Sculptor

Herb Parker is a sculptor and Professor of Art at the College of Charleston. He describes his nature-based work as revolving "around time, movement, history, culture, community, dialogue, spirituality, entropy and regeneration." His artist statement continues, "The nature-based installations, which began in the mid-seventies, are created to enhance a viewer's perception of the environment and our relationship with nature. These environmental installations evolved from my thoughts on the mechanism of natural systems in time." 

To learn more about Herb and his environmental installations, click on the videos below.

Piccolo Labyrinth | A Natural State 1

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Piccolo Labyrinth | A Natural State
Episode 1
Herb Parker's Piccolo Labyrinth, a nature-based sculpture of grass, sod and steel rebar, created a temporary, "quiet, contemplative space" on Charleston's waterfront. As an installation, the sculpture...
Touch the Earth | A Natural State 3

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Touch the Earth | A Natural State
Episode 3
Herb Parker describes his work as belonging to three distinct realms: architecture, sculpture, and landscape. Passageways, thresholds, oculi, seating areas, and planned spaces of light and shade...
Touch the Earth 4

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Touch the Earth
Episode 4
Extended ephemeral work lasts for several years while encouraging the artist and viewer to revisit the sculpture throughout its life cycle. Parker describes ephemeral elements of his work in the...
Touch the Earth 6

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Touch the Earth
Episode 6
Exterior revisions to Crucible involved adding a sturdy, stacked stone layer to its dome and a covering of native plants such as ebony spleenwort and sheet moss. The following video features Clemson...
Piccolo Labyrinth 2

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Piccolo Labyrinth
Episode 2
Piccolo Labyrinth required two weeks of construction under a hot sun and the constant gaze of curious onlookers. Parker and his team of volunteers and students cut thousands of turf squares, stacking...
Touch the Earth 5

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Touch the Earth
Episode 5
Crucible was one of the first installations in Clemson University's Nature-Based Sculpture Program. After ten years of exposure to rain, snow and pedestrian interaction, Herb Parker began a project of...