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Charles Hook and Deborah LaGrasse photographic and video collection, ca. 1970-1995.
Amount:
1.25 cubic ft.
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Numerical by Archives-assigned image number.
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Biographical/Historical:
Internationally known sculptor Charles Hook was born in Paducah, Kentucky. After high school, he studied architecture and sculpture at the University of Kentucky in Lexington and received a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture from Washington University in St. Louis. Hook then taught sculpture at Heron School of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana and worked as an assistant professor at the University of Kansas in Wichita. He began working at Florida State University in 1980 and eventually became the head of the FSU Sculpture Department.
Throughout his years at FSU, Hook brought visiting professors and artists such as David Crook and Carl Floyd from all over the United States to work with him and his students. Hook married fellow sculptor Deborah LaGrasse and they created sculptures together and collaborated with local artists and FSU students in and around the southeast.
As an active member of the Tallahassee art community, Hook helped forge the long-standing relationship between FSU and Railroad Square Art Park. With fellow sculptor David Crook, Charles Hook was instrumental in the creation of the 621 Gallery and Sculpture Garden, both in Railroad Square. In addition to installing various sculptures in the park, Hook also hosted FSU's iron pours in Railroad Square. Over the years, his cast-iron program at FSU became internationally recognized, and Hook shared his knowledge abroad with workshops in Wales, Peru, and Bosnia.
In Wales, Hook worked with Harvey Hood. Hood was a sculptor, sculpture professor at Cardiff School of Art, and founder of the Berllanderi Sculpture Workshop. Accompanying Hook was his student, apprentice and friend John Raulerson. For the workshop, Hook and Raulerson fabricated a furnace for Hood, whose interest in cast-iron had been his impetus for contacting Hook.
For more than 30 years, Hook created the large-scale outdoor sculptures for which he is known. He has several sculptures throughout Tallahassee: at Premier Health and Fitness, Innovation Park, the Tallahassee Community College, and the Sculpture Garden at Railroad Square (now the Charles Hook Memorial Sculpture Garden).
Summary:
This collection consists of about 1,007 color slide images of the sculpture and processes of artist Charles Hook and his wife and fellow sculptor Deborah LaGrasse. The images include scenes from the Florida State University Sculpture Lab and Art Department and of the early days of the burgeoning Tallahassee art community of Railroad Square in collaboration with the FSU Art Department. Hook took most of the photographs, and artists assisting him took others. The collection also features images of Tallahassee artist Travis "TD" Giddings, Tallahassee sculptor and FSU outdoor amenities manager John Raulerson, and internationally renowned sculptors David Crook and Harvey Hood, as well as home movies of Hook and LaGrasse.
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Subject Access Fields:
Hook, Charles E., 1948-2008. LaGrasse, Deborah.
Art Florida Art in education Florida Sculptors Florida --Tallahassee Sculpture Florida --Tallahassee.
Photographs. aat Slides. aat Video recordings. aat Videocassettes. aat
Tallahassee (Fla.)
for detailed listing.