My studio work is diverse in terms of scale, scope and content. I make objects, temporary site-specific installations and have completed two permanent public commissions for the City of Philadelphia. Each genre has its own unique intentions, audiences and outcomes.
Some works are deliberate conversation starters. Others are intended to de-emphasize written and spoken language in an attempt to focus attention on the present tense aspect of viewing the work. One of the reasons I make sculpture is the tactile, formal and kinetic possibilities. I like it when there are nuances that don’t translate well to second hand experiences. For me, it is similar to the difference of being in a room with someone and looking at a picture of that person. Both are important, but they are very different. When starting a new piece, I like to ask this question: What is it like to be in the space with the work and what will the viewer remember later?
Artist Biography
Michael Grothusen is an Associate Professor of Sculpture at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. His work has been exhibited locally, regionally and nationally including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia International Airport, the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts. He has also completed two permanent public commissions for the City of Philadelphia. He has received grants and fellowships from the Pew Fellowships in the Arts, the Pollock/Krasner Foundation and three Individual Artist’s Grants from the Pennsylvania State Council on the Arts. He received a BFA in sculpture from the University of Kansas in 1988 and an MFA from Tyler School of Art in 1991. In 2019 his work was included in the 8thBeijing International in Biennial at the National Museum of China.
Education
1991 Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA MFA, Sculpture
1990 Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME
1988 University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS BFA, Sculpture
1986 - 1987 Brighton Polytechnic, Brighton, England
Awards & Honors
Grants
2008 Pew Fellowships in the Arts, Philadelphia, PA Professional Development Grant
University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA Faculty Development Grant
2006 University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA Faculty Development Grant
2001 Pennsylvania State Council on the Arts Grant Visual Artists Fellowship
University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA Venture Fund
1998 Pew Fellowships in the Arts, Philadelphia, PA Visual Arts Fellowship
University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA Venture Fund
1997 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant
1995 Pew Charitable Trust, Philadlphia, PA LaNapoule Art Foundation Artists' Residency, LaNapoule, France
Pennsylvania State Council on the Arts Grant Visual Artists Fellowship
1993 Pennsylvania State Council on the Arts Grant Visual Artists Fellowship
1990 Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME Full Scholarship
Collection
Public Commissions
2015 City of Philadelphia, Percent for Art Finalist, Viaduct Rail Project
2014 Lankenau Hospital, Wynnewood, PA Finalist for commission for new cardiac care wing
Skopelos Foundation for Art Noon Mark Skopelos, Greece
2011 Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia Chaes Foods, The Assist
2009 Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia Finalist, Federal Reserve Bank, Origin of All Else
2008 City of Philadelphia, Percent for Art Finalist, Dorothy Emanuel Recreation Center, Two Rings/Two Positions
2007 Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia Finalist, Spring Arts Point, Typology of Vessals
2001 Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia The Point Where Things Change
Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, PA Midway of Another Day
Professional Experience
2009 - Present University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA Associate Professor, College Core and Sculpture
2000 - 2009 University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA Assistant Professor, Foundation, 3-D and Time Motion
Exhibitions
Group
2018 Matter, Bucks County Community College, Newtown, PA
2014 Secret Sharer, Skopelos Foundation for Art Secret Sharerk, Skopelos, Greece
2013 Good Luck to All Artists, Old School at Crane Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2009 Life's Joys-Life's Disappointments, James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA
2008 I Heard a Fly Buzz, Philadelphia International Airport, Philadelphia, PA
Scale Model, From Memory, Crane Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2007 Life's Joys-Life's Disappointments, Leonard Pearlstein Gallery at Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
2001 (Un)Explained Phenomena, Gallery Joe, Philadelphia, PA
1998 Bodies, Memories, Weights and Measures, Gallery Joe, Philadelphia, PA
Twenty Philadelphia Artists - Celebrating Fleisher Challenge at Twenty, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Be Here Now, Hewlett Gallery, Carnegie Melon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Group
2019 8th Beijing International Art Biennial, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China
2018 77th Annual Juried Exhibition, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA Juror: Syd Carpenter
2017 Double Self-Portrait as the God Janus, Gallery 114, Portland, OR
All the Water in My Body, UArts Faculty Exhibition, Montgomery County Community College, Blue Bell, PA
2016 View From Above, UArts Faculty Exhibition, Kimmel Center for the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2014 I Am What I Am Doing, Charlotte Street Foundation, La Esquina Gallery, Kansas City, MO
Process Wood, Philadelphia Sculpture Gym, Philadelphia, PA
2011 Chain Letter, Samson Projects, Boston, MA
2010 This is the Only Place that Can Save My Heart, Little Berlin, Philadelphia, PA Curator: Alex Gartleman
2009 1.5 Million, Stella Elkins Tyler Galleries, Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, PA Curator: Corey Antis
Forever Young, Celebrating 70 Years of Art, Abington Art Center, Jenkintown, PA
2007 Foundation Faculty, Works on Paper, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2006 On Ice, Lafayette College, Easton, PA Curator: Kathy Bruce
65th Annual Juried Exhibition, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA Juror: Polly Appfelbaum
1999 Stations, Temple Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Curator: Kevin Melchionne
1998 Eight Contemporary Artists, Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA
