Chris Frost has been making art in the Boston area for fifteen years. He lives and
works in Somerville, MA. His undergraduate years were spent at Bates College in
Lewiston, Me. and Parsons School of Design in Paris. He received his masters degree
from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
Frost's sculpture has always focused on the everyday object. Objects ranging from
grandfather clocks, sewing machines, and buildings to horse heads and tea cups are cast
in materials such as bronze, concrete and lead. Frost then 'composes' these forms together
creating works that are esthetically beautiful, physically bold and at the same time they
often relate a narrative or history.
It is the artist's public artwork that has most notoriety. These works often reference
specific histories of the site where they are located. The sculpture works not only as an
enticing object of art but also becomes educational and informative.
An example would be Minutes where the artist built and placed five wooden tall
case clocks along Main St. in Portland, Me. Visible through glass windows in each clock
were glass objects which referred to particular events of the city's history. In one clock a
glass oil lamp referenced Portland's Great Fire of 1840. A label on the side gave a brief
description of the event.
A.M.F.A.N. (a mile from any neighbor) also speaks of a local history. A bronze
top hat sitting on a rock has the initials AMFAN engraved into it. A reference to one of
the first lines in Thoreau's Walden. The sculpture itself is located roughly a mile from
Walden Pond.
Frost's public artworks have been displayed in numerous outdoor exhibits and at
venues such as the Decordova, the Fuller Museum, and The Art Complex Museum and in
2000 Frost was an artist in residency with the I.C.A. Boston and the Boston National
Park. With this opportunity Frost created Pumphouse an installation in the abandoned
pumphouse at the Charlestown Navy Yard. Dedicated to the civilian workers of the navy
yard, viewers would through a window in the building at huge illuminated wooden
replicas of battleships. Behind these elaborate forms were subtly life-size photos of
workers clothes and tools.
Currently Frost has made a bold artistic shift. After working for fifteen years as
the exhibition designer at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard University,
Chris and his wife have transformed their barn into a studio, quit his job and are now
attempting to support his family through his art, which he loves.
His first project since this shift was his recent show at the Boston Sculptors
Gallery. Here Chris has decidedly scaled down his work and cast only in bronze. These
pieces follow his interest in the everyday object as each work is a dynamic assemblage of
two or more bronze objects. They also reveal the artists craft, gift of composition,
attention to detail and sense of humor.