BIOGRAPHY

American, born 1978. Raised in Quincy, Illinois on the Mississippi river in Mark Twain territory. Currently Conrad lives and works in America, and tours the back-roads from the Misty Mountaintop to the Dismal Swamp singing songs with his ukulele, and the Pod of Absence, occasionally fixing people’s homes with his toolkit.

EDUCATION

2000 – The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Bachelor of Fine Arts
1999 – Glasgow School of Art, Exchange Program: Sculpture Department

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS

2013
– Before the Grave and Constant, Linda Warren Projects, Chicago, IL

2012
-The Woodshed, an eleven sided musician’s practice space and fully rotational stellar observation deck housed at Harold Arts Residency, Chesterhill, Ohio

2011
-The Blind Light, the Pyre of Night, a show about the transient states of matter, solo show, Linda Warren Gallery
-It Is What It Isn’t, Hyde Park Art Center, solo show in Gallery One, residency and culmination of years of research centered on the VOID.
-Astro Space Party, an online assortment of artist made video horoscopes, holliday edition, curated by Gwendolyn Infusino, astrospaceparty.info
-Empty Set Los Angeles, Artists and musicians interpret the void in music and sound, Carter And Citizen Gallery, Los Angeles
-In Concert, Slanguage studio, San Pedro, California
-Odd Geometry Tour, an effort to bring the Pod of Absence to the small town dives of the American West, various locations
-Visiting Artist, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
-Empty Set Albuquerque, Artists and musicians interpret the Void in music and sound, Casa Anderwell,
-Harmony in Three Parts, a public discussion between a Heinrich Jaeger- physicist, Lawrence Zbikowski- musicologist, and myself. Arranged by the Graham School at the University of Chicago, and occuring in the installation of “It Is What It Isn’t” at the Hyde Park Art Center.
-Co-Prosperity School, presentation and discussion at the CPS, Bridgeport,
-Chicago2010 Heaven Gallery, in concert with Noritaka Tanaka, Jason Ajemian, and Matt Schnieder.
-Three Walls, in concert with Bill Mackay for the premier of Kelly Kaczynski’s “The Stagehand’s Unseen”, and Kirsten Leenaars’ “The Impossible Voyage.”
-Club Nutz, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago comedy club musical performance
-Harold Arts Residency curated by Shannon Stratton of Three Walls, Survival session, Chesterhill, Ohio, where I made fire, charcoal, filtered water, and also recorded the first howls of my newly found voice.
-Art Chicago, Linda Warren Gallery, Chicago
-Superfantastic Coloring Book, Porto, Portugal
-Opshop, ukulele performance, hyde park, Chicago

2009
-Home Gallery Diorama show, where I installed a constellation view with hovering eye. Chicago
-King Ludd’s Midway Arcade, in association with Material Exchange collaborative, the Experimental station and Version fest, I put on
display the “Lovehammer 2,” a strong man circus device determining the height of one’s passion.
-Ukulele tour, a tour of the East coast and west coasts through the Great Dismal Swamp and the Rain forest of northern California.

2008
-A Great Daydream a project based on the Declaration of Independence whereby the audience is invited to give assent dissent or quiet indifference, solo show at Linda Warren Gallery, Chicago IL

2007
-Chicago at Play, curated by Nathan Mason, Chicago, IL My circus type strong-man mechanism called the Lovehammer was wailed upon by destructive chicagoans to much tangled pleasure
-Superfantastic XXI An international group show where I collected American trash and assembled it in Canada, Montreal, Quebec.
-Re-animator collaboration with Iain Muirhead, Beacon Street Gallery, Chicago, IL. This collaboration involved an exchange of art to be manipulated by the other and then returned and reworked for the final show.
-Talking Point, group discussion at the Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL
-Art Chicago, Linda Warren Gallery, at the Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL

2006
-The Slipping Glimpser, solo show, Linda Warren Gallery, Chicago, IL This project was a human powered bowling ball roller coaster interpretation of the Columbian Expo of 1893, the paintings of Willem DeKooning, and temporal beauty. In keeping with the themes of the project, the wood from it now heats my shop/studio.
-Snowball Party, holiday fundraiser, ThreeWalls, Chicago, ILSuperfantastic 20, international art happening, Porto, Portugal

2005
-Homefront, Art Chicago, Chicago, IL

2004
-Ball Dropper, a roller coaster ramp for dropping bowling balls on breakables at the midnight hour New Years Eve, Chicago, IL
-Gutter Talk, a hilarious yet failed cable access variety show in which guests were invited to bowl and chat in our homemade bowling alley
studio, Chicago, IL

2003
-Public Domain, Linda Warren Gallery, Chicago, IL
-Muck on the Button, Green Room Gallery, Chicago, IL
-Artboat, on board the Anita Dee coinciding with Art Chicago Chicago, IL
-Summer Show, Gallery 312, Chicago, IL
-Really Real, a group show organized by CreamCo., Gallery 312, Chicago, IL

2002
-Dupreau Gallery, Chicago, IL, three artist show
-Showtel, a one-night show of site-specific art, Hotel Biba, West Palm Beach, FL

2001
-Instant Happiness, inaugural show, Can Gallery, Chicago, IL

2000
-La Petite VII, a national small format show, Alder Gallery, Coburg, Oregon
-Baltimore Getaway, a Superfantastic Production, Baltimore, MD
-B.F.A. Show, Gallery 2, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
-A Catapult for the New Millennium, a project to launch my career through time and space, in the middle of a soybean field, Paris, IL at
the turn of the new Millennium

1999
-Say It… Salon, a Superfantastic Production, Miami, FL
-No Gold Chains, a Superfantastic Production, Chicago IL
-Group show, Newberry Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland

1998
-Volume3: A 40 Hour Art Occasion, curated by Sybillé Canthal, and Alexander Lynn, 1804 S. Racine Ave., Chicago, IL

AWARDS, RESIDENCIES, PUBLISHED WRITING

2011
-Drywall Residency, Los Angeles, California, fabrication and sound explorations
-Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, Illinois, 10 month Residency and solo show at the center called “It Is What It Isn’t”

2010
-Harold Arts Residency, Chesterhill, Ohio, Survival Session curated by Shannon Stratton of Three Walls.
-Chicago Academy for the Arts, juror for annual student show

2008
-Proximity magazine issue #2: cities, interview with artist Ben Foch on his project “The World.”

2007
-Emerging Artist Award Nomination, Richard H Dreihaus Foundation, Chicago, IL
-Cliffdwellers Artist in Residence Program, Chicago, IL
-Chicagoan of the Year, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL

2006
-Fiscal Sponsorship, New York Foundation for the Arts, New York, NY

PRESS/REVIEWS

2011
-Art Forum- Daniel Quiles review of “The Blind Light, the Pyre of Night,” November, 2011
-Chicago Tribune- Lori Waxman “Making Something Out of Nothing”, review of It Is What It Isn’t, March 31
-Bad At Sports- top 5, March 20
-New City- Bert Stabler, April 25
-WBEZ- Robin Amer, Dear Chicago, January 31
-Time Out- Laura Pearson, May 11
-ChicagoArts- MartinJon Garcia, video interview around It Is What It Isn’t

2010
-Studio Chicago Blog- October 27th “The Great American Loserdom”
-Chicago Art Machine- Jeriah Hildwine, December 14

2008
-Time out Chicago- Lauren Weinberg, September 25- October 1
-Chicago Tribune- Alan Artner, October 3
-New City- Rachel Turney, September 9
-Huffington Post- Paul Klein
-Consumatron.com- October 6
-Flavorpil.com- Karsten Lund, September 5

2007
-ARTnews- Margaret Hawkins, February

2006
-Chicago Tribune- Chicagoan of the Year 2006, December 31
-Chicago Tribune- Alan G. Artner October 13
-Time Out Chicago- “Make Up to Break Up” September 7-13
-Art Letter- September 8
-New City- September 26
-Chicago Journal- September 6
-Chicago Public Radio- “Three to See” September 14
-Chicago Public Radio- “Hello Beautiful” September 24
-Consumatron.com- September 29

1999
-Public Radio WILL- Urbana, IL, interview regarding the “Catapult for the New Millennium” project, January
-Chicago Tribune- Internet Edition, December 10

1998
-Chicago Reader- December 9 on “Volume3: A 40 Hour Art Occasion”

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

2010-2011 – Chicago Academy for the Arts, Chicago IL, faculty instructor of sculpture.
2004-present – Archemedes Woodworks- Chicago, IL carpentry services company and custom prototype shop. Owner.
2008-2010 – Aikido International Foundation- a 501 c 3 not for profit. board of directors. Guiding fundraising and programming.
2003-present – 1307 Inc., Miami, Florida, independent art handling contractor.
2005-present – NFA Space, Chicago Il, independent art handling contractor.
2001-2003 – The Chicago Historical Society- Exhibition Preparator. Responsible for all aspects of exhibition set-up including case building, mountmaking, artifact handling, and installation.