First and foremost, my whole life is art……I live it, breathe it and make it. I am a Sculptor, Designer and Photographer. My goal: Making dreams a reality through art.
BACKGROUND:
I grew up in rural Central Texas on a working farm. You can imagine that in that environment there were no art classes in school but thankful I had a family that loved working with their hands, listened to classical music, played in their own little country western band, and used creative thinking and out of the box problem solving skills on a daily basis. So I learned to emulate many attributes that were around me from building to adapting materials to fit the needs to exploring my creative side through music and hands on applications of quilting, sewing, antiquing, restoration etc.
My first job was as a commercial artist which I got solely from a post high school portfolio of drawings that were done as exercises as I taught myself how to draw. I felt very fortunate. That job got me through junior college. Then for seven years of undergraduate and post graduate work, I worked as an art director for couple of production companies in Dallas, Texas. At these jobs I learned a myriad of materials and processes while producing magic tricks, body puppets, marionettes, as well as stage production for Six Flags, Ponchartrian, King’s Island and many other amusement parks as well as the Guinness Book of World Records throughout the United States and Internationally. Characters included: Hanna Barbera characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn etc., and St. Louis Cardinals’ Fredbird to name a few. It was the foundation of my extensive knowledge of materials, processes and approaches. My journey so far through life was a preparation of becoming a self supporting studio artist. I always had the philosophy of I CAN DO THAT! probably because I taught myself so many processes by trial and error and by not being afraid to ask questions and most of all.....not being afraid to fail. This mindset allowed me to explore and take chances with materials which I to this day maintain this approach.
Since those forming years, I have been a studio artist successfully working with consultants, art reps, architects, interior designers, engineers, and a ton of suppliers to create site specific works of art for public, corporate, healthcare and private spaces. It is exciting, challenging and extremely rewarding!
My APPROACH
DOGWOOD LAKE STUDIO IS MY STUDIO IS LOCATED ON AN EIGHTEEN ACRE LAKE FULL OF WILDLIFE.
NATURE GIVES ME PEACE TO CREATE AND SOLACE TO WORK THROUGH CREATIVE PROBLEMS. MY GERMAN SHORTHAIRS AND BRACCO ITALIANOS ARE MY STUDIO HELP. SURE THEY ARE!
MY STUDIO IS DIVIDED INTO A WORK AREA AND A TOOL AREA SO THAT I CAN WORK IN A DUST FREE ENVIRONMENT WHEN DESIGNING OR DISCUSSING PROJECTS WITH ART REPS, ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS AND CLIENTS.
No matter what medium I work in, nature is my muse. The forms and designs I create are selected to imbue balance and harmony, suggestive of nature’s forms, or a composite of its designs, yet uniquely and significantly transformed in my interpretation into sculpture. My work includes pieces about preserving our natural landscape, to physically emphasize that nature is woven into each of our lives.
For each site-specific commission, I chose the most appropriate medium to emphasize each piece’s intention and to enhance its shape within its environment. Whether a sculpture is made of metal, Plexiglas, wood, stone or a combination thereof, I transform it through bending, carving, chiseling, casting or joining. Wanting to emphasize, and not distract from the forms strengths, the majority of my sculptures are finished to accentuate the inherent qualities of the material. Sometimes I add hints of gold, silver, copper gilding or patinas to embellish and enhance a focal point, or symbolic form within the piece.
My Studio
My RESUME
My HISTORY
Professional Artist
Professor of Sculpture & Painting University of Evansville -Present -
Staff Photographer & Contributing Editor The Versatile Hunting Dog 2014 - Present
Partner artONEdesigns, llc. 2012 - Present
Sculptor / Designer / Photographer, Musia Fine Art, Evansville, IN, 1978 – Present
The Art of the Hunting Dog -- 200
Site Specific Commissions: Sculpture and 2-D
Art commission and project phases managed:
Design and fabrication of ART
Sculptures in any material: wood, glass, plastic, ceramic, metal
2-D including photography, prints and mixed media
Visual presentations: drawings and maquettes
Project timeline
Project budget
Insured Installation of work
Custom framing
Crating and shipping worldwide
Creative Director Paul Osbourne & Associates, Dallas, TX, 1973 – 1979
Created Hanna-Barbera full-body puppets, magic elements and stage settings for theme parks. Works installed at Six Flags Parks , Ponchatrain, King's Island and the St. Louis Cardinals ball field to name a few
Education
Healthcare Design EDAC Accreditation and Certification
Post-graduate work in Sculpture and Industrial Arts University of Southern Indiana 1978 – 1981
BFA in Sculpture, Mythology, English Literature, and Industrial Arts, University of North Texas 1978
Exhibitions: Selected Regional, National, and International
Melvin Petterson Gallery, AN INSPIRED JOURNEY, One- Man Show, January 2016
Evansville Museum, INVITATIONAL, November 2015
Owensboro Museum of Art, The Consummate Craftsman, Invitational, November 2014-February 2015
Evansville Museum of Arts, History, Science, Evansville, IN-One Man Show- April- August 2014
Bracco Italiano USA Raduno, FL., January 2014
Owensboro Museum of Art, Owensboro, KY-Regionalists: Biennial Invitational, 2003, River Country, 2011
Evansville Museum of Arts, History, Science, Evansville, IN - Mid-States Craft Exhibition, 2007, 2009-2010
Elmhurst Museum of Art, Elmhurst, IL - National Art Premiere, 2008
Evansville Museum of Arts, History, Science, Evansville, IN- Working Together, 2004 - Midstates Art Exhibition, 2008, 2005
Women’s Hospital, Evansville, IN - Award, 2004
San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, CA - 39th Annual International Exhibition, 2003
New England Fine Arts Institute, Boston MA - State of the Arts - National Invitational, 1993
Krempp Gallery, Jasper, IN - Solo Show, 1993
Brubeck Gallery, University of Southern Illinois, Mt. Carmel, IL - Solo Show, 1992
Legler Barn Museum, Lenexa, Kansas - Lenexa National Art Show, 1992
Evansville Museum of Arts, History, Science, Evansville, IN - Midstates Craft Exhibition, Best of Show Purchase Award 1991
16th Annual Craft Exhibition, 1988, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX
International Sculpture Convention, Washington D.C Invitational, 1988
COMMISSIONS: IN PROGRESS
Wesselman Nature Society, Evansville, Indiana 2014- INSTALLED
Chestnut Street Project, Jeffersonville, Indiana 2014-INSTALLED
Wimberley Winery Project, Wimberley, Texas, 2013- on-going
NAVHDA Invitational, Invitational Photographer, September 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Art included in the following Healthcare Collections:
Albion Fellows Bacon Center, IN
Cady Wellness Institute, IN
Chancellor Oncology Hospital, IN
Covance, IN
Deaconess Gateway Hospital, IN
Deaconess Hospital, IN
Deaconess Urgent Care, IN
Orthopedic Associates, IN
Riley Simon Tower, IU Health, IN
Ronald McDonald House, IN
Solabron Pointe Retirement Community, IN
St. Francis Hospital, IN
St. Mary’s Hospital, IN
St. Mary’s Epworth, IN
Visiting Nurses Association, Charlier Hospice, IN
Additional Collections:
Bristol Myers Squibb, IN
Evansville Museum of Arts ~ History ~ Science, IN
Evansville Vanderburgh Library Foundation, IN
John Hechinger Collection, ‘Tools As Art’, DC
New Harmony Historic, Murphy Park, IN
North Texas University, TX
Old National Bancorp, IN
Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA
Proctor and Gamble, OH
Scripps Howard Courier and Press, IN
The City of Evansville, IN
The City of Jeffersonville, IN
Tochigi City, Japan
Vectren Energy Corporation, IN
VPS Architects, IN
Western Kentucky Audubon Botanical Gardens, KY
Significant private collections upon request
Press and Publications
Tools as Art: The Hechinger Collection by Pete Hamill, John Hechinger
Enjoying AMY MUSIA by Roger McBain, eWoman, Scripps Howard Publication, Spring 2007
A Life of Art by Carson McBain, WESTSIDE, Scripps Howard Publication, 2011
Creating in Wood, by Donna Meilach, 1993
Capital Niche by Roger McBain, Evansville Courier/Press, Fall 2004, Scripps Howard Publication
The Sourcebook of Architectural and Interior Art 21, 22, 23, and 24, Guild Sourcebooks, 2004-2009
The Sourcebook of Residential Art 6, Guild Sourcebooks, 2008
Emerging Sculptors, Sculpture, Fall 1988, Spring 1992, Summer 1992
Honors and Awards
Evansville Regional Airport, Finalist, Evansville, IN 2012-present
Artist of the year, John Streetman/Tri-State Alliance, 2005, IN
Artist of the year, Southwestern Indiana Arts Council, 1993, IN
Artist of the year, Westside Nut Club, 1993, IN
Mid States Craft Exhibition, Top Award, 1981, Purchase, Evansville Museum of Art, IN
Heart of Texas Annual, 1974, McLennan Community College, Top Award, TX
Community Committee Appointments
Friends of Art, University of Evansville, Board Member, 2015-present
NAVHDA, Kentuckiana Chapter, Secretary, 2013-2014
Westside Improvement Association, Public Arts Chair, 2011to present
Commissioner on Evansville’s Public Arts Commission, 2003 -2015
Evansville’s Greenway Arts Committee, 2002 - 2010
Evansville Museum Arts Committee, Acquisition/De-acquisition, 1985-1991
Select Memberships and Community Involvement
Society for the Arts in Healthcare
2010 Leadership Class, Leadership Evansville
Westside Improvement Association
Kentuckiana Chapter of NAVHDA
Charter Member of the USI Society of the Arts and Humanities, Evansville, IN
Southwestern Indiana Arts Council, Evansville, IN
site specific works of art for private and public spaces
amy musia
AMY MUSIA © 2016