Esperanza Alzona is a metalworker whose anatomical sculpture is grounded in her life as a dancer, choreographer and fencer. Four of her static metalworks – the two feet, the hand, and the torso – all show the body in dramatic action (you cannot help but imagine the full human form). Metal, she says, allows her “to render a certain weight, a material presence” to her 3-D creations. Her process is unique; these pieces were sand mold casted. One has to break the mold to remove the casted piece for sand or ceramic shell molds. “My work in sculpture focuses on representations of concepts and qualities of humanness—the characterization of various universal emotions, sensations, thought processes, the embodiment of self-identity and manifestations of spirituality. Having a background as a professional dancer, award-winning choreographer and a competitive athlete, I am used to employing the language of the human body as a means of creative expression, and in sculpture I often use aspects and parts of the human anatomy to convey ideas in physical form. Metal, she says, gives gravitas to the idea she is trying to express, a material weight that conveys the “relevance of being human” and the mind-body connection.” A longtime arts administrator and civic leader, Alzona is on the faculty at the Mid Maryland Performing Arts Center and Shepherd University’s Department of Contemporary Art and Theater, Alzona creates contemporary work at the University studio.