Alex Podesta (artist)
Alex Podesta (born March 7, 1973) is an American sculptor living and working in New Orleans, Louisiana.[1] He is known most predominantly for his “bunny-man” sculptures, and also has a large body of sculptural and 2-dimensional work.[2] Podesta describes his work as seriocomic,[3] Created using models of his body and face, his sculptures are described as self-reflective.[3] With this, he reconceptualizes his personal experiences of a whimsical and imaginative childhood through the filter of adulthood, experience, and education.[3]
Early life and education[edit]
Podesta was born in North Carolina and raised in Virginia.[4] As a teenager, he attended Governor's Magnet School for the Arts in Norfolk, Virginia. He continued studying sculpture at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia before receiving his Bachelor's from the University of New Orleans in 2002 and his Master's of Fine Arts, also from the University of New Orleans, in 2007.[4]
Career[edit]
Podesta works out of a Studio at Art Egg in New Orleans, Louisiana.[1] His pieces are featured throughout the country including a collection of bunny-men atop a building overlooking Oretha Haley Boulevard in New Orleans,[2] a pair of rabbit/humans who were once sprawled on their stomachs in front of the plate-glass windows in the lobby of the Saratoga Building on Loyola Avenue in New Orleans,[5] and another pair of bunny-men that floated in the Grand River in Michigan but have now been relocated to Alabama at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art.[6]
Podesta also shows at exhibitions nationwide, and most notable is his work with the Front, of which he has been a member since the 2nd year of its existence.[7] The Front is one of several artist-run collectives in New Orleans, and it is the largest artist-run collective gallery in the country.[1]
Awards and honors[edit]
- Second Place in Out of the Box at Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art from Juror Willie Cole.
- Top 5 Finalist for Installation, Artprize 2014. Juror Ariel Saldivar.
- Guest Curator/Juror. Free for the Taking. UNO St. Claude Gallery (New Orleans, LA)
- Recipient of a Frey Foundation Artist Seed Grant for Artprize 2014.
- Honorable Mention. Dave Bown Projects 8th Semiannual Competition. Juried by Cindy Buckner, Al Miner, Margot Norton.
- See. Me Year in Review 2013 Finalist.
- Bombay Artisan Series. 2013 First Place Winner.
- Artists Wanted. Finalist for Art Takes Miami, 2012.
- Juror's Choice Second Place. Southern Open 2012. Juror Rene Barilleaux.
- Artists Wanted, Finalist, 2011 Year in Review.
- Recipient of a commission for public work in New Orleans from the Arts Council of New Orleans and Joan Mitchell Foundation, May 2008.
- Recipient of a Louisiana Cultural Economic Fund Grant, May 2008.
- Recipient of a Joan Mitchell Foundation grant, April 2008.
- Panelist for FabricFashionFantasy – Space 301 (Mobile, AL). October 12th, 2007.
- Nominated for a 2007 Louis Comfort Tiffany Biennial Award.
- Artist in Residence, July 2007, City of Innsbruck, Austria.
- Nominated for a 2007 Dedalus Foundation Fellowship.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Arts Council New Orleans | New Orleans' Artist Collectives". www.artsneworleans.org.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Footprints: Silly humans, sculptures are for bunnies: A look at Alex Podesta's "City Watch"". ViaNolaVie.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Alex Podesta". www.alexpodesta.com.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "People". FrenchQuarter.com.
- ↑ "The tale of the Podesta bunny men". ViaNolaVie.
- ↑ Lindy Oller (Oct 12, 2016). "Artist cleans, repairs outdoor bunny sculpture at Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art". Opelika-Auburn News – via OANow.com.
- ↑ "Alex Podesta". THE FRONT.
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