Christopher Robbins
Born1973 (age 50–51)
Georgia
NationalityAmerican
Websitehttp://www.christopher-robbins.com

Christopher Robbins is an American artist that focuses his art practice in the realm of public art and social sculpture. Robbins works internationally, using physical and conversational processes to create interactions between strangers in order to build community and problem-solve.

Education

Robbins received a BA from The University of Virginia and attended Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and Pratt for his Masters.

Career

Robbins has also worked at RISD, as well as a volunteer for the Peace Corps in Benin and West Africa. He currently teaches at The State University of New York at Purchase as a Professor in the Visual Arts Conservatory.[1]

Exhibitions

Christopher Robbins has exhibited at Nikolaj, Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center,[2][3] the Queens Museum of Art, Eyebeam Art and Technology Center,[4][5] CCS Bard,[6] the Dumbo Arts Festival,[7] chashama 20 West 53rd Street,[8] and LAND/ART New Mexico.[9]

The Ghana Think Tank, which Robbins co-founded in 2006, has exhibited at the Venice Biennale of Architecture,[10] ZKM | Museum of Contemporary Art,[11][12] New Museum Festival of Ideas,[13][14] FACT - the Foundation for Arts and Creative Technology,[15] Museum Arte Util,[16] the Shenzhen and Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture,[17][18] the Art Museum of the Americas,[19][20][21] and the National Museum of Wales.[22]

Organizations

As part of his art practice, Robbins has founded several organizations:

In 2006, he co-founded the Ghana Think Tank, a growing network of think tanks from Ghana, Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Iran, Afghanistan, Serbia and the US prison system, who work to solve problems in the “developed” world.[23] While initially developed as an art project, the Ghana ThinkTank has begun to have influence outside the art world as well.[24][25]

In 2010, he founded WPA 2010 as a response to the US Government’s failure in the face of the 2008 economic crisis.[26] WPA 2010 was a functional but illegitimate Work Projects Administration, in which US citizens took over the US Government’s WPA brand to pay unemployed people to complete public works projects.[27]

Awards

Robbins has been awarded residencies/ fellowships from MacDowell Colony,[28] Skowhegan,[29] Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Penland School of Crafts and Anderson Ranch Arts Center.

He has received grants/awards from the Puffin Foundation, CEC Arts Link,[30] and the New York State Council on the Arts.

The Ghana ThinkTank, which he co-founded in 2006, has won awards from Creative Capital,[31][32] Black Rock Arts Foundation,[33] CEC Arts Link,[30] and Creative Time.[34]

References

  1. ^ Faculty: Sculpture (2014-11-14). "Faculty - Sculpture". Purchase.edu. Archived from the original on 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  2. ^ "The Tent Show" (in Danish). www.nikolajkunsthal.dk. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  3. ^ "Two exhibitions Nikolaj Kunsthal - Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center Copenhagen". Undo.net. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  4. ^ "WPA 2010". eyebeam.org. Archived from the original on 2014-12-11. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  5. ^ Eyebeam Not An Alternative (2010-08-07). "Tactical Media Files event : Re:Group: Beyond Models of Consensus". Tacticalmediafiles.net. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  6. ^ "Ccs Bard | Double Session". Bard.edu. 2011-05-01. Archived from the original on 2014-12-11. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  7. ^ "Random Number". Random Number.
  8. ^ "John Baca, Christopher Robbins, Chris Mendoza - chashama 20 West 53rd St - ArtCat". Calendar.artcat.com. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  9. ^ "The Collector'S Guide: The Evolving Genre Of Land Art In New Mexico". Collectorsguide.com. 2009-07-22. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  10. ^ "Spontaneous Interventions #63 to #77 - Architect Magazine Page 1 of 15". Architectmagazine.com. 2012-08-14. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  11. ^ "Ghana ThinkTank - The Global Contemporary". Global-contemporary.de. 2011-09-17. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  12. ^ "Ghana ThinkTank, Photo tour. The Global Contemporary". Universes-in-universe.org. Archived from the original on 2014-12-11. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  13. ^ "The Ghana ThinkTank Mobile Unit :: IDEAS CITY". Newmuseum.org. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  14. ^ "Festival of Ideas Features Mobile Art Studio, Interactive Think Tank and More". The Utopianist. 2011-05-09. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  15. ^ "Ghana Think Tank - FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology)". FACT. Archived from the original on 2014-03-03. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  16. ^ "Ghana ThinkTank | Museum of Arte Útil". Museumarteutil.net. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  17. ^ "Shenzhen & Hong Kong Biennale - SZHK Biennale". e-architect. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  18. ^ "Shenzhen's Strada Novissima - News & Stories at STYLEPARK". Stylepark.com. 2011-12-21. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  19. ^ "Ripple Effect: Currents of Socially Engaged Art | AMA | Art Museum of the Americas". Museum.oas.org. Archived from the original on 2015-03-15. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  20. ^ "The Ripple Effect: Currents of Socially Engaged Art: Exhibits on". Washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-08. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  21. ^ "Art Exhibition | Washington Project for the Arts and AMA | Art Museum of the Americas Announce The Ripple Effect: Currents of Socially Engaged Art". Art Week. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  22. ^ "The Ghana Think Tank". Ffotogallery. 2009-12-05. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  23. ^ "Kony This: 'Ghana ThinkTank' Turns the Tables on White Saviors". ColorLines. 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  24. ^ "Recent Blog Posts > What brands can learn from the Ghana Think Tank". Archived from the original on April 12, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  25. ^ Gangemi, Jeffrey (2010-05-08). "Thinking Design: Ghana Think Tank - Turning Aid and Innovation on their Heads". Gangemithinkingdesign.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  26. ^ "A DIY, Modern-day WPA Program". Roosevelt Institute. 2010-07-30. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  27. ^ "Taking Matters Into Your Own Hands: Revitalising The WPA With Action Research -". PSFK. 11 March 2011.
  28. ^ "The MacDowell Colony". The MacDowell Colony. Archived from the original on 2009-05-26. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  29. ^ "Skowhegan - art registry". Skowheganart.org. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  30. ^ a b "2011 ArtsLink Projects Awardees". CEC ArtsLink. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  31. ^ "CREATIVE CAPITAL ANNOUNCES 2013 GRANTEES IN EMERGING FIELDS, LITERATURE AND PERFORMING ARTS". creative capital. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  32. ^ "Creative Capital Grants Upwards of $4-Million to 46 Projects for 2013 | In the Air: Art News & Gossip | ARTINFO.com". Blogs.artinfo.com. 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  33. ^ "2011 Grant Recipients | Black Rock Arts Foundation". Blackrockarts.org. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  34. ^ Kaufman, Joanne (31 July 2010). "Judgment Day in Queens". Wall Street Journal – via www.wsj.com.
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