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Sculpting Time and Tradition
Utah Tech Forges Bonds in Abstraction
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Spanning generations of formal innovation, social engagement and technological artistry, the sculptural dialogue “Bruce Beasley & Albert Dicruttalo: From Mentor to Colleague” is set to open soon at Utah Tech University’s Sears Art Museum. According to a press release, the exhibition opens with a public reception from 6:30-8 p.m. on Sept. 12, with remarks from Dicruttalo and exhibition curators. Beasley and Dicruttalo are both distinguished sculptors based in Oakland, California, and renowned for their abstract works in metal. With careers spanning over multiple decades, they each have developed their unique styles and been featured in museums worldwide. University staff said the pair share a commitment to abstract expressionism and have contributed to the tradition of Bay Area sculpture. For over six decades, Beasley has constructed resonant sculptures from elemental forms, conveying structural clarity and profound emotion. Born in Los Angeles in 1939, Beasley shifted from rocket engineering studies at Dartmouth to sculpture at UC Berkeley. As an undergraduate, his work “Tree House” was accepted into the Museum of Modern Art’s collection. Today, his pieces reside in institutions including MoMA, the Guggenheim, SFMOMA, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Beijing’s National Art Museum of China. His public sculpture “Gathering of the Moons” marked the entrance to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and his retrospective at Grounds for Sculpture in 2021 showcased 62 hallmark works. According to the press release, Beasley’s innovation extends beyond form: he co-developed the first studio-scale 3D printer, solved transparent acrylic casting, which was later adopted by NASA and the U.S. Navy, and embraced CAD and VR as integral tools in his creative process. While not driven by invention alone, he sees technology as a means to produce deeply poetic, emotionally resonant art. UT Sears Art Museum exhibit.jpg “Bruce Beasley & Albert Dicruttalo: From Mentor to Colleague” is set to open at Utah Tech University’s Sears Art Museum with a public reception from 6:30-8 p.m. on Sept. 12, 2025. Photo courtesy of Utah Tech University Dicruttalo, who was born 1967, grew up in Gloversville, New York, surrounded by decaying factory structures set against the Adirondack foothills. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture from Ithaca College in 1989, then worked with computer graphics at Cornell University before relocating to Oakland in 1996 to apprentice under Beasley. His work balances geometric abstraction and organic form in stainless steel and bronze, often using Rhino CAD and water-jet fabrication. Dicruttalo has exhibited widely—including in China and California galleries — and completed multiple large-scale public installations. His visual language reflects modernist influences such as Brancusi, Arp, Noguchi and the Bay Area sculptural tradition, infused with emotional tension between structure and flow. “From Mentor to Colleague” will remain on display through Nov. 7; the Sears Art Museum, located in the Eccles Fine Arts Center on the Utah Tech campus, is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information about “Bruce Beasley & Albert Dicruttalo: From Mentor to Colleague” or Utah Tech University’s Sears Art Museum in general, visit the website or call 435-652-7909. Read More St. George News View Article
