Matthew Zupnick is a sculptor and professor of art at the University of Central Missouri who specializes in bronze and steel. His latest series of works include his Tools of the Trade. The 17 smaller sculptures on the south and west gallery walls are one of a kind reimagined hand tools built from existing vintage tools and have one or more bronze elements that are at the heart of the sculpture. The series’ title implies tools used by a mechanic, carpenter, or plumber, but Zupnick wanted the tools to reflect human interactions. A screwdriver no longer turns Phillips-heads, but instead brings forth a truce among combatants. Metal shears remind us to be more open minded. Hand drills spin us into dizziness. Like the majority of Zupnick’s sculptural work, the Tools of the Trade utilize hand or facial gestures and the human body to help convey what they are trying to express. Expressions range from amusing to somewhat disturbing, encapsulating the breadth of societal interactions.

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