Alyson Shotz
Encyclopedia
Alyson Shotz is an American artist based in Brooklyn
, New York.
She graduated with a BFA
from the Rhode Island School of Design
in 1987 and an MFA
from the University of Washington
in 1991.
Alyson Shotz investigates issues of perception
and space with sculptures made from a range of synthetic materials such as mirror, glass beads, plastic lenses, thread and steel wire.
In The New York Times
Karen Rosenberg wrote: "Ms. Shotz evokes natural phenomena with accumulations of beads, pins and other common materials...Often they respond to the challenge of visualizing concepts from theoretical physics (string theory, dark matter)."http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9404E2D6113FF930A25750C0A96F9C8B63&scp=1&sq=alyson+shotz&st=nyt
Her works are in the collections of The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
http://hirshhorn.si.edu/visit/collection_object.asp?key=31&subkey=13, The Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
, and Whitney Museum of American Art
.
Recent exhibitions include:
Reviews in The New York Times
:
Art in America
review - Sept. 2009 http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/reviews/alyson-shotz/
ARTnews
Article - Jan. 2010 http://www.artnews.com/issues/issue.asp?ID=10458
Sculpture Magazine
article - Nov. 2008 http://www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag08/nov_08/shotz/shotz.shtml
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York.
She graduated with a BFA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
from the Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
in 1987 and an MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
from the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in 1991.
Alyson Shotz investigates issues of perception
Perception
Perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing and interpreting sensory information. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs...
and space with sculptures made from a range of synthetic materials such as mirror, glass beads, plastic lenses, thread and steel wire.
In The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
Karen Rosenberg wrote: "Ms. Shotz evokes natural phenomena with accumulations of beads, pins and other common materials...Often they respond to the challenge of visualizing concepts from theoretical physics (string theory, dark matter)."http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9404E2D6113FF930A25750C0A96F9C8B63&scp=1&sq=alyson+shotz&st=nyt
Her works are in the collections of The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft and is part of the...
http://hirshhorn.si.edu/visit/collection_object.asp?key=31&subkey=13, The Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
, and Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
.
Recent exhibitions include:
- "The More Things Change," San Francisco Museum of Modern ArtSan Francisco Museum of Modern ArtThe San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
, San Francisco, CA http://www.sfmoma.org/pages/exhibitions/details/more_things_change_participants - "Sightings: Alyson Shotz," Nasher Sculpture CenterNasher Sculpture CenterOpened in 2003, the Nasher Sculpture Center is a museum in Dallas, Texas that houses a collection of modern and contemporary sculpture. It is located on a site adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art in the heart of the Dallas Arts District...
, Dallas, Texas http://www.nashersculpturecenter.org/Exhibitions/Sightings/Alyson-Shotz - "Contemplating the Void: Interventions in the Guggenheim Museum," The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/exhibitions/past/exhibit/3361
- "Standing Wave," Wexner Center for the ArtsWexner Center for the ArtsThe Wexner Center for the Arts is The Ohio State University’s multidisciplinary, international laboratory for the exploration and advancement of contemporary art...
, Columbus, Ohio http://www.wexarts.org/ex/index.php?eventid=4439, - "5+5: New Perspectives," Storm King Art CenterStorm King Art CenterThe Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, New York is an open air museum which has extended the concept of a "sculpture garden" to become a "sculpture landscape." Founded in 1960 by Ralph E. Ogden as a museum for Hudson Valley painters, it soon expanded into a major sculpture venue with the...
, Mountainville, NY http://www.stormking.org/2010_exhibition.html - "Material World," Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary ArtMassachusetts Museum of Contemporary ArtThe Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, commonly referred to as MASS MoCA, is a museum in a converted factory building located in North Adams, Massachusetts, USA. It is one of the largest centers for contemporary visual art and performing arts in the country.MASS MoCA opened with 19...
, North Adams, Mass. - "New Work: Zilvinias Kempinas, Alyson Shotz, Mary Temple," San Francisco Museum of Modern ArtSan Francisco Museum of Modern ArtThe San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
, San Francisco, CA http://www.sfmoma.org/exhibitions/338 - "Currents: Recent Acquisitions," Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture GardenHirshhorn Museum and Sculpture GardenThe Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft and is part of the...
, Washington, DC http://hirshhorn.si.edu/visit/collection_object.asp?key=31&subkey=13 - "The Shapes of Space," The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY. http://pastexhibitions.guggenheim.org/shapes/index.html
Art reviews
Reviews in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
:
- "Phase Shift," March 13, 2009, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9404E2D6113FF930A25750C0A96F9C8B63&scp=1&sq=alyson+shotz&st=nyt
- "Space Exploration, Conducted on a Spiral," July 20, 2007, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/20/arts/design/20gugg.html
- "The Artist as the Star of a Silent Comedy," March 6, 2005 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9501E4DD103DF935A35750C0A9639C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2
- "Impressions of the Yard, Visual and Olfactory," June 27, 2003 http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/27/arts/art-review-impressions-of-the-yard-visual-and-olfactory.html
Art in America
Art in America
Art in America is an illustrated monthly, international magazine concentrating on the contemporary art world, including profiles of artists and genres, updates about art movements, show reviews and event schedules. It is designed for collectors, artists, dealers, art professionals and other...
review - Sept. 2009 http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/reviews/alyson-shotz/
ARTnews
ARTnews
ARTnews is an arts magazine based in New York, founded by James Clarence Hyde in 1902 as Hyde’s Weekly Art News. It is published 11 times a year.ARTnews covers all art, from ancient to Post-modernism...
Article - Jan. 2010 http://www.artnews.com/issues/issue.asp?ID=10458
Sculpture Magazine
Sculpture (magazine)
Sculpture ia a magazine published by the International Sculpture Center , a nonprofit organization founded in 1960 to promote interest and understanding of the art form. The organization is located at the old New Jersey Fairgrounds in Hamilton, New Jersey...
article - Nov. 2008 http://www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag08/nov_08/shotz/shotz.shtml