Dick Polich: Master Craftsman
Dick Polich (b. 1932) entered the world of metallurgy in 1961 when he joined the research team at the MIT Foundry in Cambridge, MA. Like many industries in post-war America, foundries were experiencing a period of growth and transformation in the early 1960s, using new materials and techniques that were developed during the war years. The MIT Foundry was at the forefront of these advancements, combining high-end industrial research with a commitment to artistic experimentation. While on staff at the foundry, Polich took graduate courses, focusing on the aerospace industry and the technical challenges of precision casting in aluminum and magnesium. In 1964, he earned his master’s degree in metallurgy and began working for an aerospace manufacturer. By the late 1960s, Polich was ready for a change and wanted to pursue a ‘creative life’, redirecting his skills away from corporate and military ends towards more humanistic goals. Moving to the Hudson Valley with friend and artist Toni Putnam, Polich opened his first art foundry called Soltek. In 1970, Polich struck out on his own, founding Tallix. Derived from the word ‘metallics’, Polich hoped to create a foundry at the intersection of art and industry and began his journey as a master craftsman, working closely with the most prominent artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Tallix became one of the first foundries in America to understand the demands of the contemporary art world and worked with that knowledge to support artists and their creative visions. Over the years, Polich and the Tallix foundry have cast and fabricated thousands of sculptures for hundreds of artists, establishing itself as one of the largest and best-regarded fine art foundries in the world.
Time & Location
Works from the Collection of Dick Polich and the Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry
Wednesday, March 2 at 11am