Miles Conrad– Artist Statement

Recurrent Infraction

My graduate study began as an exploration of identity issues that are marked by abjection and otherness. The problem with representations of disempowerment however, is that they reinscribe themselves as a type of recurring trauma. This reflexive performance of stigmatic otherness also has the inverse effect of reinforcing ideals of sameness.

What has evolved is an examination of power. I began thinking about systems having the authority to equate difference with pathology. Research in medical and psychiatric power influenced me to look at other self-perpetuating systems, namely pedagogy and criminology. I started to look at these institutions and the notion of institutionalization as both site and process for the enforcement of social and ideological norms.

From the year 2007 to the present, my project has been to create immersive environments that begin to expose the anxieties associated with distortions of power that are imbedded within institutional signifiers. The architectural elements, furniture, found and fabricated objects of the installations are cast or coated entirely with heavily fragranced white soap. My intention is to juxtapose a sense of physical and psychic vulnerability with the more sinister aspects of these types of sanitizing regimes by means of suggestion. It is a way of dislocating traumatic memory from my identity and aligning it with other origins.

Resume

Education

2009 MFA Candidate- San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA

2000 Citizen Leaders Institute- Center for Ethical Leadership, Seattle, WA

1999 BA Non Profit Leadership – Antioch University, Seattle, WA

1992 BFA Studio Art- California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA

Exhibitions

Solo

• 2007 BioSlice- Modified Arts, Phoenix, AZ
• 2006 Extraction- Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, AZ
• 2005 Hive: Modified- Modified Arts, Phoenix, AZ
• 2005 The Language of Texture- Lanning Gallery, Sedona, AZ
• 2005 Hive- (In Collaboration with Corbin Frame) Shane Gallery, Tucson, AZ
• 2005 Fracture- Miner Gallery, Seattle, WA
• 2005 Direct from Nature- FALA Gallery, Tucson, AZ
• 2004 Specimen- Modified Arts, Phoenix, AZ
• 2003 New Work- Miner Gallery, Seattle, WA
• 2003 Horizon- Modified Arts, Phoenix, AZ
• 2003 Emerging Artist Feature- Lanning Gallery, Sedona, AZ
• 2002 Emergence- Miner Gallery, Seattle, WA
• 1992 Thesis Exhibit- Cal Arts- Lime Gallery, Valencia, CA

Group

• 2009 Vernissage- MFA Thesis Exhibition, San Francisco, CA (pending)
• 2009 Being Gay- Second City Council, Long Beach CA- Juror’s Choice Award
• 2008 The Diptych Project- Arts Council, Steamboat Springs, CO
• 2008 Romanticized Disappointment- Queen’s Nails Annex, San Francisco, CA
• 2008 GUTS! II- Swell Gallery, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
• 2008 Chow Fun- Swell Gallery, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
• 2008 On the Edge- Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA
• 2008 Riots & Revelations- LGBT Community Center, San Francisco, CA
• 2008 Making Room for Wonder- SOMArts Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2008 Queer Bodies- Million Fishes Art Collective, San Francisco, CA
• 2008 Small Works Invitational- Davis Dominguez Gallery, Tucson, AZ
• 2007 Relative Geometries- Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, AZ
• 2007 GUTS!- Swell Gallery, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
• 2007 Facsimulacra- Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2007 Chow Fun- Swell Gallery, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
• 2007 National Juried Exhibit- Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA
• 2007 Small Works Invitational- Davis Dominguez Gallery, Tucson, AZ
• 2007 SFAI Now- Red Ink Studios, San Francisco, CA
• 2007 Off The Grid: New Directions in Wax- Lauryn Taylor Fine Art, Carmel, CA
• 2006 National Encaustic Invitational- Spark Plug Art, Portland, OR
• 2006 Chow Fun- Swell Gallery, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
• 2006 Rising From Instinct- Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, AZ
• 2006 Small Works Invitational- Davis Dominguez Gallery, Tucson, AZ
• 2006 Bonfire of the Vanitas- Etherton Gallery, Temple of Music & Art, Tucson, AZ
• 2004 Miles Conrad/ Claire Parfit - LGBT Community Center, Seattle, WA
• 2003 Downtown Invitational- Herberger Theater Arts Center, Phoenix, AZ
• 2003 Stroke: A Brazenly Queer Art Show- Secluded Alley Works, Seattle, WA
• 2002 Miner Gallery, Seattle, WA
• 2002 Premier Exhibition- LGBT Community Center, Seattle, WA
• 2002 Stroke: A Deliciously Queer Art Show- Secluded Alley Works, Seattle, WA
• 2001 Stroke: A Shamelessly Queer Art Show- Secluded Alley Works, Seattle, WA
• 2001 A Gender Odyssey- Conference Exhibition, Doubletree Hotel, Seattle, WA
• 2000 Smith Tower First Floor Exhibition Space, Seattle, WA
• 1991 The Queer Show II- Cal Arts- Tatum Gallery, Valencia, CA
• 1990 The Queer Show I - Cal Arts- Tatum Gallery, Valencia, CA
  1989 Foundation Show- Cal Arts- Mezzanine Gallery, Valencia, CA

Publications/Media

• 2009 Artistic Evolution, Luxe Magazine, March 2009 Issue
• 2008 The Desert Leaf Magazine, Tucson, October 2008 Issue
• 2008 Arizona Foothills Magazine- Tucson, Nov/Dec p.87
• 2007 Encaustic In Tucson and Beyond- Arizona Illustrated KUAT-TV Channel 6, March 6.
• 2006 Three of a Kind- Feature Story on Tucson Encaustic Artists by Mark Mesari Tucson Home Magazine November Issue p. 44
• 2006 Juggling Art & Administration- Djamila Grossman, Arizona Daily Star January 26.
• 2006 New Gallery on 4th Avenue- Arizona Illustrated KUAT-TV Channel 6, January 10.
• 2005 Waxing Artistically- Margaret Regan, Tucson Weekly September 22-28.
• 2005 The Bee’s Knees- Margaret Regan, Tucson Weekly May 19-25.

Professional Experience

• 2009 Guest Curator- Wax & Wane- Frame 301 Gallery Montserrat College of Art, Salem, MA (pending)
• 2009 Visiting Artist/Panelist- Third National Encaustic Conference, Montserrat College of Art, Salem, MA (pending)
• 2009 Guest Lecturer- University of Arizona Department of Art, Brooke Grucella’s Museum and Gallery Studies class.
• 2008 Visiting Artist- Contemporary Art Society, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ
• 2008 Visiting Instructor- WaxWorks Studios, Santa Cruz, CA
• 2008 Visiting Artist/Panelist- Second National Encaustic Conference, Montserrat College of Art, Salem, MA
• 2008 Visiting Artist/Panelist- Int’l Encaustic Assoc., Annual Retreat Carmel, CA
• 2008 Guest Artist- Encaustic Demonstration- Contemporary Artists of Southern AZ
• 2008 Guest Lecturer- The Artist as Professional- University of Arizona Department of Art, Carrie Seid’s Professional Practices Class
• 2007 Gallery Intern- Brian Gross Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
• 2007 Guest Lecturer- The Artist as Gallerist- University of Arizona Department of Art, Barbara Rogers’ Professional Practices Class
• 2007 Guest Lecturer- Career Day- Sabino High School – Patrick Connell, Art Instructor
• 2006 Guest Artist- Exploring at the Edges Lecture Series- Paper Works- The Sonoran Collective of Book & Paper Artists, Tucson, AZ
• 2006 Panelist- Artist/Gallery Relationships Forum- Tucson Pima Arts Council, Tucson, AZ
• 2006 Juror - Pima College Annual Student Exhibition -Bernal Gallery, Tucson, AZ
• 2006 Guest Lecturer- University of Arizona Department of Art, Barbara Rogers’ Professional Practices Class
• 2005-Present Director/Curator- Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, AZ
• 2004-Present Private Encaustic Instruction- Seattle, WA- Tucson, AZ
• 2004-2005 Artist/ Production Assistant- Simon Donovan, Tucson, AZ
• 2004 Encaustic Painting Demonstration- Tucson Artist’s Guild, Tucson, AZ
• 2004 Co-Curator- ‘Death & Taxes’ Benefit Auction- Lambert House, Seattle, WA
• 2001 Visiting Art Instructor- Puget Sound Community School, Seattle, WA
• 2000 Faculty- Images of Hope- Center for Ethical Leadership, Seattle, WA

Collections

• 2007 Tucson Museum of Art – Tucson, AZ