Jim Shrosbree

Jim Shrosbree

Fellow: Awarded 2019
Field of Study: Fine Arts

Competition: US & Canada

Jim Shrosbree’s highly distilled sculpture is formed out of simple, yet idiosyncratic materials. His wall-hung forms often have drawn lines or colored shapes placed behind and/or around them; and many have physical linear connections, like wire, uniting the form and the wall through suspension, tension, and/or balance. Together they form a set of relationships that further each work’s concept, while affirming the architectural space they occupy. His free-standing pieces incorporate custom pedestals, trivet-like platforms, and/or cloth coverings. The latter elude to domestic or embodied space, while inviting responses to tactile memory—fake fur, nylon stockings, a piece of blanket, natural or painted wood are all common materials/elements in his work. His often-stacked forms may be read as altars. Shrosbree acknowledges Catholic upbringing and Eastern Indian influence, but they also imply a studio work space where a soiled rag, a rubber band, or a piece of felt become sacred materials. For the artist, the studio is a space where the most common of things can be transformed into art, especially when, as his contemporary John Duff has stated, the artist is “conscious of the act of being conscious”.

Jim Shrosbree’s sculptures, paintings, and works on paper have been exhibited nationally and internationally, and are included in such collections as Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Art, Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, Des Moines Art Center, Mint Museum, and University of Iowa Museum of Art. Awards include those from The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Wege Foundation, Iowa Arts Council, Idaho Arts and Humanities Commission, and residency Fellowships at Yaddo, The MacDowell Colony and Watershed Center for Ceramic Art. Shrosbree earned his BFA from Boise State University in Painting and Drawing and MFA in Ceramics at University of Montana. His work is represented by Paul Kotula Projects in Detroit. He is Professor of Art at Maharishi University, Fairfield, Iowa.

Profile photograph by Sean Downey

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