Tag: shows

Now Showing in ‘Celebration’ at Octavia Art Gallery in New Orleans

February 4th, 2017 | No Comments

grant wiggins in celebration at octavia art gallery new orleans
I will be showing four minimal, hard-edge paintings in Celebration at Octavia Art Gallery in New Orleans, February 4 – 25, 2017.


I am thrilled to announce that I will be showing at Octavia Art Gallery in New Orleans throughout February, in the group exhibition Celebration.

Four of my minimalist, hard-edge studies will be on display in Celebration, which Octavia Art Gallery describes as “an exhibition that reflects the joie de vivre during the Mardi Gras season, concentrating on the celebration of life through art.”

Fellow artists showing in Celebration are Muffin Bernstein, Sara Carter, Marina Dunbar, Shirine Gill, Diana Greenberg, Betsey Gravatt, Ken Nahan, Tom Nussbaum, Max Ryan, and Sam Schonzeitz.

grant wiggins in celebration at octavia art gallery new orleansAn installation view of Celebration at Octavia Art Gallery in New Orleans.


As artists, not only do we have Celebration in common, but we also have collaborated with Octavia Art Gallery recently to create artworks for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, with locations in New York and New Jersey.

As art curators for these spaces, Octavia Art Gallery has sought to provide “soothing and healing environments for patients and administrators.”

“Our approach is to provide artworks that have an inspirational effect on the well-being of others,” the gallery explains. “Research concludes that art can change an individual’s physiology and have a calming and therapeutic influence. Through a careful selection of artworks and commissioned pieces, the gallery focuses on works that transcend the viewer.”

Last autumn, I produced a series of colorful minimalist paintings for Memorial Sloan Kettering’s corporate offices in New York City. I was encouraged to work in bright and cheerful colorways, in an effort to convey positivity and contribute to an uplifting and inspiring environment.

It has been an absolute pleasure and honor to work with Octavia Art Gallery Director Kristina Larson over the past few months. Repeatedly I have been impressed by Kristina’s professionalism and positive attitude throughout our creative collaborations.

Thanks to Octavia Art Gallery, you’ll also be able to find my work listed on Artsy.net and 1stdibs.com.

Octavia Art Gallery is located at 454 Julia Street, in New Orleans. Learn more at octaviaartgallery.com.


‘Pop!’ at {9} the Gallery in Downtown Phoenix

January 7th, 2017 | No Comments

grant wiggins in pop, at 9 the gallery in downtown phoenix
Now showing at Pop! at the Gallery in Phoenix: 19-6983, Looking Forward to Now, and Fantasia with 23rd Century Megastructures.


This month, for the first time in several years, I am exhibiting my art in Downtown Phoenix. From January 6 through February 1, 2017, three of my paintings will be on display in the group show Pop!, at {9} The Gallery, 1229 Grand Ave, Phoenix.

The paintings I’m showing are 19-6983 (2014), Looking Forward to Now (2014), and Fantasia with 23rd Century Megastructures (2006).

While my work has clearly gravitated away from my early roots in “acid pop” art, I am nonetheless exhibiting pieces that evidence mass-culture influences, namely product packaging and decorative design.

grant wiggins in pop, at 9 the gallery in downtown phoenix
grant wiggins in pop, at 9 the gallery in downtown phoenix
grant wiggins in pop, at 9 the gallery in downtown phoenix

Other artists participating in Pop! are Anthony Banayat, FunWow, Megan Koth, Lyndel Palermo, and Daniel Shepherd. More details at facebook.com/9TheGallery/

Many thanks to fellow artist David Dauncey for recommending my work to gallery owner Laura Dragon, to whom I am also grateful. This is a great way to start 2017!


‘Arizona Biennial 2015’ Opens at Tucson Museum of Art

July 26th, 2015 | No Comments

arizona biennial 2015 opens at tucson museum of art
Now on view in Arizona Biennial 2015: Confluent, The Lake a Lilac Cube, and A New Way of Thinking About Everything by Grant Wiggins.


Arizona Biennial 2015 was unveiled at Tucson Museum of Art on Friday night, and I was absolutely delighted to experience the show in person at the opening night celebration.

You’ll be able to find the three paintings I’m showing at the very end of the exhibition — where the abstract works are located — on what I believe is the museum’s tallest wall. I fondly call this the “Great Wall.” It has an epic, almost monolithic quality, and for me holds a special meaning.

In 2007, I showed my painting ff0000turo in this exact same location. Having the opportunity to exhibit here eight years later, on the full breadth of the wall, I could not ask for more. I feel both a circularity and a sense of advancement — an awareness of how much my work, my thinking, and my life has changed.

arizona biennial 2015 opens at tucson museum of art
A return to Tucson Museum of Art’s “Great Wall”: From left, ff0000uturo in Arizona Biennial 2007 and the same wall today.


The curator of Arizona Biennial 2015 is Irene Hofmann, Phillips Director and Chief Curator of SITE Santa Fe. For this exhibition, 530 Arizona artists submitted nearly 1,500 works. Ms. Hofmann selected 50 works by 33 artists.

In her statement discussing her curation of the exhibition, Ms. Hofmann observes that while she “didn’t initially set out to develop a thematically structured show,” several “strains of exploration” emerged in her review of works submitted. The show is arranged according to those themes.

Works that reflect upon nature, and humankind’s impact upon it, open Arizona Biennial 2015. The theme of reclamation is later explored by works that give new life to discarded materials, as well as overlooked, everyday objects. Violence and control are then addressed in a variety of media.

At the conclusion of the exhibition — where my work hangs along with sublime paintings by Mike Stack and Angie Zielinski — “the Seduction of painting offers the last word,” Ms. Hofmann affirms. By exploring color, design, and imaginary worlds, she writes, these abstract pieces “insist on the enduring power of painting and offer us the reprieve of visual delight.”

arizona biennial 2015 opens at tucson museum of art
The sedution of painting: Abstract works by Grant Wiggins, Angie Zielinski (right), and Mike Stack conclude the show.


I am deeply honored to be showing in Arizona Biennial 2015. It is energizing and inspiring to be exhibiting among so many gifted, accomplished artists, who were united by masterful curatorial judgment. I offer my gratitude to Ms. Hofmann and the entirety of the Tucson Museum of Art’s staff, who have staged an exhibition that proudly represents the artistic currents flowing through our state.


Three Paintings Selected for Arizona Biennial 2015 at Tucson Museum of Art

June 25th, 2015 | No Comments

I am absolutely thrilled and honored to announce that three of my paintings have been selected to exhibit in Arizona Biennial 2015, to be held at the Tucson Museum of Art from July 25 through October 11.

This will be my fifth time showing in an Arizona Biennial — and my seventh show overall at the Tucson Museum of Art — since 2003. I exhibited consecutively in the 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009 biennials. After six years away, my upcoming return to Tucson is especially meaningful.

Nearly 1,500 works were submitted to Arizona Biennial 2015. Juror Irene Hofmann, director and chief curator of SITE Santa Fe, selected 50 works by 33 artists. A range of mediums will be represented, including painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, video, and installation art.

The three pieces selected for this summer’s biennial, shown below, reflect my maximalist and minimalist approaches to painting.

arizona biennial 2015

A New Way of Thinking About Everything. 2014. Acrylic on canvas. 24 x 28 inches (61 x 71 cm).

arizona biennial 2015

The Lake a Lilac Cube. 2014. Acrylic on canvas. 40 inches square (102 x 102 cm).

arizona biennial 2015

Confluent. 2015. Acrylic on canvas. 40 inches square (102 x 102 cm).


First organized in 1948, the Arizona Biennial is a juried exhibition that provides an opportunity to see some of the most interesting new work being created in Arizona. It is the oldest running juried exhibition featuring exclusively Arizona artists. The Arizona Biennial is open to artists age 18 and older who currently reside in Arizona.

“This Arizona Biennial represents ambitious and thought-provoking ideas as well as works that captivate the senses,” observes Dr. Julie Sasse, chief curator and curator of modern and contemporary art at Tucson Museum of Art. “It shows that contemporary art in Arizona is fully competitive with the rest of the country in formal concerns while addressing the specific qualities of place and culture that make this state so unique.”

In closing, I offer my most sincere congratulations to my fellow Arizona Biennial 2015 artists: David Emitt Adams, Elizabeth Burden, Carlton Bradford, Curt Brill, John H. Clarke, Jeffrey J. DaCosta, Jeff Dodson, Abigail Felber, Denis Gillingwater, Jennifer Holt, Alan Bur Johnson, Daniel Johnson, Carolina Maki Kitagawa, Carolyn Lavender, Ellen McMahon and Beth Weinstein, Brooke Molla, Katherine Monaghan, Anthony Pessler, Emmett Potter, Rembrandt Quiballo, Robert Renfrow, Prima Sakuntabhai, Patricia Sannit, Steven R. Schaeffer, Mike Stack, Lauren Strohacker and Kendra Sollars, Novie Trump, Zachary Valent, Kathleen Velo, and Angie Zielinski.


“Let in the Light”: Painting for America SCORES Benefit Auction

June 1st, 2015 | No Comments

grant wiggins - america scores inspired art benefit auction 2015
Let in The Light: A painting recently produced for the America SCORES Inspired Art Benefit Auction in Cleveland, which will raise funds for America SCORES’ creative after-school programming. The piece measures 16 by 20 inches and is framed and ready to hang.


This Saturday, June 6, I’ll be exhibiting at the America SCORES Inspired Art Benefit Auction in Cleveland. A painting I made especially for this fundraiser event will be on display among pieces by 50 artists who have made art that responds to the work of young Cleveland poets.

My contribution, “Let in the Light,” is inspired by the poem “Light” by Tre’Shaun A., a 10th grader at Cleveland Central Catholic High School.

Light

I walk in the shadows looking for the light
The darkness was too strong so I took flight
I have to keep pushing towards the light
Because one day I’ll be out this fight
I walk in the shadows looking for the light
I feel something loving and caring
I finally found my light

— Tre’Shaun A., Grade 10
     Cleveland Central Catholic High School

America SCORES Cleveland is a comprehensive youth development program that uses the tools of poetry, soccer, creative expression, and service-learning to empower urban youth to lead healthy lifestyles, become engaged students, and grow into community leaders.

Proceeds will directly benefit America SCORES Cleveland’s creative after-school programming, which includes creative writing, soccer, and service-learning for more than 600 Cleveland students.

If you’re interested in attending the event, which will be held at smARTspace at 78th Street Studios in Gordon Square Arts District, please visit inspiredartcleveland.com.


’60: The Collective’ Art Show at The Walk Way Gallery in Brooklyn

February 20th, 2014 | No Comments

60 the collective, paintings by grant wiggins

On Thursday, March 6, I’ll be showing in Brooklyn, NY, in the one-night group exhibition “60: The Collective.” See the Facebook event invite.

Sixty artists have been invited to display one 12-inch-square work each. A wide range of genres will be represented, including geometric art, neo pop art, street art, and graffiti.

The show will be held at The Walk Way Gallery, located within reBar, at 147 Front Street. Hours are 7 to 10 p.m. An afterparty will follow until 2am.

I sincerely thank artist/co-curator Craig Anthony Miller for inviting me to participate in “60: The Collective,” as well as my longtime friend Patrick Kennedy for facilitating my participation.

This is the second edition of “60: The Collective” curated by Miller and Frankie Velez. The first edition, held last September, was a big hit, with attendance in the hundreds. Plans are already in the works for a third edition in early August.

The painting I will display in the March 6 “60: The Collective” will be a “game-time decision,” so to speak, to be made by the curators. The selection will be made from the following pieces (shown below, clockwise from top left): Lost in Space; The Future, Multiplied by Today; Active Receptor; and Psychoactive Snack.

60 the collective, paintings by grant wiggins

The three paintings not shown on March 6 will be available for private viewing, by request.

If you’re planning on attending, please let me know in the comments section below.


‘Punchline’ at The Institute Library, New Haven; Opens November 9

October 25th, 2013 | No Comments

grant wiggins in punchline at the institute library new haven
Lost in Space: 15-18 October 2013. Acrylic on panel-mounted canvas. 12 inches square (30.5 cm x 30.5 cm).


I am extremely proud and excited to be one of 13 artists showing in Punchline, which opens Saturday, November 9 at The Institute Library in New Haven, Connecticut. This is perhaps my highest-profile show in the East Coast to date.

Punchline explores the use of humor in abstraction. According to curator Kevin Daly, who is also an accomplished artist in his own right, the exhibition is “less self-consciously concerned with relevance and criticality than with the presence of the whimsical.” He cites how all of the artists in Punchline “employ playful processes or formal languages.”

Lost in Space (shown above) will be among the five paintings I’ll be exhibiting in Punchline. The title for this painting is a pun on the process of painting. As I produced this painting throughout mid-October, I definitely felt lost in the act of making. In fact, I scrapped the first attempt. On the second, the color palette changed several times, and it seemed as if I could barely hold onto the creative reigns, as paint layers built up. When this happens, a painting can go either way, for better or worse.

Punchline will remain on view through November 27. Here’s the full roster of artists in the show:


‘Think Small 7’ Miniature Art Show in Richmond, Virginia

October 15th, 2013 | No Comments

grant wiggins in the think small 7 art show in richmond virginia

I’m proud to be among the 250 artists showing in the Think Small 7 miniature art biennial, which opens Friday, October 25 in Richmond, Virginia. I will be showing Vybralta 1 (shown above), a three-inch-square acrylic painting on panel-mounted canvas. I have priced it at $75, in case you’re interested in acquiring it. (Fifty percent of the proceeds goes to artspace, which is a very good cause.)

Works on display in Think Small 7 represent an impressive variety of media and themes. No piece can be larger than 3 inches (7.62 cm) in any dimension. An evolving list of participating artists, including yours truly, can be found at artspacegallery.org/thinksmall.


‘A Show of Hands’ at Tucson Museum of Art

September 20th, 2013 | No Comments

a show of hands at tucson museum of art

My 2005 neo-pop painting, Hands, will be on view throughout this fall and early winter at the Tucson Museum of Art, in the exhibition A Show of Hands.

As one might expect, this show will bring together works of art — paintings, photography, works on paper, and sculptures — that explore the metaphorical potential of hands. A partial list of artists included in this exhibition includes Fernand Léger, Alice Briggs, Enrique Chagoya, Robert Colescott, Dan Collins, Bailey Doogan, Enrique Martinez Celaya, Christopher Pelley, Craig Smith, Buffie Saint-Marie, and others, including yours truly.

Looking back, I consider Hands a transitional painting in the evolution of my work, for it’s one of my last true pop art paintings. Following the tried-and-true path of painting what one knows, Hands is a mash-up of packaging elements from household products — including Reynolds aluminum foil, instructional illustrations on the back of a noodle packet, and the bubbles found on a box of cleaning product.

Bringing these elements together, this painting could just as easily be titled “The Pure Products of America Go Crazy” — the great opening line from the poem “To Elsie” by William Carlos Williams. It seems to ask, what if everyday products were to go haywire, in a hallucinatory way? Perhaps this painting pokes fun at the gimmickry of consumerism, and perhaps it also points the way to an imagined world where everyday products could be completely unpredictable.

This marks my sixth time exhibiting at Tucson Museum of Art over the past 10 years. In addition to participating in the 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009 editions of the Arizona Biennial, I also showed in Thanks for Being with Us: Contemporary Art from the Douglas Nielsen Collection, in 2010.

A Show of Hands opens September 21, 2013 and will remain on view through February 9, 2014. More details at tucsonmuseumofart.org.


Biennial: Origins in Geometry at the Museum of Geometric and MADI Art in Dallas

June 23rd, 2013 | No Comments

Origins in Geometry at Museum of Geometric and MADI Art Dallas
Showing in Origins in Geometry at Museum of Geometric and MADI Art Dallas: Optical Odyssey. 2012. Acrylic on canvas. 16 x 20 inches; 41 x 51 cm.


I’m excited and honored to announce that I have been invited to show my work at the Museum of Geometric and MADI Art in Dallas, in the upcoming juried exhibition Biennial: Origins in Geometry.

The painting selected for this show is Optical Odyssey, a vibrant geometric art work that I also displayed last summer in the Vivid Visions exhibition in Portland.

Biennial: Origins in Geometry will be on view from July 19 through October 6. The exhibition aims to “recognize excellence in emerging visual artists deriving inspiration from geometric abstraction.” A catalog will accompany the show.

The curator of Biennial: Origins in Geometry is Clint Willour, who has served as curator at the Galveston Art Center for the past 19 years and is active on boards of numerous arts organizations in Texas.

To see other works like Optical Odyssey, I invite you to visit the Maximalism gallery of my site’s Paintings section.