpture from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and received her BA in Fine Arts from Scripps College in Claremont, California. She endeavors to work in materials from her immediate surroundings and produces from them stone sculptures of a sensuous nature, suggesting a state of mind and moments in a women’s experience.

Jack Chandler was educated at CalPoly in Pomona, CA where he took a BA in Landscape Architecture and Chandler’s talents extended logically to sculpture. He has been the recipient of many awards and honors, including an Exhibition Award in California Works and the Percy West Award at the San Francisco Arts Festival. His sculptures have a rustic yet whimsical style, inspiring many commissions for both public and private installations.

Gordon Huether was born in Rochester, NY to German immigrant parents. Having dual citizenship in Germany and the U.S., Huether has spent much time traveling between both places. Huether learned art composition and appreciation at an early age from his father. In the course of his initial artistic explorations Huether resolved to create a lasting impact on the world around him through the creation of large-scale works of art. An early step towards this goal occurred in 1987 when Huether founded his studio in Napa, California with a mission to create site-specific art installations.

Randy Hussong is a member of the faculty at the University of California at Berkeley in the Department of Art Practice where he teaches sculpture and printmaking. Hussong earned his Masters of Fine Art at UC Berkeley in 1980. His work has been shown at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, The San Jose Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Oakland Museum and in Tokyo, Japan. Randy is represented by Gallery Paule Anglim in San Francisco.

Noted Irish sculptor, Clifford Rainey attended the Belfast College of Art, the Hornsey College of Art in London, and the Waltham Forest School of Art in London and took his Master of Art degree from the Royal College of Art, London. He has toured with a circus, lived in the Greek Islands, Mustique, Turkey, and worked for glassworks in both Finland and Denmark. He has taught at the renown Pilchuk Glass School in WA, the and now teaches at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, CA. He has been widely collected in both Europe and the US.

Rachel Riser attended Parson's School of Design in New York and California College of Arts and Crafts. "I am a glass artist working in cast and fused glass," said Riser. "Structurally with glass, you have to know how to make things work in three dimensions. The artwork by John Cage has that spatial quality, a three dimensional appearance. It's always a challenge; every project is exciting.” She has participated in Bouquets to Art at the DeYoung Museum and many exhibitions at the Napa Valley Museum.

The Napa Valley Museum is a private, nonprofit institution, located in scenic Yountville at 55 Presidents Circle adjacent to Domaine Chandon.  The Museum is dedicated to providing unique experiences that enrich the cultural fabric of our community through changing and permanent exhibitions and educational programs related to the art, environment and history of the Napa Valley.  The Museum is open daily, except Tuesday, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  Admission is $4.50 for adults, $3.50 for students/seniors and $2.50 for youth 7-17. Children under seven are admitted free.  For additional information, please visit www.napavalleymuseum.org or call 707.944.0500.