The National Sculpture Society (NSS) awards Wendy Klemperer the 2022 Marilyn Newmark Memorial Grant.  The Newmark Grant is given annually to animal sculptors who have demonstrated a commitment to sculpting and an outstanding ability in their body of work.

Noted animal sculptors, Paul Rhymer (from MD), Lindley Briggs (from MA) and Mark Edward Adams (from CA) served as jurors for the award. They were drawn to her expressive use of line in three-dimensional form. Klemperer builds her welded skeletal forms with industrial refuse found in scrap yards. With these forms, she conveys emotions through body language and motion.

Klemperer has taught welded sculpture workshops for over a decade at several venues, including the Educational Alliance and 3rd Ward, both in New York City, and the Carving Studio and Sculpture Center in West Rutland, VT. She has been a visiting artist and lectured about her work at universities throughout the United States. Her residency grants include: the Skowhegan School (ME), MacDowell Colony (NH), Sculpture Space (NY), Denali National Park (AK) and Stanislaus National Forest (CA). Klemperer’s large scale permanent installations include Somersby Landing Sculpture Park (Newburyport, MA); Portland International Jetport (Portland, ME); Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens (Boothbay, ME);  Lay Sculpture Park (Louisiana, MO); Great Falls International Airport (Great Falls, MT); Farmingdale State College (Farmingdale, NY) and SIAS University (Xinzheng, China).

The Newmark Grant, presented since 2014, was established through a bequest from NSS Fellow Marilyn Newmark (1926-2013). A competitive equestrian and highly accomplished sculptor whose preferred subject was horses, Newmark won more than 12 gold medals and 100 awards at national and international exhibitions. The Grant consists of an unrestricted cash prize of $5000 and a complimentary quarter-page ad in Sculpture Review magazine.