Michael Manning is a studio artist working primarily as a painter with additional work focused on sculptures using repurposed materials and most recently Social Practice Art projects. He earned his BFA from the University of the Arts and an MFA from Montclair State University. Originally from the Philadelphia area, Manning has lived in numerous locations including, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and has worked extensively in German and Italy, collaborating with artists Eckhard Zylla and Reiner Gramlic, collectivity known as Six Hand Painting. His artwork has been part of numerous regional and international exhibitions. Solo and group exhibitions in Haus der Kunst Museum in Munich, Germany; Arnot Art Museum, Elmira, NY; University of Connecticut; Seton Hall University; The Flinn Gallery, Greenwich, CT; New York galleries including Pablo's Birthday and HP Garcia Gallery; Kohler, The Art of Inspiration Project; Red Bull, Kaustner and Partners; W-Hotel, New York, NY and other corporate collections and private collection.
In addition to his studio practice, Michael runs Red Shoe Studios, organizing classes, programs and Social Practice Art projects. The projects are connected to art programs at the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, Greenwich Public Schools and the Developing Artist Program funded with a grant from the Greenwich Alliance for Education. Additional funding for the Developing Artist Program comes from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, CT Office of the Arts (COA), and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Developing Artist program, piloted by Manning, is led by Michael Manning and Ben Quesnel. The goal of the program is to give students a broader understanding of what it means to be an artist and to expose young artists to the possibilities of pursuing a career in this field. We do this by bringing a diverse group of professional studio artists into the school to share their work, practices, and experiences with the students. We also make trips to visit artists’ studios, galleries, museums and organizations that support and develop the career of professional artists.
Artist statement
Yellow more… is my new series of paintings and sculptures focusing on the color yellow and abstraction. The narrow parameters of using yellow and keeping things more abstract is an intentional process established to force the workt to become more introspective and investigative within the confines of the guidelines. This process is directly connected to my discipline of working on a series of paintings for at least a year or more. This process creates a reflective journey that naturally develops into a storyline or underlying idea.
While my work is driven by process and formal decisions, the subject matter in much of my work leading up to the new series is often inspired by universal moral messages found in mythology and religion. Combining formalist ideas with specific content may seem contradictory but has allowed me to find a certain purity and maintain an allegiance to the canvas, while also addressing broader questions of morality and human nature.
A new twist in my approach has come from increasing involvement with Social Practice Art projects that often utilizes recycled material as a focal point to organize events and workshops. Unlike the paintings that use universal stories and messages as a moral springboard, the recycled materials used to create sculptures come across as whimsical and lighthearted. Formal ideas are still the guiding force in the construction and balance of the sculptures but they are not trying to directly connect to a broader story.
The bicycle sculptures and the use of the color yellow to tie together random found objects are the underlying start to the new series of yellow paintings. These paintings quite literally started with abstract geometric shapes and lines inspired by the bike sculptures. Line, shape and color all being together in the moment and part of the process is the heart of the Yellow More… series.
What connects all of this to the paintings is how they are constructed and presented. This often involves students and young aspiring artists that help gather materials and paint the finished sculptures. The work is constructed and used as a tool to inspire and demonstrate how to create work from recycled material. The resulting communal events are for me what the moral messages in many of the previous series are all about.
General Inquiries
studio@michaelmanning.net
203-613-1773