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Photo: Chris Edwards
Bio
Myles Calvert was born in Collingwood, Ontario. He attended the University of Guelph with a focus in printmaking, before travelling to London, UK where he completed his MA in Printmaking, at Camberwell College of Art (University for the Arts, London). Major bodies of work included installations of screen printed toast and the idolization of popular British celebrity culture. During this time, he worked for the National Portrait Gallery before moving to Hastings in East Sussex, to teach printmaking at Sussex Coast College and become Duty Manager of the newly built Jerwood Gallery (Hastings Contemporary). Myles' toast-based work continued with a 43000 slice installation during the Queen’s ‘Diamond Jubilee’ with college students, drawing BBC media attention, and culminated in two solo exhibitions before making a return to the University of Guelph to teach. 2019 residencies included Art Print Residence (Barcelona, Spain) and Proyecto’ace (Buenos Aires, Argentina), as well as a lecture/workshop at PUCP (Pontificia Universidad Catòlica del Perú) in Lima. Myles is currently an Associate Professor in Fine Arts at Winthrop University, South Carolina.
Current placement:
Associate Professor (tenure track)
College of Visual and Performing Arts - Fine Art
Winthrop University, South Carolina
Previous placements:
Visiting Assistant Professor
Division of Expanded Media
Alfred University, New York State College of Ceramics
Adjunct Instructor
Digital Media and Animation
Alfred State College of Technology
Sessional Lecturer
Ontario College of Art and Design University
Toronto, Ontario
Lecturer
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario
Sessional Instructor
Hastings College of Art
Hastings, East Sussex, United Kingdom
Artist Statement
Current work explores the conversations that develop between everyday objects of comfort and colour theory. Ideas navigate the spectrum from utilitarian forms through to the absurdly escalated and opulent. This notion of comfort often escalates to desire and an inherent, materialistic obsession to acquire and adorn. The chosen focal objects have been universal, recognizable and at times, mundane. I question why they must be objects at all, when the broad subject of landscape should also be challenged. My influences are drawn from printmakers such as Richard Hamilton, Patrick Caulfield, and Josef Albers, but also contemporary painters, designers, and digital artists who exceptionally manipulate colour (Flavia da Rin, Anish Kapoor, Mario Testino). Interests are rooted in the ideals of Romanticism - exploration of unique moments and personal emotion through the use of identifiable shape and colour variants. Unique surfaces are explored through print (screenprint, photopolymer etching, laser woodblock, lithography) - specifically, halftone structures and manipulations of those patterns / angles to achieve controllable photographic to distorted variants. The digital glitch present through Adobe software programs drives forward the question of technologies place and developing role in traditional processes. In particular, focus has been on melding traditional woodcut with laser woodcut variants, exploring MDF vs, plywood and plexiglass matrices.
Imagery of recognizable objects, such as toasters, spoons, and ottomans, are combined with specific colour harmonies to suggest a particular emotion based on individual experience. Similar to the ideals of Romanticism, the combination of object and colour reference a unique time period and emotional memory. The experience changes for each viewer based on their life experience to date. Colour palette preferences shift between the biological sexes, with exposure to media trends and influences, and most noticeably with age. Objects may change and become fluid representations of the past yet pull forward a moment that may have otherwise been lost.
Gallery Acquisitions / Permanent Collections
PSBN Pacific States Biennial North American Printmaking Exhibition - Hilo, HI
Installation - Riverside Park, Town of Collingwood, Collingwood, Ontario
New York State College of Ceramics Scholes Library acquisition of portfolio, titled: ‘30 07 09’, co-created a hand-bound, 13 artist compilation of original works, edition: 20. – Alfred, NY
Tate Britain acquisition of portfolio, titled: ‘30 07 09’, co-created a hand-bound, 13 artist compilation of original works, edition: 20. – London (UK)
British Library acquisition of portfolio, titled: ‘30 07 09’, co-created a hand-bound, 13 artist compilation of original works, edition: 20. – London (UK)
University of Guelph, Bachinski-Chu Print Collection, acquisition of portfolio, titled: ‘30 07 09’, co-created a hand-bound, 13 artist compilation of original works, edition: 20. – Guelph, Ontario
myles@squirrelpigeonfish.com
@squirrelpigeonfish
CV
PGCE (Post-Grad Certificate in Education) - University of Brighton (Brighton, UK)
MA Printmaking - Camberwell College / University for the Arts (London, UK)
BAH Studio Art and Art History - University of Guelph (Guelph, Ontario, Canada)
2024
Two Person Exhibition (Myles Calvert / Tamara LaValla) - Public Works Gallery - Summerville, SC
Two Person Exhibition (Myles Calvert / Tamara LaValla) - Gately Gallery, Francis Marion University - Florence, SC
2023
Visiting Artist - Patricia Summerville Lecture Series - Murray State University - Murray, KY
Juror - Scholastic Art Awards (Mid-Carolina's region) - Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
Co-curator - WIP (Sept / Oct) McColl Center - Charlotte, NC
Print Austin 5x5 Exhibitor - Austin, TX
Group Exhibition - Atlanta Print Biennial - Atlanta, GA
2022
Artist in Residence (September 12 - December 19) - McColl Center - Charlotte, NC
Solo Exhibition - Surface Appeal and Fringe Benefits - York County Arts Council - Rock Hill, SC
Group Exhibition - ArtFields - Lake City, SC
Group Exhibition - Exercising Empathy - Winthrop University Galleries, Rock Hill, SC
Curation - Screenprint: Beyond DIY Culture - Mid-America Print Council, Kent State University - Kent, OH
Grant Recipient - York County Arts Council Small Grants Program - Rock Hill, SC
Juror - Southern Arts Society - Kings Mountain, NC
Group Show - Exercising Empathy - Patrick Gallery - Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC
2021
Residency - Tamarind Institute - Albuquerque, NM
Group Exhibition - Anderson Arts Center - Anderson, SC
Group Exhibition - The University of Iowa, School of Art and Art History - Iowa City, IA
Group Exhibition - The Delaplaine Arts Center - Frederick, MD
Publication - So Saturated It Hurts - California Society of Printmakers - San Francisco, CA
Juror - Southern Arts Society - Kings Mountain, NC
Artist Talk - Winthrop Galleries - Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC
Live Social Media - Speedball Art Instagram TakeOver - printing demonstration
Conference - Mid-America Print Council (virtual event) - Kent State University, Kent, OH
2020
Group Exhibition - Print Club of Rochester (Juror’s Choice Award) - Main Street Arts - Rochester, NY
Interview - Unknown Arts Group - Instagram Live - Bangalore, India
Curator - Resurgimiento: Over Land and Sea - 20 person portfolio for SGCI - San Juan, Puerto Rico *COVID-19 postponement
Curator - Screenprint: Beyond DIY Culture - 20 person portfolio for MAPC - Kent State University, OH *COVID-19 postponement
Curator - Evolution, Homage, and Advancement in Print - portfolio for IMPACT 11, Hong Kong *COVID-19 postponement
Residency - Art Print Residence - Barcelona Spain *COVID-19 postponement
Workshop / Lecture - Colour Interactions (Monoprint and Etching) - Art Print Residence - Barcelona, Spain *COVID-19 postponement
Residency - Cork Printmakers - Cork, Ireland *COVID-19 postponement
Residency - Edition / Basel - Basel, Switzerland *COVID-19 postponement
2019
Group Exhibition - Ink, Press, Repeat. William Paterson University Galleries - Wayne, NJ
Lecture / Workshop - PUCP: Pontifica Universidad Católica del Peru, Lima
Residency - Art Print Residence - Barcelona, Spain
Membership - Print Club of Rochester - Rochester, NY
Group Show - Fractured Habitats - AC Gallery - Beijing, China
Acquisition - Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts - Honolulu, HI
Two Person Exhibition (Myles Calvert / Kathy Vajda) - Indigo Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY
Group Exhibition - In Good Company - Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, Alfred, NY
Residency - Remarque Print Workshop - Albuquerque, NM
Grant Recipient - Bernstein Funds, Alfred University - Alfred, NY
Solo Exhibition - Rochester University, Sage Art Gallery, Rochester, NY
Residency - Proyecto Ace, Print Production Residency - Buenos Aires, Argentina
2018
Group Exhibition - Stand Out Prints - Highpoint Center for Printmaking - Minneapolis, MN
Members' Exhibition - Rochester Print Club - Mill Gallery - Honeyoye Falls, NY
Group Exhibition - Second International Triennial of Contemporary Graphic Arts - Novosibirsk, Russia
InkMasters Print Exhibition - Tanks Arts Centre - Cairns, AU
Guest Artist - Chicopee Hills Public School, Kitchener, ON, CAN
Membership - Print Club of Rochester - Rochester, NY
Solo Exhibition - Hastings Arts Forum - Hastings, East Sussex, UK
Panelist - In Cahoots With... (gallery talk with Timothy Pauszek) - Cohen Art Gallery, Alfred, NY
Guest Artist - Masculinity in Art / Gender in Art Class, Alfred University - Alfred, NY
Residency - Art Print Residence - Barcelona, Spain
Group Exhibition - 6th Biennial FOOTPRINT International Competition - Center for Contemporary Printmaking - Norwalk, CT
Group Exhibition - The Contemporary Print - PrintAustin - Flatbed Press - Austin,TX
Curator - East Sussex Print Exchange - Hastings Arts Forum - Hastings, East Sussex, UK
Group Exhibition - 9th International Printmaking Biennial of Douro - Alijó, Portugal
Solo Exhibition - Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, Cape Arts - Cape Girardeau, MO
Conference - Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI) Conference & Mentor “Altered Landscapes” – Las Vegas, NV
2017
Group Exhibition - CHAO International Fine Art Print Fair - Chao Art Center - Beijing, China
Conference - Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI) Conference Terminus – Atlanta, GA
Members' Exhibition - Rochester Print Club - Nazareth College - Rochester, NY
Grant Recipient - Bernstein Funds, Alfred University, Alfred, NY
Group Exhibition - Renann Isaacs Contemporary Art, Commercial Gallery, - Guelph, ON, CAN
Group Exhibition - In/Home - The Printmaking Center of New Jersey - Branchburg, NJ
Group Exhibition - Mini Print Kazanlak - Art Gallery of Kazanlak - Kananlak, Bulgaria
Curator - East Sussex Print Exchange - Hastings Arts Forum - Hastings, East Sussex, UK
Group Exhibition - Mini Print International of Cadaqués - Cadaqués, Spain
Group Exhibition - 6th Guanlan International Print Biennial - Guangdong, China
Solo Exhibition - Romancing the Toaster -The Cohen Gallery, Alfred, NY
Solo Exhibition - Romancing the Toaster - Cedar Ridge Creative Centre - Toronto, ON, CAN
Curator - Print exchange between Alfred University and Plymouth College of Art, Plymouth, UKCurator - Print exchange between Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD), Calgary, Alberta, Canada
2016
Group Exhibition - 1st International Printmaking Alliance Invitational Exhibition - The Working People’s Cultural Palace (The Imperial Ancestral Temple), The Forbidden City - Beijing China
Curator - Print exchange: Alfred University and Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO), MO, USA
Group Exhibition - Expanding Print Media - POP Gallery, Queensland College of Art - Griffith University - Brisbane, Australia
Group Exhibition - Digital Print Media with Traditional Print Processes - Tsinghua University - Beijing, China
Group Exhibition - Highpoint Center for Printmaking - Outstanding Prints 2016 - Minneapolis, MN, USA
Group Exhibition - 4th Annual Kazanlak Miniprint Exhibition – Bulgaria, Europe
Curator - East Sussex Print Exchange - Rye Creative Centre - East Sussex, UK
Group Exhibition - Small Print International – Touring Exhibition – Leicester Print Workshop – Leicester, UK
Group Exhibition - FootPrint Exhibition – Center for Contemporary Printmaking / Julio Valdez Studio – Norwalk, CT / New York City, NY, USA
Conference - Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI) Conference, FLUX – Portland, OR, USA
Group Exhibition - Taiwan International Biennial Print Exhibit – Taiwan, ROC
Group Exhibition - Mini Print International de Cadaques – 36th Annual – Barcelona, Spain
Group Exhibition - International Mini Print Biennial 2016 – Seacourt Print Workshop – Bangor, Northern Ireland
2015
Installation – Riverside Park Project – Town of Collingwood, Collingwood, ON
Collaboration - etched jewelry / prints with Erin Wallace – Ottawa Art Gallery Shop, Ottawa, ON
Group Exhibition – In The Round III, Gravenfeather Print Studio – Toronto, ON
Group Exhibition – Hoop-la – Necessary Arts Company – Guelph, ON
2014
Group Show – In The Round II, Gravenfeather Print Studio – Toronto, ON
Workshop – Guelph School of Art – Guelph, ON
Group Exhibition – Guelph Civic Museum – Guelph, ON
Residency – Arquetopia Centre for Arts Development, Puebla, Mexico
Solo Exhibition – Atmosphere – Guelph, ON
2013
Group Exhibition – National Portrait Gallery – London, UK
Solo Exhibition – The Stables Art Gallery – Hastings, East Sussex, UK
Open Studio - Coastal Currents – Hastings, East Sussex, UK
Commission – Jerwood Gallery – Hastings, East Sussex, UK
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