Built with Indexhibit
Statement
In general my work explores the entangled, often fraught, relationship I have with objects and materiality through what I call “poetic repurposing.” I am particularly interested in everyday encounters—with objects, people, and places—because these structure our sense of what is possible. What I’m looking for are opportunities to articulate the incongruities between the efficiencies of contemporary life—characterized by smooth transactions—and the irreducible, porous, messy, unexchangeable fullness of the world.
As such, I have taken a multi-faceted, if meandering, approach to art making—responding to specific materials and contexts with attention to the multiple forces (both visible and not) that condition any experience with art. It seems logical then, that my work has taken so many different forms: architectural replicas; in-home sculptural interventions; a symbiotic restaurant; a collection of discarded LPs; borrowing and modifying other people’s furniture; an elaborate parlor game with students; an audio walking tour of an urban lake; and most recently, a group of sculptural signposts.
Biography
Scott Oliver holds a BFA (1994) in Graphic Design and an MFA (2005) in Wood/Furniture from California College of the Arts. His work has been shown widely in the Bay Area at the deYoung Art Center, San Jose Institute for Contemporary Art, Sonoma State University, Triple Base, Museum of Craft and Folk Art, Oakland Museum of California, Johansson Projects, Southern Exposure, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery, Mission 17, and Rena Bransten Gallery; and nationally at Grounds for Sculpture (Hamilton, NJ), Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery (Portland, OR), UCLA (Los Angeles, CA), and Sierra Nevada College (Incline Village, NV).
Oliver has received a number of awards and grants for his work including an East Bay Fund for Artists Grant from the East Bay Community Foundation, an Investing in Artists Grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation, an Individual Artist Project Grant from the City of Oakland, and an Alternative Exposure Grant from Southern Exposure. He was an artist in residence at Headlands Center for the Arts in 2009 and at Recology SF in 2007. He has served as adjunct faculty at California College of the Arts, UC Berkeley, Sierra Nevada College and University of Nevada, Reno. Oliver has lived and worked in Reno, Nevada since 2016.
CV
EDUCATION
2003–2005 MFA, Wood/Furniture
California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
2000–2003 Wood Technology Program
Laney College, Oakland, CA
1990–1994 BFA, Graphic Design
California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, CA
COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS & PUBLIC ART
2018
Points of Departure
San Francisco Arts Commission, Intersection of Geary Blvd. and Masonic Ave., San Francisco, CA
2016
In My Headlands
The Key Room, Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA
2013
A New Horizon / Llano Stories & Desert Dumbballs
Earthbound Moon; Rio del Oro subdivision outside Tomé-Adelino, NM
2010–2012
Once Upon A Time, Happily Ever After…
Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA / www.onceuponatime-happilyeverafter.com
2009
Sculpturally Translated Means Things!
Tahoe Gallery, Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, NV
2007
Other People's Things: Furnishing The Collective Foundation
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA
2005
Fog Food
de Young Art Center, San Francisco, CA
2001
An Allegory for Progress
San Francisco Arts Commission, San Francisco, CA
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2013–2016
Art 360º: Afterhours
Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA
2008
Want Nots
SF Recycling & Disposal, Inc., San Francisco, CA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2016
California Wood Artists: Sam Maloof and Beyond
Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts & Crafts, Alta Loma CA
Platforms: Augmented Histories of Space
California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
2013
High Desert Test Sites
Numerous sites between Joshua Tree, CA and Albuquerque, NM
Reduce, Reuse, Re-imagine
de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
The Art of Recology: The Artist in Residence Program 1990–2013
SFO Museum, San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA
By-product Becomes Product
Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, CA
2012
We're All Here Because We're Not All There: 25 Years of the Barclay Simpson Award
Oliver Art Center, CCA, Oakland, CA
2010
Art at the Dump: 20 Years of the Artist in Residence Program at Recology
Intersection 5M, San Francisco, CA
2009
Afterlife
San Jose Institute for Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA
USED
University Art Gallery, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA
2008
Dream With Everything That Fades Away
Triple Base, San Francisco, CA
10th Ronald & Anita Wornick Awards Exhibition
CCA, San Francisco, CA
Open For Business
Triple Base, San Francisco, CA
Unfinished
Grand Theatre Center for the Arts, Tracy, CA
Close Calls: 2008
Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA
"C" Change: Craft in Our Future
Museum of Craft and Folk Art, San Francisco, CA
2007
Artists of Invention: A Century of CCA
Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA
Excavations
Johansson Projects, Oakland, CA
Unfinished
Mission 17, San Francisco, CA
2006
Furnishing Assumptions
Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Sketch
Memorial Union Art Gallery, UCD, Davis, CA
2005
2005 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Awards Exhibition
Grounds For Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ
Practice Makes Perfect: Bay Area Conceptual Craft
Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA
Bay Area Bazaar
Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery, Portland, OR
Cream From the Top
Arts Benicia, Benicia, CA
California College of the Arts 2005 MFA Exhibition
CCA, San Francisco, CA
Barclay Simpson Awards Exhibition
Oliver Art Center, CCA, Oakland, CA
2004
Ronald & Anita Wornick Awards Exhibition
CCA, San Francisco, CA
Bay Area Furniture Art 2004
Blue Room Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Dark Side of the Sun
Wight Gallery, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
The Murphy & Cadogan Fellowship Awards Exhibition
San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Supernatural
Play Space, CCA, San Francisco, CA
Fluid Exchange: UC Berkeley/CCA MFA Exchange
Worth Ryder Gallery, UCB, Berkeley, CA
HONORS & AWARDS
2012
USA Projects Grant
United States Artists, Los Angeles, CA
2010
Investing in Artists Grant
Center for Cultural Innovation, Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA
2009
Oakland Open Proposals Program Grant
City of Oakland Public Art Program, Oakland, CA
Individual Artist Project Grant
City of Oakland Cultural Funding Program, Oakland, CA
East Bay Fund For Artists Matching Grant
East Bay Community Foundation, Oakland, CA
Headlands Project Space Residency
Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA
2007
Alternative Exposure Grant
Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA
SF Recycling & Disposal Artist Residency
SF Recycling & Disposal, Inc., San Francisco, CA
2006
SECA Award Finalist
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
2005
Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award
International Sculpture Center, Hamilton, NJ
Barclay Simpson Award
Administered by California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
2004
Ronald & Anita Wornick Award
Administered by California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Cadogan Fellowship in the Fine Arts
Administered by The San Francisco Foundation, San Francisco, CA
COLLECTIONS
Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA
Sabrina Buell, San Francisco, CA
Courtney Fink, San Francisco, CA
Scott Rankin, Oakland, CA
Paul Rauschelbach & Tracy Wheeler, San Francisco, CA
TEACHING
Winter 2019 Adjunct Faculty, “Here And There: Place & Site-specificity in Contemporary Art”
MFA-IA, Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, NV
Fall/Spring 2018-2019 Instructor/Scene Shop Manager, Scenery Practicum
Department of Theater & Dance, University of Nevada, Reno, NV
Fall 2016–Fall 2018 Adjunct Faculty, “Mentored Studio Practice”
MFA-IA, Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, NV
Winter 2018 Adjunct Faculty, “Thesis Portfolio”
MFA-IA, Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, NV
Fall 2017 Adjunct Faculty, “Alternative Modes of Display”
MFA-IA, Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, NV
Spring 2017 Instructor/Scene Shop Manager, Scenery Practicum
Department of Theater & Dance, University of Nevada, Reno, NV
Fall 2016 Adjunct Faculty, “Collaborative Strategies”
MFA-IA, Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, NV
Spring 2010 Adjunct Faculty, “SWAP: Investigating Systems of Exchange”
California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Spring 2009 Adjunct Faculty, "Sculpture 1"
California College of the Arts, Oakland, CA
Fall 2007 Adjunct Faculty, "Art 14: The Language of Sculpture"
University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Spring 2006 Adjunct Faculty, "Conceptual Object"
California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Fall 2005 Teaching Assistant, "Introduction to Wood/Furniture"
California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Spring 2004 Teaching Assistant, "Conceptual Object"
California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Summer 1998 Graphic Design Instructor, CCAC's pre-college summer program
California College of Arts & Crafts, Oakland, CA
WRITING
2018
“Our Well Being.” Exhibition essay for An American Aura & 129 days/713.
MFA-IA Thesis Exhibition, Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, NV
2013
“This Side of Oblivion: Reflections on Marker.” Exhibition essay for Barbra Holmes: Marker.
Capital City Arts Initiative/St. Mary’s Art Center, Carson City/Virginia City, NV
2010
“Hooshing and the Nexus of Clothing: A Conversation with J. Morgan Puett,”
Art Practical, January 27.
2008
“The Space Between Us and Ourselves,” The Present Group, Issue 5, Winter.
Essay for “You were there too,” a project by Davin Young
2006
“Matthew Flegle: Speech and Basins.” Exhibition essay.
Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA
2005
“Objects Are Subjects.” Exhibition essay for Things Are People Too, a video program of
Bay Area artists curated by Joesph Del Pesco for Taking Places, Portland, OR
RELATED ACTIVITIES
2012–2013 Programming Committee
Lost Coast Culture Machine, Fort Bragg, CA
2010 Juror
Alternative Exposure Grant Program, Round IV
Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA
2009 Visiting Artist
Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, NV
2008 Participant
Creative Capital Professional Development Program
Z Space, San Francisco, CA
2007 Visiting Artist Lecture Series UNLV, Las Vegas, NV
2005–2009 Co-founder and Contributing Editor
Shotgun Review, www.shotgun-review.com (subsumed by Art Practical)
2001–2004 Curatorial Committee Member
Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA