• 2023 - Solo Exhibition, "The Undeniable Blackness Between Us"

    2023 - Solo Exhibition, "The Undeniable Blackness Between Us"

    Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts
    The Undeniable Blackness Between Us
    1221 10th Avenue South
    Birmingham, AL 35205

    Opening:
    Friday, August 25, 12-5pm

    Michael Dixon’s paintings and performances explore the personal, societal, and aesthetic struggles of belonging to both “white” and “black” racial and cultural identities, yet simultaneously belonging fully to neither. For his 2023 AEIVA exhibit, titled The Undeniable Blackness Between Us, Dixon will explore his cultural duality through the lens of his childhood, familial relationships, and his search for a father he’s never known.

    Michael Dixon lives in Albion, Michigan and is a full professor of art at Albion College. He received his MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dixon is a recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, Joan Mitchell Foundation Emergency Grant, Puffin Foundation Grant, and the Blanchard Fellowship. Recent exhibitions include the Slocumb Galleries, Eastern Tennessee State; Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art; and international exhibitions in Palestine, the Sarajevo Winter Festival 2022 and traveling exhibitions in Japan and Michigan.

    AEIVA Inside the Arts LIVE featuring Michael Dixon

  • 2023 - Solo Exhibition, "Once Lost Now Found: One Drop of Blood Between Us"

    2023 - Solo Exhibition, "Once Lost Now Found: One Drop of Blood Between Us"

    Annex Gallery
    "Once Lost Now Found: One Drop of Blood Between Us"
    3575 Ringsby Ct.
    #103
    Denver, CO 80216

    July 28 – August 19, 2023

    Opening Reception:
    Friday, July 28, 6-8pm

    Michael Dixon is PlatteForum’s visiting resident artist this summer. Hailing from Albion, Mich., Dixon is an oil painter and full professor of art at Albion College. Dixon was born in 1976 to a white mother and Black father in San Diego, Calif. After participating in genetic testing, Dixon found a sister, and subsequently learned he was one of eleven children. This discovery also provided his biological father’s name and identity. Having never met his biological father, “Once Lost Now Found: One-Drop of Blood Between Us” is a new body of work about his missing biological father and his new-found family members. After 47-years of wondering, Dixon is at the beginning of a new chapter of discovery both personally and artistically.

    Press:
    Michael Dixon on Display

  • 2023 - Residency, PlatteForum

    2023 - Residency, PlatteForum

    PlatteForum’s Resident Artist program is one of the first of its kind in Colorado. Our competitive international program provides artists the time, space and support to create new work, explore new mediums, and share their work with the community. Each resident artist’s practice and work created during their residency must address a social justice issue and may be created through any creative discipline.

    Platteforum
    2700 Arapahoe St #102
    Denver, CO 80205

    8-weeks, June & July, 2023

  • 2023 - Two-Person Exhibition, "Miscegenation Nation"

    2023 - Two-Person Exhibition, "Miscegenation Nation"

    Drewelowe Gallery
    University of Iowa
    Visual Arts Building, E100
    Miscegenation Nation
    107 River Street
    Iowa City, IA 52242

    April 19 - 29, 2023

    Closing Reception:
    Friday, April 28, 5-7pm

    Grant Wood Fellows Johanna Winters and Michael Dixon will present their work during a two-person show at the Drewelowe Gallery, located on the ground floor of the University of Iowa’s Visual Arts Building.

    Dixon’s paintings, collectively displayed under the title, “Miscegenation Nation,” explores the story of his white mother Peggy amidst the fear of racial mixing in America. Anti-Miscegenation laws were in place across the country for 276-years. June 12th, 2022, marked the 55th anniversary of the landmark case, Loving v. Virginia, which made interracial marriage legal across the United States. Dixon is interested in how his mother navigated a cultural landscape that intentionally and legally promoted separation.

    Winters will present a combination of videos, sculptural props, and collagraph prints titled “HOWW TO WAYT.” This work considers the condition of a puppet-protagonist who performs her sensuality for the camera. In a two-channel video at the center of the work, Winters manifests as the protagonist’s embodied chaperone as she readies for an encounter with an imagined romantic interest in a rehearsal for being desired.

    The exhibition is free and open to the public, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

  • 2022/2023 - Fellowship, Grant Wood Fellow in Painting

    2022/2023 - Fellowship, Grant Wood Fellow in Painting

    The Grant Wood Art Colony seeks to provide a creative home for the next generation of artists and continue Grant Wood’s creative advocacy in the School of Art & Art History and the Division of Performing Arts at The University of Iowa through artist residencies, teaching fellowships, symposia, and community programs.

    The vision of the Colony is to nurture creative work and teaching in disciplines relevant to the art and life of Grant Wood—studio art, art history, the performing arts, and eventually expanding to a variety of disciplines. The program exemplifies The University of Iowa’s historic commitment to creative work and pioneering of the MFA degree. The Grant Wood Art Colony will further embody the “Iowa Idea” of bringing artists and scholars together in an academic context, as first formulated in the 1920s by President Walter Jessup and Graduate Dean Carl Seashore. The long-term goal is to create a vibrant colony and cultural center, woven together by gardens and studio space.

    Grant Wood Colony

    Grant Wood Fellow Talk

  • 2022 - Collections, The Horseman Foundation

    2022 - Collections, The Horseman Foundation

    The Horseman Foundation

    OUR MISSION

    The John and Susan Horseman Foundation for American Art is committed to advancing interest in and appreciation of the art of the United States. The Horseman Foundation firmly believes that an American art history without the contributions of women, Black, and Native/First Nations artists is not just incomplete, but incomprehensible. Since its inception in 2012, the Foundation has championed artists working outside the narrow parameters of the art historical canon due to their race, gender, or geographic locale. Through its Art Answers initiative, the Foundation facilitates access to, lends, and donates works of art; organizes and sponsors exhibitions and programing; and provides financial support for artists and scholars seeking to expand the dialogue of 20th and 21st century American art.

  • 2022 - Juried Exhibition, "West Michigan Area Show"

    2022 - Juried Exhibition, "West Michigan Area Show"

    Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
    "West Michigan Area Show"
    314 S. Park Street
    Kalamazoo, MI 49007

    May 21 - September 4, 2022

    Since the 1960s, this annual juried exhibition has showcased exceptional work in all media, drawing hundreds of entries from a 14-county region. Each year, an experienced juror chooses the artists from more than 300 submitted entries, ranging from paintings, prints and photos to mosaics, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture and mixed-media works.

    The 2022 juror is artist Ed Fraga. Fraga is a Detroit area artist who received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Wayne State University. Ed often blurs the line between painting and construction as image and object merge as one. As a painter he explores the human condition, touching on themes of loss and the cycles of birth and death. His distinguished awards and Fellowships include an Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Fellowship, Kresge Artist Fellowship, Bellagio Center Rockefeller Foundation Residency, and an Arts Midwest National Endowment for the Arts.

  • 2022 - Juried Exhibition, "P/N37"

    2022 - Juried Exhibition, "P/N37"

    Slocumb Galleries
    "Positive/Negative 37 National Jured Art Exhibition"
    East Tennessee State University
    Ground level, Ernest C. Ball Hall
    PO Box 70708
    Johnson City, TN 37614

    February 22 - April 1, 2022

    Juror's Lecture:
    March 30, Wednesday at 6 p.m. via ZOOM ID 710 908 4999.

    This year's juror is Kevin W. Tucker, Chief Curator at the High Museum, Atlanta, Georgia. The Positive/Negative 37 National Juried Art Exhibition participating artists are J. Bradley Adams, Jimmie Allen, Jose Santos Ardivilla, Jim Arendt, Daniel Atyim, Mohsen Azar, Lawrence Baker, Gary Beeber, Kelly Boehmer, Rachel Boillot, Michael Borowski, Jan Burleson, Alexander Diaz, Joelle Dietrick, Michael Dixon, William Dooley, Kevin Ford, Kariann Fuqua, Nina Ghanbarzadeh, Jenny Hager, Sharon Harper, Stacey Holloway, Ron Janowich, Paula Kovarik, Jocelyn Lechuga, Riva Nayaju, Whitney Oldenburg, Matthew Patterson, Alayna Pernell, Sophia Sanchez, Hosna Shahramipoor, Julie Shapiro, Catherine Eaton Skinner, Steven Subotnick, Michele Theberge, and Dillon Ward.

  • 2021 - Group Exhibition, "Envision: The Michigan Artist Initiative"

    2021 - Group Exhibition, "Envision: The Michigan Artist Initiative"

    Stamps Gallery
    "Envision: The Michigan Artist Initiative"
    201 South Division Street
    Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
    November 12, 2021 - Jan­u­ary 22, 2022

    Opening Reception:
    Friday, November 12, 6-8pm

    Orga­nized by Stamps Gallery, Envi­sion: The Michi­gan Artist Ini­tia­tive is a new awards pro­gram designed to sup­port the devel­op­ment of con­tem­po­rary artists liv­ing and work­ing in Michi­gan. This inau­gural pro­gram rec­og­nizes the cre­ativ­ity, rigor, and inno­va­tion of Michi­gan-based artists and col­lab­o­ra­tives;and hon­ors their role in inspir­ing the next gen­er­a­tions of artists in our state.

    The call for work went out to artists across the state in March 2020. In July 2020, Envi­sion jurors Carla Acevedo-Yates, Cura­tor, MCA Chicago; Ken Aptekar (BFA’73), Artist; and Lor­ing Ran­dolph (BFA’04), Direc­tor, Frieze New York gath­ered vir­tu­ally to review the sub­mis­sions. After eval­u­at­ing 259 sub­mis­sions from across the state, the jurors selected five final­ists to receive a group exhi­bi­tion at Stamps Gallery, cur­rently planned for Fall 2021. Once the exhi­bi­tion is on view, one of the final­ists will be awarded a cash prize. The exhi­bi­tion will tour to dif­fer­ent venues in Michi­gan, includ­ing the Crooked Tree Art Cen­ter in Tra­verse City.

    Envision Conversations: Michael Dixon

  • 2021 - Group Exhibition, "Uncanny Times"

    2021 - Group Exhibition, "Uncanny Times"

    Seidel City
    "Artnauts Collective - Uncanny Times: Looking Back, Looking Forward"
    3205 Longhorn Road
    Boulder, CO 80302
    September 25 - November 13, 2021

    Opening Reception:
    Saturday, September 25, 4-7pm
    Artist Talks:
    September 26, 11am-1pm | October 2, 2-5pm | November 6, 2-5pm
    Virtual Artist Talk:
    October 20, 6:30-8:30pm via Zoom
    Closing Reception:
    November 13, 2-4pm

    Uncanny Times: Looking Back, Looking Forward features new work by artists in the Artnauts Collective, along with special guests. Artists ponder these uncanny times we are in and consider, though our current times seem unrecognizable, whether there are recognizable patterns from the past. What has remained the same or cycled back? What new paradigms will we forge? These reflections span global history and the past 25 years of the Artnauts’ mission of social change, lessons learned, and dreams for the future.

    This exhibition focuses on how our present time in the history of the United States has become a crisis of contention dividing our country. The familiar has become unfamiliar. Hate dominates life as we are inundated with media reports that bring this into consciousness on a daily basis. The Artnauts seek to create images that counter the present zeitgeist in hopes of healing our society with alternative visions. The Artnauts Collective has had exhibitions in places of contention throughout the world. We are exhibiting in our home country because the United States has become a place of contention. The coronavirus and the present situation in race relations make it imperative for the Artnauts to exhibit work that helps us address these issues.
    - Dr. George Rivera, Artnauts founder and chief curator

    Uncanny Times is curated by Cecily Cullen, director and curator of the Center for Visual Art, Metropolitan State University of Denver. The exhibition is organized by the Center for Visual Art in cooperation with the Artnauts Collective.

  • 2021 - Group Exhibition, "The Art Department"

    2021 - Group Exhibition, "The Art Department"

    Eastend Studio & Gallery
    "The Art Department"
    143 W Michigan Avenue
    Marshall, MI, 49068
    September 18, 2021 – October 29, 2021

    Opening Reception:
    Thursday, October 14, 5:00-8:00pm

    Katie Bullock
    Michael Dixon
    Ashley Feagin
    Shauna Merriman
    Emmeline Solomon

    The Art Department contains work by Katie Bullock, Michael Dixon, Ashley Feagin, Shauna Merriman, and Emmeline Solomon. Work in the show includes large works with charged subject matter, as well as smaller, contemplative pieces to lose yourself in.

    This group show is comprised of professors from the Albion College Art Department. Each educator is an accomplished artist in their own right. Artists in the show keep up their studio practice and exhibition schedule all while nurturing the next generation of fine artists. This exhibition pays homage to them.

  • 2021 - Group Exhibition, "My City"

    2021 - Group Exhibition, "My City"

    Redline Contemporary Art Center
    "My City: Life During the Coronavirus and/or Black Lives Matter in the USA"
    2350 Arapahoe Street
    Denver, CO 80205

    Virtual Showcase

    Artists in the United States organized to contribute representation from the United States to the online exhibition on the theme of “MY CITY.” This exhibition consists of photographs and digital images created by the ARTNAUTS Collective in the United States. Artists created photographs of something in their home, neighborhood or city, etc. that referenced the coronavirus or Black Lives Matter or created a digital image that references the coronavirus or Black Lives Matter.

    The Artnauts is an artist collective that uses the visual arts as a tool for addressing global issues while connecting with artists from around the world.

    The name derives from combining the words “art” and “astronaut” as a way to describe the process of exploring uncharted territory in the world at large. The name also denotes the practice that is “not” art as usual, going beyond the confines of the traditional or conventional art world and blurring the boundaries between art, activism, and social practice. The Artnauts have worked at the intersection of critical consciousness and contemporary artistic practice to impact change for almost 25 years. More than 350 artists have been in the collective, participating in over 270 exhibitions on 5 continents.

    PARTICIPATING ARTISTS - Patricia Aaron // Valerie Albicker // Lourdes Archundia // Barbara Arnold // Trine Bumiller // Dennis Dalton // Rebecca DiDomenico // Michael Dixon // Melissa Furness // Quintin Gonzalez // Andrea Gordon // Kari Greenberg // Kathryn Hart // Todd Edward Herman // Ben Jackel // Mary-Ann Kokoska // Beth Krensky // V. Kim Martinez // Arturo Miranda Videgaray // Faten Nastas Mitwasi // Pamela Beverly-Quigley // George Rivera // Laura Phelps Rogers // Yumi Roth // Martha Russo // Virginia Schick // Tina Suszynski // Luis Valdovino // Summer Ventis // Luz del Carmen Vilchis

    GUEST ARTISTS - Joanna Bugajska // Chelsea Taylor

  • 2021 - Group Exhibition, "Without Borders"

    2021 - Group Exhibition, "Without Borders"

    elysium gallery
    "Without Borders"
    210 High Street,
    Swansea, Wales
    SA1 1PE
    July 17, 2021 – August 28, 2021

    Opening Reception:
    Saturday, July 17, 3:00-10:00pm

    Without Borders is an evolving digital project and physical exhibition that brings together 22 communities and nearly 300 artists from around the world.

    Without Borders seeks to remove barriers, create alliances, and connect with neighbours. It aims to bring creative people together, to collaborate in an international touring exhibition of works on paper – a collection of artists pages.

    At the end of the elysium exhibition, the pages will be bound together to make a book and taken to another venue to be taken apart, displayed, and then reassembled before moving again to its next location.

    The exhibition will travel to Japan, Norway, USA, Venice, Canada, and back to Wales. The project will also be globally accessible via an e-catalogue.

    At the end of the tour, the artworks will permanently be bound together to create one unique artist book, to be housed in a special collection’s library which will be announced at a later date.

    Curated by Jonathan Powell, elysium gallery Director and Heather Parnell, co-editor of 1SSUE artist books. The project salutes the diversity of creativity, showcasing the work of all participating artists democratically, in a format that is portable and accessible. The ‘Artists Book’ serves as the vessel and sets the parameters into the exploration of the notion of Borders.

    The term Border describes literal or invisible lines: edges that separate and divide, that contain and limit. Without Borders is particularly evocative and redolent in these current times. Ever-quickening, reactive politics results in some borders hardening, whilst others dissolve. The divide between rich and poor appears to be widening. Physical, geographical, and social borders, together with the fragile, permeable border between life and death have also been highlighted by the recent pandemic.

  • 2021 - Group Exhibition, "Survey of Shame, Emotion, and Oblivion"

    2021 - Group Exhibition, "Survey of Shame, Emotion, and Oblivion"

    RedLine Contemporary Art Center
    "A Survey of Shame, Emotion, and Oblivion"
    2350 Arapahoe Street
    Denver, CO 80205
    March 9, 2021 – April 24, 2021

    Part of Month of Photography (MOP), Curated by Mark Sink

    Opening Reception:
    Saturday, March 6, 6:00-9:00pm

    VISIT: TIMED ENTRY, RESERVATION IS REQUIRED

    In collaboration with Todd Edward Herman, Denver College Club, Alto Gallery and the Unperson Project, Three Acts braids three unique collaborations into one exhibit at RedLine for the Month of Photography. Todd Edward Herman offers Shame Radiant, a photography collective that explores themes of shame and privilege. Denver Collage Club and Alto Gallery join forces for the second act that dives into the phenomenon of cancel culture and the existential crisis spurred by the pandemic.The final act features the Unperson Project, an archive of oblivion from the Mexico City-based curatorial duo, Andrea Tejeda and Susana Moyaho. Together, Three Acts carries the sentiment, crisis and response to these times.

    Shame Radiant
    Todd Edward Herman

    2021
    Facilitating a survey-exhibit about our experiences with shame began by asking the questions: What can we learn about how we regulate, uphold or challenge social norms, hierarchies or transgressions when shame is activated? How can this powerful moral emotion turn inward, to ourselves, to our bodies, often catalyzing self-harm, self-negation, self-reflection, self-evaluation as well as healing?

    A forum for such queries seems particularly relevant at a time when our respective relationships to a climate of amplified national and global conservatism, xenophobia, racism, transphobia, homophobia, and ableism have been significantly challenged.

    I invited photographers, writers, visual artists, and non-artists from around the world to make work that collectively addressed their experiences with shame. The nearly 300 photographs, collages, drawings, and texts that were submitted in response look at deeply intimate, broadly political, emotional, physical, social, sexual, interpersonal, intergenerational, and institutional aspects of shame.

    "Shame Radiant" hopes to offer an opportunity for participants as well as viewers to explore more of the personhood and less of the pathology of our collective as well as our outlying experiences of shame.

  • 2021 - Group Exhibition, "Catharsis"

    2021 - Group Exhibition, "Catharsis"

    Play + Inspire Art Gallery
    Catharsis
    January 22 - March 19, 2021

    The prompt for this juried exhibition was "How are you seeing change, coping with change, and being a change-maker?" Artists responded to this prompt and our juror, Chloe Alexander, used it as a starting point for selection of work. Below is her statement about the exhibition.

    2020 was a tumultuous year, and while every new year brings about hope for change and progress, time remains relative. The world remains in the throes of a global pandemic, and many of us will continue to encounter unexpected challenges, setbacks, and general life-related happenstances as the new year progresses.

    However, how do we, as artists, perceive and respond to change? The answer manifests itself in a variety of ways, be it through exploration of self, the environment, a more empathetic perception of others, or process- all of which often arise during moments of catharsis. This body of selected work explores the idea of change through the lens of individuals who work in a variety of media to realize not only what is, but what was, what is yet to come, and what is possible.

    – Guest Curator, Chloe Alexander

    About
    This is a curatorial collaboration between Rebecca Potts, host of Teaching Artist Podcast and a teaching artist currently teaching TK-5th grades, and Maria Coit, creator of Curated for Kids and a middle school art teacher.

    This exhibition space shares contemporary art to both highlight emerging and mid-career artists and inspire teachers and young people. We pair work with videos and lesson plans, making exhibits accessible as teaching tools.

    Podcast
    Teaching Artist Podcast

    Video
    Michael Dixon

  • 2020 - Group Exhibition, "The Walls Between Us"

    2020 - Group Exhibition, "The Walls Between Us"

    Center for Visual Art
    Metropolitan State University of Denver
    The Walls Between Us
    965 Santa Fe Drive
    Denver, CO 80204
    August 14 - October 17, 2020

    Featuring work by the artist collective known as Artnauts, The Walls Between Us will examine different types of borders – politically charged, contested, invisible and those clearly delineated, as well as socioeconomic, emotional and other intangible barriers.

    The Artnauts is an artist collective that uses the visual arts as a tool for addressing global issues while connecting with artists from around the world. The name denotes the practice that is “not” art as usual, going beyond the confines of the traditional or conventional art world and blurring the boundaries between art, activism, and social practice. This social justice focus is in great alignment with CVA’s mission to promote dialogue and engagement with global, urban issues through the lens of contemporary art.

    Press:
    The Walls Between Us Review

  • 2020 - Three-Person Exhibition, "False Choice"

    2020 - Three-Person Exhibition, "False Choice"

    Foothills Art Center
    "False Choice"
    809 15th Street
    Golden, CO 80401
    August 28 - November 1, 2020

    Ambivalently Yours, Michael Dixon, and Katherine Payge explore trials with false binary in their own lives through artistic creation.

    Coversation with the Curator

  • 2020 - Solo Exhibition (virtual), "The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same"

    2020 - Solo Exhibition (virtual), "The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same"

    Naropa University Art Galleries
    "The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same"
    2130 Arapahoe Avenue
    Boulder, CO 80302
    July 17 - December 24, 2020

    MEET THE ARTIST: MICHAEL DIXON
    Online Event: Friday, August 28, 2020 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
    https://naropa.zoom.us/j/94076148020

    Naropa University Art Galleries presents:
    The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
    by Michael Dixon

    Virtual Exhibition

    Michael Dixon is an artist working primarily with oil paint and was born in San Diego, California. He received his MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder in painting, and a BFA from Arizona State University in painting and drawing. Dixon is currently a Full Professor of Art at Albion College. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants including a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, Joan Mitchell Foundation Emergency Grant, Puffin Foundation Grant, Blanchard Fellowship, and Phi Beta Kappa Scholar of the Year Award. Dixon has received numerous artist residencies including the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, Yaddo, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Joan Mitchell Center. His work has been shown both nationally and internationally at museums, universities, art centers, alternative spaces, and galleries. Dixon explores the personal, societal, and aesthetic struggles of belonging to both "white" and "black" racial and cultural identities, yet simultaneously belonging fully to neither. The works of artists such as Robert Colescott, Beverly McIver, Michael Ray Charles, Glenn Ligon, and Kerry James Marshall have informed his work.

  • 2020 - Group Exhibition, "Unraveling Racism: Seeing White"

    2020 - Group Exhibition, "Unraveling Racism: Seeing White"

    KickstART Farmington
    "Unraveling Racism: Seeing White"
    33304 Grand River Ave
    Farmington, MI 48336
    August 1 - August 30, 2020

    Press:
    KickstART exhibit explores racism, privilege through art

  • 2020 - Group Exhibition, "Artnauts: Globalocation II"

    2020 - Group Exhibition, "Artnauts: Globalocation II"

    Morris Graves Museum of Art
    "Artnauts: Globalocation II"
    636 F Street
    Eureka, CA 95501
    July 8 - August 23, 2020

  • 2020 - Artist Talk, "Inside the Arts"

    2020 - Artist Talk, "Inside the Arts"

    Join us for our next Inside the Arts LIVE event featuring a virtual gallery talk led by artist, Michael Dixon. Attendees will have a chance to participate in the Q&A following Michael’s talk.

    Inside the Arts LIVE featuring Michael Dixon @ 5p CMT, Thursday, Jul 16, 2020

    ABOUT THE ARTIST
    “As a bi-racial American, I have often felt out of place, excluded, and alone in majority-white spaces. In black spaces, I have also felt different. What I have experienced is that I do not neatly fit into the white culture or black culture but rather rest in the middle. I have conceptualized this unique “in-between” space-based upon my experiences and the conversations I have had with other bi-racial people over the years. Exploring this “in-between” space has been the major focus of my creative work.” – Michael Dixon

  • 2020 - Artist Talk, "RECKONING"

    2020 - Artist Talk, "RECKONING"

    RECKONING

    “Reckoning: Deconstructing and Transforming Race in America – Now” is the third conversation in our Shuga & Wata series. This week, we have invited Alfred Conteh, LaToya Hobbs, and Michael Dixon to discuss the different ways in which they grapple with representation in their work.

    July 3, 2020 2:00pm EST

    SHUGA & WATA

    ‘Shuga & Wata’ is the patois pronunciation of Sugar & Water. We selected this as the title of our PFF-sponsored online artists’ discussion Salons, because shuga & wata is a shared constant; a drink that exists in all post-Diaspora, New World cultures. Shuga & Wata alludes to the most basic kind of drink for those who are thirsty. It arcs back to sugar plantations in the Americas. We are invoking sugar itself, water itself, and what’s creatively nourishing about our presence, struggles, and contributions.

    Shuga & Wata will be a bi-monthly forum. It is a sustaining mixture of relevant ideas and topics and is also a welcoming digital space in the era of social distancing. It is our mission to feature important artists, collectors and scholars. We will address important cultural topics in Contemporary African American and Afro-global art. Our mission is to create an ongoing communion of ideas and quench our collective thirst with new scholarship and relevant conversations.

  • 2020 - Interview, "Conversation with the Curator | Michael Dixon"

    2020 - Interview, "Conversation with the Curator | Michael Dixon"

    Foothills Art Center, Golden, MI
    Conversation with the Curator - Michael Dixon

  • 2020 - Group Exhibition, "Unraveling Racism: Seeing White"

    2020 - Group Exhibition, "Unraveling Racism: Seeing White"

    Norwest Gallery
    "Unraveling Racism: Seeing White"
    19556 Grand River Ave.
    Detroit, Michigan
    January 11 - February 2, 2020

    20 Michigan artists tug at the hidden strands of systemic racism woven into the fabric of American society – focusing on whiteness.

    "Where did this idea of a white race come from? For what purpose? How has the meaning of white changed? How does it function now?"

    Cultivating thoughtful and informed perspectives, small groups gathered regularly across urban, rural and suburban settings to respond to the podcast, share personal experiences and create an artistic dialog around these vital issues. Inclusive, inter-disciplinary + collaborative, this lively body of work is the result.

    Artists include:
    Hannah Burr • Justin Cox • Phil Dewey • Michael Dixon • Autumn-Grace Dougherty • Laura Earle • lisa eddy • Miki Graznak • Donna Jackson • Rita Lee • Melanie Manos • Azya Moore • Nora Myers • Margaret Parker • Mia Risberg • Trisha Schultz • Will See • Laurie Wechter • Margi Wier • Lizzie Wilson

    Saturday, January 11
    Opening Reception 6-9pm
    Performance by Melanie Manos

    Sunday, January 19
    Artist Talks by Justin Cox, Michael Dixon, and Laura Earle at 2pm
    Performance by lisa eddy at 3pm

    Monday, January 20, MLK Day
    Artist Talk by Rita Lee, Margaret Parker, and Azya Moore at 1pm
    Musical Performance by Will See at 2pm

    Gallery Hours:
    Sat 12-7pm
    Sun 12-4pm
    Wed-Fri by appointment

    Gallery Talk

    Press:
    Deadline Detroit
    The Neighborhoods

  • 2019 - Group Exhibition, "Unraveling Racism: Seeing White"

    2019 - Group Exhibition, "Unraveling Racism: Seeing White"

    Art Kettle at 22 North Gallery
    "Unraveling Racism: Seeing White"
    22 North Huron Street
    Ypsilanti, MI 48197
    October 4-6, and 18-20, 2019

    Open at 22 North Gallery for just two weekends:

    The voice of a unique art-making experience with a powerful podcast as its map, 20 Michigan artists tug at the hidden strands of systemic racism woven into the fabric of American society – focusing on whiteness.

    "Where did this idea of a white race come from? For what purpose? How has the meaning of white changed? How does it function now?"

    Cultivating thoughtful and informed perspectives, small groups gathered regularly across urban, rural and suburban settings to respond to the podcast, share personal experiences and create an artistic dialog around these vital issues. Inclusive, inter-disciplinary + collaborative, this lively body of work is the result.

    Friday, October 4
    Opening Reception 7-10pm
    Interactive Performance by Melanie Manos

    Saturday, October 5
    Artist Talks by Miki Graznak, Azya Moore, Margaret Parker 1pm
    Performance by lisa eddy 2pm
    Open 1-5pm

    Sunday, October 6
    Artist Talk by Michael Dixon and Laura Earle 2pm
    Guided Meditation by Hannah Burr 3pm
    Open 1-5pm

    Friday, October 18
    Open 7-10pm

    Saturday, October 19
    Closing Reception 6-10pm
    Performance by Will See 7pm
    Interactive Performance by Melanie Manos

    Sunday, October 20
    Artist Talks by Justin Cox and Mia Risberg 1pm
    Performance by lisa eddy, 2pm
    Open 1-5pm

    Hannah Burr • Justin Cox • Phil Dewey • Michael Dixon • Autumn-Grace Dougherty • Laura Earle • lisa eddy • Miki Graznak • Donna Jackson • Rita Lee • Melanie Manos • Azya Moore • Nora Myers • Margaret Parker • Mia Risberg • Trisha Schultz • Will See • Laurie Wechter • Margi Wier • Lizzie Wilson

  • 2019 - Residency, "Joan Mitchell Center"

    2019 - Residency, "Joan Mitchell Center"

    Joan Mitchell Center
    The Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans
    New Orleans, LA

    May 13 - June 7, 2019

    Press:
    ART News
    Joan Mitchell Foundation

  • 2019 - Solo Exhibition, "I, too, sing America"

    2019 - Solo Exhibition, "I, too, sing America"

    David Richard Gallery
    "I, too, sing America"
    211 East 121st Street
    New York, NY 10035
    April 7 - May 5, 2019

    Opening Reception:
    Sunday, April 7, 2019, 3:00-7:00pm

    Gallery Hours:
    10:00am-6:00pm on Wednesday through Saturday
    12:00-6:00pm on Sunday
    or
    By Appointment

    Gallery Talk

  • 2019 - Group Exhibition, "Challenging Borders"

    2019 - Group Exhibition, "Challenging Borders"

    Allegheny College
    Allegheny Art Gallery
    "Challenging Borders"
    520 N. Main Street
    Meadville, PA 16335
    January 29 - March 15, 2019

    Opening Reception:
    Tuesday, January 29, 2019, 7:00-9:00pm

  • 2018 - Symposium & Group Exhibition, "Figurative Association Symposium"

    2018 - Symposium & Group Exhibition, "Figurative Association Symposium"

    Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
    "Figurative Association Symposium 2018"
    Gatlinburg, TN

    Symposium
    November 7-10, 2018

    The symposium will be an event with many parts. At the core, 2018 will feature ten presenters – Jessica Calderwood, Michael Dixon, Judy Fox, Richard W. James, Curt LaCross, Stephanie Metz, LJ Roberts, Claire Stigliani, Kensuke Yamada, and Sunkoo Yuh. These ten artists, working from ceramics to embroidery, painting to enamels, will provide lectures and demonstrations across two full days. Before those days, however, the event kicks off on Wednesday with an opening reception to the 2018 Figurative Association Exhibition featuring work from all of the presenters, plus selected invited artists as well as our New Forms: Juried Student Exhibition. We are also excited to have sculptor Beth Cavener give the keynote opening address after the reception! In addition to the demonstrations and exhibitions, the event will also have panel discussions, additional lectures from guest speakers and rapid fire Quick Sketch presentations which allow for artists and makers to present their work and research.

    REGISTRATION OPENS MAY 1ST

    2018 Figurative Association Exhibition
    October 20, 2018 - January 12, 2019 - Sandra Blain Gallery

    Opening Reception:
    November 7, 2018 for Figurative Association Symposium attendees only

  • 2018 - Solo Exhibition, "The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same"

    2018 - Solo Exhibition, "The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same"

    Mazmanian Gallery
    Framingham State University
    "The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same"
    100 State Street, PO Box 9101
    Framingham, MA 01701
    October 1 - 26, 2018

    Opening Reception:
    Tuesday, October 2, 2018, 4:30-6:30pm

    Press:
    Michael Dixon: African American Art after the Civil Rights Movement

  • 2018 - Solo Exhibition, "Can You Hear Me Now"

    2018 - Solo Exhibition, "Can You Hear Me Now"

    St. Louis Community College Florissant Valley
    "Can You Hear Me Now"
    3400 Pershall Road
    St. Louis, MO 63135
    August 20 - September 20, 2018

    Opening Reception:
    Thursday, August 30, 2018, 6:00-8:00pm

    Press:
    Dixon Exhibition on View at STLCC-Florissant Valley

  • 2018 - Juried Exhibition, "Muskegon Museum of Art 90th Regional Exhibition"

    2018 - Juried Exhibition, "Muskegon Museum of Art 90th Regional Exhibition"

    Muskegon Museum of Art
    "Muskegon Museum of Art 90th Regional Exhibition"
    296 W Webster Ave
    Muskegon, MI 49440
    August 30 – November 7, 2018

    Opening Reception:
    Thursday, August 30, 2018, 5:30pm

    Juror: This year’s juror is artist and curator Marc Mitchell. He is an Assistant Professor in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Arkansas, where he also serves as Curator & Director of Exhibitions and Co-Director of Graduate Studies. His paintings incorporate geometric abstraction, graphic patterns, and found objects in an aesthetic that addresses nostalgia and cycles within contemporary popular culture. Mitchell has been featured in New American Paintings and The Boston Globe, and has exhibited around the U.S. and internationally. As a curator, he has developed exhibitions featuring artists such as Josef Albers, Philip Guston, Louise Bourgeois, and Carrie Mae Weems.

  • 2018 - Group Exhibition, "The Making of a Man"

    2018 - Group Exhibition, "The Making of a Man"

    Madelife Gallery
    "The Makings of a Man"
    Boulder, CO
    June 30 - September 1, 2018

    Opening Reception:
    Saturday, June 30, 7:00-10:00pm

    Interview:
    20 Questions with Michael Dixon

    The Makings of a Man investigates ways in which the 21st Century male painter portrays himself and others given our current time. There is both a raw vulnerability and a defiant pride expressed in the works of the three artists highlighted. Through these paintings – a mix of self-portraits, images of friends, mentors, local personalities – we experience a shifting sense of identity and the need to highlight the humanity, individuality and power of the men featured here.

    Opening: 7 pm to 10 pm @ madelife

    Featuring:
    Michael Dixon
    Steve Morrell
    Neil Yarnal

  • 2018 - Juried Exhibition, "GoggleWorks 12th Annual Juried Exhibition"

    2018 - Juried Exhibition, "GoggleWorks 12th Annual Juried Exhibition"

    GoggleWorks Center for the Arts
    "12th Annual Juried Exhibition"
    Reading, PA
    May 5 - June 3, 2018

    Opening Reception:
    Friday, May 4, 5:30-7:30pm

    GoggleWorks Center for the Arts is a place to develop skills, ask questions, experiment freely, and investigate the human spirit. Here we create a dialogue between the established and experimental, the contemporary and the traditional. Through exceptional arts education and engaging community programming, we inspire people to expand the boundaries of art making, personal growth, and appreciation for material culture.

    Juried by Thora Jacobson, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Art Alliance, the 12th Annual Juried Exhibition aims to present a selection of exemplary contemporary work from artists around the country.

  • 2018 - Juried Exhibition, "32nd Annual LowellArts West Michigan Art Competition"

    2018 - Juried Exhibition, "32nd Annual LowellArts West Michigan Art Competition"

    Lowell Arts
    "West Michigan Art Competition"
    Lowell, MI
    March 10 - April 14, 2018

    Opening Reception:
    Thursday, March 15, 6-8pm

    The 32nd Annual LowellArts West Michigan Art Competition highlights outstanding artwork by West Michigan artists who reside in a 25 county region. This year’s distinguished juror is Ryan Kaltenbach who currently serves as Exhibits Director at the Northville Art House near Detroit.

  • 2018 - Group Exhibition, "Divided: Race and Identity in Modern America"

    2018 - Group Exhibition, "Divided: Race and Identity in Modern America"

    the Dairy Arts Center
    "Divided: Race and Identity in Modern America"
    Boulder, CO
    January 26 - March 4, 2018

    Opening Reception:
    Friday, January 26

    The artists in this group exhibition explore the themes of race, identity, power, and division and the links between them in modern America. Through painting, photography, video, and sculpture each artist brings a diverse perspective and elicits a unique discussion on these important but often hard to address topics. Featuring works by Tya Alisa Anthony, Michael Brohman, Michael Dixon, and Françoise Soulé Duressé.

    Press:
    Just Give a Damn
    Dairy Arts Center shows mark Black History Month

  • 2017 - Grant, Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant

    2017 - Grant, Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant

    I was a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant recipient for the fiscal year of July 2016 through June 2017. Through the generous funding of the PKF, I was able to execute two exhibitions in Turkey (Izmir and Istanbul) and set up my new studio space in Albion, MI.

    Link:
    Michael Dixon

  • 2017 - Group Exhibition, "Globalocation II"

    2017 - Group Exhibition, "Globalocation II"

    Rosemary Duffy Larson Gallery
    Broward College
    "Globalocation II"
    Davie, Florida
    November 16, 2017 - January 17, 2018

    Opening Reception:
    Thursday, November 16, 2017
    6:00PM - 9:00PM with Lecture at 7:30PM

    The exhibition will feature work by the Artnauts, an international collective of artists who use art as a medium to express global issues and connect people across the world. Globalocation II is a compilation of the finest works from previous shows which share a common theme: each piece addresses some of the biggest political, social, and personal issues affecting our current existence.

    Press Release:
    Globalocation II

  • 2017 - Interview, "Department News"

    2017 - Interview, "Department News"
  • 2017 - Residency, "Yaddo"

    2017 - Residency, "Yaddo"

    Yaddo
    Saratoga Springs, NY

    May 18 - June 8, 2017


  • 2017 - Solo Exhibition, "Ortak Tarihler"

    2017 - Solo Exhibition, "Ortak Tarihler"

    Galeri Eksen
    "Ortak Tarihler: Afro-Turk Portreler"
    (Shared Histories: Afro-Turkish Portraits)
    Istanbul, Turkey
    May 15 - 17, 2017

    Opening Reception:
    Monday, May 15, 2017
    6:00 PM

    Press:
    Ortak Tarihler: Afro-Turk Portreleri Sergisi
    Ortak Tarihler: “Afro-Türk Portreleri”

  • 2017 - Solo Exhibition, "Ortak Tarihler"

    2017 - Solo Exhibition, "Ortak Tarihler"

    Konak Belediyesi
    "Ortak Tarihler: Afro-Turk Portreler"
    (Shared Histories: Afro-Turkish Portraits)
    Izmir, Turkey
    May 13, 2017

    Press:
    Dana Bayrami Coskuyla Kutlandi
    The Turks Who Lost Thier Language

  • 2017 - Group Exhibition, "Globalocation"

    The Benson Library
    LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections
    "Globalocation: Celebrating 20 Years of Artnauts"
    The University of Texas at Austin
    Austin, TX
    March 28 - August 31, 2017

    Globalocation is a selection of works created by Artnauts, the Colorado-based artists' collective founded by Dr. Rivera, art professor at the University of Colorado–Boulder. The collective counts some 40 current members, all of them artists with graduate-level training, and some with illustrious international careers. The Benson Collection is the repository for Rivera’s papers, and will become the home of the original work featured in this exhibition.

    Press:
    GLOBALOCATION: The Urgent Mission of Artnauts Collective

  • 2017 - Group Exhibition, "Meta Journey"

    The Historical Museum of Bosnia & Herzegovina
    (Gradska Galerija Bihac)
    "Meta Journey"
    Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
    February 13 - 17, 2017

    Press:
    ABC.ba
    Gradska Galerija Bihac Facebook Page
    Damir Cumurovic, “Meta Travel 40 Artists,” Oslobodenje, February 10, 2017, p.6 (newspaper in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovnia).

  • 2017 - Group Exhibition, "Globalocation"

    J. Willard Marriott Library
    "Globalocation: Celebrating 20 Years of Artnauts"
    The University of Utah
    Salt Lake City, UT
    January 20 - March 3, 2017

    Press:
    Exhibit at the U features artists who fight for international human rights

  • 2017 - Group Exhibition, "Let's Talk About Love, Baby!"

    Zygote Press Gallery
    "Let's Talk About Love, Baby!"
    Cleveland, OH
    January 13 - February 25, 2017

    Opening Reception:
    Friday, January 13, 2017
    6:00 - 8:00 PM

    Press:
    Let's Talk About Love, Baby!: Zygote Press brings traveling 'Love Library' to Cleveland
    Love-Themed Benefit for Zygote Press This Thursday Night

  • 2016 - Group Exhibition, "Zeitgeist"

    2016 - Group Exhibition, "Zeitgeist"

    Greatmore Studios
    "Zeitgeist: Social, Political, Cultural"
    Capetown, South Africa
    July 13 - 25, 2016

    Opening Reception:
    Wednesday, July 13, 2016
    6:00 PM

    Press:
    Artnauts: Zeitgeist
    Zeitgeist: Social, Political, Cultural
    Zeitgeist: Social, Political,Cultural by Artnauts collective

  • 2016 - Group Exhibition, "Unapologetic Negritude"

    2016 - Group Exhibition, "Unapologetic Negritude"

    Anacostia Arts Center
    "Unapologetic Negritude"
    Washington, DC
    May 17 - June 19, 2016

    Opening Reception
    Sunday, May 22, 2016
    4:00 - 6:30 PM

    DMV ARTs is pleased to announce an exhibition entitled “Unapologetic Negritude” curated by artist Michael Hyman. The show is dedicated to creating a visual experience that is as much a homage to a black aesthetic as it is a stark critique on social matters in the world today. Hyman has selected artists from around the world to take part in this special exhibition celebrating the New Negritude movement.

    Anacostia Arts Center
    1231 Good Hope Road, SE
    Washington, DC 20020

    Press:
    Anacostia Art Center Presents Unapologetic Négritude Group Exhibition
    'Unapologetic Negritude' free art show at Anacostia Arts Center

  • 2016 - Open Studios, "Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program"

    2016 - Open Studios, "Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program"

    Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program Spring Open Studios
    20 Jay St, #720
    Brooklyn, NY

    The Artists of the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program are pleased to announce the program’s annual open studio event with a reception for the artists on Friday, May 20 from 6-9pm and continuing through the weekend, Saturday and Sunday, May 21-22 from 2-6pm each day.

    Press:
    Highlights From the Sharpe-Walentas Open Studios
    Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program Celebrates 25 Years with Spring Open Studios
    Picks: Sharpe-Walentas Open Studios
    Weekend Edition: 7 Things To Do in New York’s Art World Before May 23
    Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program - Open Studios

  • 2016 - Group Exhibition, "The Narrative Figure"

    2016 - Group Exhibition, "The Narrative Figure"

    David Richard Gallery
    "The Narrative Figure"
    Featuring Esteban Cabeza de Baca, Michael Dixon, Jeffrey Hargrave, Michael Hilsman, Daisy Quezada, Tshabalala Self
    Sante Fe, NM
    May 14 - June 25, 2016

    Opening Reception:
    Friday, May 13, 2016
    5:00 - 7:00 PM

    The advent of modernism in the early 20th century is often presented as a linear progression towards abstraction, with figuration giving way to more conceptual and theoretical visual imagery, as exemplified by artists such as Mondrian, Kandinsky and Pollock. A cursory look, however, demonstrates that even artists considered markers of abstraction, moved in and out between conceptual and representational imagery. Picasso, Braque, Malevich, De Kooning and Philip Guston are artists who often blurred these lines of demarcation and provided points of reference for later artists.

    “The mash-up of abstract and figurative imagery has allowed for a richer, broader visual tapestry, where compositional concerns intermingle with personal narratives, sometimes direct; other times implied”, says gallery co-director David Eichholtz.

    Each of the artists included in The Narrative Figure approach this composition differently. Cabeza de Baca, Hilsman and Self begin with a formalist context, leaving the narrative or ‘story’ to subtly and slowly emerge. For Dixon, Hargrave and Quezada, the methods and materials are a vehicle for presenting urgent, personal and social agendas.

    David Richard Gallery
    1570 Pacheco Street, Suite A1
    Santa Fe, NM 87505

    Press:
    Abstraction and realism at David Richard
    Jordan Eddy, "The Narrative Figure," Art Ltd, July/August 2016, 36.
    Susan Wider, "The Narrative Figure," THE Magazine, July 2016.
    Santa Fe Reporter, exhibition announcement with photograph, May 25-31, 2016, 63.



  • 2016 - Group Exhibition, "Art and Resistance"

    Dar Al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture
    Art and Resistance
    Art and Resistance Conference
    Bethlehem, Palestine
    May 12-16, 2016

    Art and Resistance: Art Exhibition from the United States

  • 2016 - Interview, "Or Does It Explode Magazine"

    2016 - Interview, "Or Does It Explode Magazine"
  • 2016 - Group Exhibition, "Soul Drift"

    Historijski muzej (History Museum Bosnia and Herzegovina)
    "Soul Drift: Visualizations of a Cultural Phenomenon"
    The 32nd International Festival “Sarajevo Winter”
    Sarajevo
    Bosnia/Herzegovina
    February 7-21, 2016

    The International Festival Sarajevo “Sarajevo Winter” is a traditional meeting place for artists and citizens from all over the world. The first “Sarajevo Winter” Festival was held in 1985. In the course of twenty nine years of its existence, the Festival has become an inseparable part of the city life. The “Sarajevo Winter” Festival was not prevented from taking place even in the times of war, and has become a symbol of freedom of creativity and a place for familiarizing with diverse cultures and civilizations. The organizer of the “Sarajevo Winter” Festival is the International Peace Center Sarajevo. International Peace Center is a member of the International Society for the performing Arts (ISPA), the European Festival Association (EFA) and Association of Biennials of Young Artists of Europe and Mediterranean (BJCEM).

    International Festival Sarajevo
    32nd International Festival in Sarajevo “Sarajevo Winter 2016”
    Current exhibitions
    the Opening of the International Festival Sarajevo




  • 2015 - Residency, "The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program"

    2015 - Residency, "The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program"

    I will be working in New York for the year at the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program. I was awarded a studio space from September 2015 to August 2016.

    20 Jay Street, #720
    Brooklyn, NY 11201

    "The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program awards rent-free non-living studio space to 17 visual artists for year-long residencies. Artists are selected annually based on merit from a competitive pool of applicants by a professional jury."

    thestudioprogram.com/artists/

    Press:
    Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program Announces 17 New Residents
    Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program

  • 2015 - Interview, "University of Florida student Ashlyn Diaz"

    2015 - Interview, "University of Florida student Ashlyn Diaz"
  • 2012 - Article, "Painting Class"

    2012 - Article, "Painting Class"
  • 2010 - Publication, "New American Paintings"

    2010 - Publication, "New American Paintings"
  • 2009 - Article, "Sambo Scratches His Navel..."

  • Other Online Links With My Work