ALVIN SHER Obituary

SHER--Alvin I. Alvin I. Sher passed away peacefully at his home in Niantic, CT on Saturday, October 15, 2022 with his family at his side. He was 84. Sculptor, teacher, traveler, beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, Alvin left his mark on the world through his art, teaching, leadership, and the many lives he touched with his friendship, talent, intellect, and humor. Alvin deeply believed in education, social justice, a good scotch, up-to-date sailing charts, and the power of art to change lives. Born in Philadelphia, PA on December 3, 1937 to Sam and Leah (Chalker) Sher, Alvin graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art, earned an MFA from Indiana University, and was later a Fulbright grant recipient. In his early teaching career Alvin taught art at the University of London, then later at Hobart and Williams College, Geneva, NY, where he established sculpture, visiting artist, and study abroad programs. He directed The New York Arts Program for over 25 years where he was instrumental in establishing the programs' building and dormitory in Chelsea. Alvin was a prolific artist, exhibiting his work in over 200 exhibitions, including 25 solo shows during a career that spanned over 60 years. He was an early adaptor of computer-aided design in art, and continually challenged himself to learn and create works in the latest technologies. His works are in the permanent collections of the Lyman Allyn museum, the Worcester Museum of Art and numerous municipalities and college campuses throughout the United States. Alvin was also a long-time member of the Sculptors Guild of New York, where he held a variety of leadership positions. Deep friendships and a love of sailing drew Alvin to southeastern Connecticut where he lived for over 45 years. He was a long-time devoted member of the East Lyme Democrats, Shoreline Sailing Club and was Co-President of Temple Emanu-El Brotherhood. He is survived by his wife Patricia; sons Sam Sher, Shoreline, WA and Ira Sher, Germantown, NY; grandchildren Asher Wolff, Greenville, MA and Margot Sher, Germantown, NY; brothers Ted Sher (Lois), New Bern, NC and Bernie Sher (Susan), Baltimore MD and numerous beloved nephews, nieces, cousins and treasured former students. His brother Fred and parents predecease him. A gathering of remembrance took place on Sunday, October 23rd, 1pm at Temple Emanu-El, 29 Dayton Rd., Waterford, CT 06385. Donations in his memory may be made to the ACLU.

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Published by New York Times on Oct. 25, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for ALVIN SHER

2 Entries

Jeff Mather

March 19, 2023

Alvin was my advisor when I was a student at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. He was the head of the art department and encouraged me to get serious about sculpture. I was not an art major, though. At Hobart you could propose an independent major and I proposed a major in Proxemics, the field of anthropology that studies the cultural basis for the human use of space and how that accounts for cultural differences in spatial perception. The faculty committee in charge of approving independent majors was, intentionally, a conservative group. They struggled to understand my concept for my major. They'd say, "Please. Could you just do an art major??" The day they had to decide if they were going to approve my major Alvin came to the meeting. This really worked to my advantage because the committee members were intimidated by him. The art department was 1/2 mile from the rest of the campus and non-art department faculty didn't venture out there much. Not this group, anyway. Alvin could project a sort of glowering, someone-you-don't-want-to-mess-with, presence. Though those of us who knew him knew that he was a very kind and generous soul. He said to the committee, very quietly, levelly and coolly, "Just because you can't wrap your heads around Jeff's concept does not mean that it's not a valid concept." They were cowed. My major was approved.

Alvin left Hobart and William Smith to run a program in NYC that placed students from a consortium of midwestern schools in internships in the arts. The reputation of this program was so excellent that he could often get these students their first choice of a 'fantasy' internship in Manhattan. People loved how earnest and hard working and reliable these midwestern kids were and wanted to hire them. When I moved to the city after graduation, Alvin introduced me to the French duo, Ann and Patrick Poirier, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_and_Patrick_Poirier], and they hired me as their assistant. I worked on several installations with Ann and Patrick, including at P.S. One, and at the Sonnebend Gallery in Soho, and at Harvard, before they had to return to Paris. It was a great gig for a young, just out of college, sculptor.

Alvin became my life long mentor, and when I started working in the art commodity system he continued to give me sage advice.
After I left New York City and lived in California for a couple of years, I moved to Georgia and started working with my friends, Tom and Gail in Atlanta. When Tom and Gail enticed me to move to Atlanta to work with them there as an art consultant, Alvin cautioned me to be aware that, as I was developing my professional eye as an art consultant for what was quality art, I not confuse this with MY eye. Man, did I learn that lesson when I moved to Atlanta.

Years later, Alvin was living on the Niantic River in Niantic, Connecticut. I would visit him there as often as I could. My father owned a nice sloop for many years and one time he and I sailed up the river from Long Island Sound and visited Alvin. I took my daughters to visit him in Niantic when they were teenagers.

I was always fascinated by Alvin's aesthetic, his interest in architectural forms and how they relate to the human hand and the body. I will always be grateful for the key role he played in my life. As a student and as an adult. -- Jeff Mather

Sue and Stuart Miller

October 23, 2022

To Pat, Sue and I are sorry for your loss. May Alvin's memory be for a blessing.

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