Newtown Yardley, PA Museums and Galleries Announcements

Mark Sfirri: The Flower Show @Michener Art Museum

Turned wooden flowers, initially made for his son’s wedding, have preoccupied artist Mark Sfirri for more than two years. This exhibition brings springtime into the Michener Art Museum’s galleries with exuberant botanical sculptures made of different exotic woods. Sfirri’s flowers dance on twisting brass stems and emerge in lively arrangements from custom-carved and turned bases, demonstrating the artist’s skill and creativity in woodturning.

Mark Sfirri received his BFA and MFA in furniture design at Rhode Island School of Design. His specialty is multi-axis spindle turning, an area that he has been exploring since the early 1990s. He has lectured and demonstrated his techniques throughout North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway. His work is included in the permanent collections of twenty-eight public institutions, including the Michener Art Museum.

Sfirri is professor emeritus at Bucks County Community College where he ran the Fine Woodworking Program from 1981 to 2017. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Educator Award from the Renwick Alliance (2010), the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Collectors of Wood Art (2012), and the Professional Outreach Program’s Merit Award from the American Association of Woodturners (2024).