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BJ Krivanek

Visual Arts: Media & Visual Communications, Mixed Media, Other, Sculpture, Site-specific; public art, inscription

BJ Krivanek is a professor emeritus of visual communication at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, principal of Krivanek+Breaux/ Art+Design, and founding artistic director of Community Architexts. He has an MFA in Art+Design from the University of Illinois/ Urbana-Champaign and a BA in Applied Arts from Iowa State University. During the past 25+ years, he has completed over 25 public art projects throughout the country, including activated structures for the CTA Brown Line Chicago station, an interactive artwork at the University of Florida, and a commission for the Oklahoma City Municipal Courthouse. Most recently, he has completed an activated plaza for the Municipal Courts Building in Oklahoma City and has received a commission with the Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum in Springfield, IL. BJ’s work has been honored/ published in many design annuals, including the American Center for Design100 Show, American Institute of Graphic Arts, Society for Environmental Graphic Design, ID and Graphis, and included in the inaugural National Design Triennial at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum/ New York. A feature article about his work appeared in Graphis 310/ Zurich. His work has received an NEA Federal Design Achievement Award and the Art Directors Club of New York Gold Medal as well as numerous SEGD honor/ merit awards, Illinois Arts Council fellowships, and grants from the Chicago and Los Angeles cultural affairs departments.

John Melvin

Architectural; Visual Arts: Sculpture, Site-specific

John Kenneth Melvin (MFA-SFAI), is a multi-disciplinary Eco-Artist inspiring cultural exchange via commissions and exhibitions internationally. A born & raised Bay Area native, he divides his off-project time between the USA and France, where he holds an ‘artist visa’ granted by the French government. He taught graduate level Art for 5 years and worked 10 years in the corporate world. He achieved over 20 funded ‘artist in residencies’ at institutions internationally from Cambodia to Colorado, 15 years of consecutive professional exhibitions including over 22 solo exhibitions and collaborates with both non-profits and ultra-luxury hotels, from Missouri to Maldives.

MIDABI MIDABI

Visual Arts: Mixed Media, Murals, Sculpture, Site-specific

Early in my life I established a deep commitment to divergent acts in hopes of attaining uncommon insight into the nature of reality. I utilize the power of text and compose my findings into an artistic practice as a means of sharing information; philosophical public intervention. I come from blue and white collar artists, salesmen, engineers, veterans, and progressive cultural pioneers. I began making art and seeking knowledge at the age of 15, from which my current work is a direct extension. I do not have a formal education in art, I have a bachelor’s in media & cultural studies, and a master’s in international counseling psychology. My influences include one grandmother who was a painter of female nudes in NYC, another who founded an art school in Los Angeles and retired to Palm Springs in the 1950’s, continuing art education out of her house, and my living 90 year old godfather who founded the world’s first LGBTQ fine art museum in NYC.

Po Shu Wang

Visual Arts: Other, Site-specific; Public Art

ARTIST BACKGROUND My interest in site-inspired art started in the Rome Academy of Fine Arts, Italy. After graduation, I spent 15 years in Europe working my art and teaching into adulthood. The most lasting influence from those years is the integrated cross-disciplinary practice of the Renaissance spirit, which is still where my public art approach is evolving from. GENERAL APPROACH This cross-disciplinary approach naturally requires my constant collaborations with outside professionals from faraway fields of expertise right from the start, the on-going experience has taught me to pro-actively integrate non art perspectives and methodologies into enriching my humanities core, while expanding my awareness towards inspirations that are inherent in the uniqueness of each project ecology, creating a feedback loop of learning and exploration of relevant aesthetic solutions that extend to all spheres of life.

Kelly Witmer

Architectural; Furniture; Visual Arts: Bas-relief, Fences / Gates, Fountains, Glasswork / Neons, Installation, Mixed Media, Mosaics, Murals, Painting, Sculpture, Site-specific

I work out of my Joshua Tree studio to create paintings and sculptures in ceramic, glass and steel. Public art has been an exciting field to explore, since I love working in different mediums and relish a challenge. I have worked with many interior designers and art consultants for specific installations, and enjoy collaborating towards an envisioned environment. I received my BFA from University of the Arts in Philadelphia,PA, with additional studies at Parsons School of Design in Paris. I have attended residencies at Atlantic Center for the Arts in Florida, Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in Maine, ArtVallarta in Mexico and Can Serrat in Spain. My public art installations can be found in Los Angeles, Santa Rosa, CA and Las Vegas, NV.

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