An abstract bridge

Young Chang

People find refuge in artist Howard Ben Tre’s art -- from his smaller

sculptures, which look comfortable in air-conditioned museum spaces, to

his open-air public works projects.

His BankBoston Plaza in Providence, Rhode Island provides artistic

relief with its wavelike seating area and centerpiece sculpture that

spouts water, and provides a seat for people looking to rest from a

bustling day in a bustling city.

It is important to Ben Tre, internationally recognized for his use of

cast glass in sculpture, that his art not only brings people together,

but also bridges them with their surroundings.

The Brooklyn native, whose exhibit will show at the Orange County

Museum of Art in Newport Beach through May 6, wants his audience to find

their own path to his work.

“I think that sometimes museums and people involved in the arts field

underestimate the intelligence of the average person, whatever average

means,” Ben Tre, 51, said. “My approach is to put the work out there --

create this installation where there’s this relationship between the

different pieces... but I don’t want to spoon-feed people answers.”

He has included very few labels and signs at his Newport Beach show --

an overview from the mid-1980s to the present -- which includes 30

sculptures, 11 sketches and photos of his public works projects.

“That’s because I don’t want people to come in and start to read,” he

said. “I want people to come in and look at the work. I try to have a lot

of references in my work so people can come to it and see it in a

different way, depending on the level of interest they have.”

His style is abstract -- with pieces resembling vessels, tools, the

human body, etc. -- but he tries to create different images for different

viewers to grab onto.

The accessibility of Ben Tre’s work stems partly from his upbringing.

His father was a carpenter who gave up his dreams of being an artist to

earn a living. Ben Tre’s early jobs were held in factories and machine

shops, where he learned and grew to respect industrial aesthetics.

That touch is found in his works today. Ben Tre’s sculptures often

combine cast glass with other materials, like granite or bronze. The

granite sometimes envelopes green-tinted glass, which is deliberately

imperfect with its bubbles and scratches. He broke from traditional

methods of glass blowing early in his career and improvised as he saw fit

-- sand casting and fusing copper with molten glass, for example.

Part of Ben Tre’s affinity toward glass comes from its resemblance to

water. The Rhode Island School of Design graduate grew up on the beach.

It’s where he walked and thought during his formative high school years

and where he worked his summer jobs. He lives near the beach in Rhode

Island today.

“I could not imagine not living near the ocean -- I couldn’t imagine

living in the Midwest,” he said. “I see how it affects people.”

Water can be used in a calming way, a soothing way or energetically,

he added. Its color, its sound -- these are elements that can change an

environment.

This is why recently, during a meeting with officials from Bank of

America, he tried to convince them that water would be a nice element to

include in a new plaza he is creating for the company.

Art critics have said his public pieces show a somewhat idealized

concept of society. Naomi Vine, director of the museum, said this concept

may involve an ideal world where people are not isolated from each other.

“In which human interactions are harmonious and in tune with nature as

well as with technology,” she said.

Brian Langston, spokesperson at the museum, agreed.

“I know that Howard’s personal philosophy is one that’s based very

much on cooperation and egalitarianism and genuine sharing,” he said.

Langston referred to Ben Tre’s plaza in Boston.

“It’s much frequented and loved by the locals,” he said. “I have

friends who live in Boston, and they think it’s a wonderful place. In a

city that’s full of wonderful places, that’s kind of nice.”

Ben Tre said he feels fortunate people appreciate his work.

“I feel as if I have the best job in the world -- I get to make what I

want and I’m lucky enough that people appreciate it,” he said. “I think

[my father] would be amazed if he were alive.”

FYI

WHAT: Howard Ben Tre: Interior/Exterior

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday through May 6

WHERE: Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport

Beach

COST: $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and students, free for children

under 16 and museum members.

CALL: (949) 759-1122.