contact:
capleasants at gmail dot com

OVERVIEW:

Craig Pleasants has exhibited widely in venues across the U.S. and Europe: the Alternative Museum, White Columns and Artists’ Space in New York City, the Musee d’Art Contemporain in Marseilles, the Kunst und Gewerbeverein in Regensberg, Washington Project for the Arts, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the North Carolina Museum of Art, and the Jersey City Museum. He is the recipient of Fellowships and Grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the MacDowell Colony, the Virginia Commission for the Arts and Art Matters. His artist’s book, The Three Little Pigs: as it was originally passed into English folklore in 1620, is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art and is one of the longest continuously running artworks on the internet.

SOCIAL INTERVENTIONS:

2014-present   Sculptorhouse LLC, a company created to address the dual existential crises of affordable housing and climate resilience. Sculptorhouse designs and sells small, energy-efficient kit houses that withstand high wind and seismic activity. 

2012-2018       Second Stage|Amherst, a collaboration with multiple artists and non-artists to save from demolition and re-purpose as a community art center a nineteenth century Italianate former church building. 

1991-2003      Riverviews Artspace, a collaboration with artists and non-artists to reclaim and re-purpose a nineteenth century warehouse building on the riverfront of Lynchburg, Virginia as exhibition space and artists live-work space.

1981-present   The Octagonal Living Unit, a hand-built octagonal house made from found and salvaged materials to challenge received ideas of how to create housing.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS:

2013           University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA, February

                   Babcock Gallery, Sweet Briar College, Sweet Briar, VA February-May

2012           ADA Gallery, Richmond, VA, October-November

                      Staniar Gallery, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA. April, May

2011           Chrysalis, an architectural intervention, Chroma Projects art lab, Charlottesville. April

2010           The Metaphorical House, Chroma Projects art lab. Charlottesville, VA. December

2007           “Salvage” Riverviews Artspace, Lynchburg, VA, September- October

2005           “Digit” Hunt Gallery, Mary Baldwin College, Staunton, VA. February

2002           “Recent Works” Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, September- October

1999           “Carbon and Oxygen” Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA, April

1998           Dupont Gallery, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA, October

1997           “The Architecture of Longing/The City of Desire”, Marshall Arts, Memphis, TN, May

1996           Institute of the Arts, Fine Arts Gallery, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, March-April

1995           Anderson Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, January-March.

1994           Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News Virginia, July – September

                     Alternative Museum, New York, NY May – June. Publication.

1993           Key Gallery, Richmond, VA; May

1992           Key Gallery, Richmond, VA; September.

                      Berland/Hall Gallery, New York, NY; May-June,

                      Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA; May

                      “Home” Maryland Art Place, Baltimore, MD; April-May. Catalogue.

                      “Home” Arlington Art Center, Arlington, VA. January-March. Catalogue.

1989           The Upstairs, Tryon, NC; September. Catalogue.

1987           The White Room, White Columns, New York, NY; October.

1984           “The Nuclear House/An Installation” The Upstairs, Tryon, NC; September.

                      “The Nuclear Family/An Installation” Spirit Square Art Center, Charlotte, NC; June.

                      “Drawings and Constructions” Spirit Square Art Center, 7th Street Gallery, Charlotte, NC; June.

1982           “Geo” Reedy River Works, Greenville, SC; July.

1980           Guffey/Napoli Gallery, Rutherfordton, NC; February

1979           The Upstairs Gallery, Tryon, NC; December l979-January 1980.

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2014           Forty Years at the Fore, Arlington Arts Center. July – October

2012           50^th Anniversary Exhibition, McLean Project for the Arts. McLean, VA. April – June

                      50^th Anniversary Exhibition, Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA. April – June

2010           “Reflecting and Collecting” 1708 Gallery at Linden Row, Richmond, VA. May – August

2009           “A Cause for Art” Sande Webster Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, July, August,

2008           “Amerika Trifft Bayern” Kunst und Gewerveberein, Regensberg, Germany, June – July

2006           “Erga Topika II” Thomas Jefferson School, St. Louis, MO, September, 2005 – May 2006

2004           “House” Boyden Gallery, St. Mary’s College of Maryland,

                      “Plastic Memory” McLean Project for the Arts, McLean, VA; December, 2003 – January, 2004

                      “30 Years” Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA; November, 2003 – January, 2004

2003           “Seven Messengers” 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA; June – July,

2000           “Interiors”, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC; September – December.

                      Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA; March – August.

1999           “The Invisible Inner City” Art Museum of Western Virginia, Roanoke; VA June – September.

                      “Dark” les Yeux de Monde, Charlottesville, VA July, August,.

1997           DNA Gallery, Provincetown, MA, June.

1996           “UnCommon Ground” Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Catalogue.

1995           “Grounded” Art/omi, Omi, NY, Curated by Dan Cameron, and Paul Bloodgood, Catalogue.

1995           “les Visiteurs” Musee d’Art Contemporain, Marseille, France Philippe Vergne Curator. Catalogue, Video Catalogue.

1993           “Artist as Activist” Sawtooth Center for Visual Art, Winston-Salem, NC

                      “Contacts/Proofs” Jersey City Museum, Jersey City, NJ

                      “Options Biennial” Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC

1992           Peninsula Fine Art Center, Newport News, VA

                      Artists’ Space Benefit, Artists’ Space, New York, NY

                      White Columns Benefit, White Columns, New York, NY

1991           “Toys Are U.S.” Key Gallery Richmond, VA

1990           “The Virginia Prizes in the Visual Arts”, Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA

                      “Fragments, Parts, Wholes: The Body and the Culture,” White Columns, New York, NY Curated by Saul Ostrow

1989           Selections from the Artists File”, Artists Space, New York, NY; November 1988- January l989. Catalogue.

1988           White Columns Benefit, White Columns, New York, NY; November.

                      “Small Scale” Frank Bernarducci Gallery, New York, NY; June.

                      “Update l988” White Columns, New York, NY ; May. Catalogue.

1987           “Mind/Matter” Bess Cutler Gallery, New York, NY; January.

1985           “Drawings” Knight Gallery, Charlotte, NC; in association with Barbara Toll Fine Arts.

                      “Small Works” BACA, Brooklyn, NY Curated by Lynn Gumpert, New Museum curator

1984           “XEROX” Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, NC; Catalogue.

1980           “Does Printed Matter?” Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA; May l980.

1979           “Exploring the Book as an Art Form” North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC

1978           “Post Art” The Upstairs, Tryon, NC; September 1978.

                      Appalachian National Drawing Competition; Vito Acconci, Juror; Farthing Art Gallery,       Appalachian State University, Boone, NC

1976           “39th Annual North Carolina Artists Exhibition, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh,

INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA

1996           – Present     “The Three Little Pigs: as it was originally passed into English folklore in 1620” interactive hypertext artwork on the World Wide Web continuously from March, 1996 to the present. Hosted by TalkBack at Lehman College of CUNY. Robert Atkins, curator

PUBLIC ACCESS WORK / COMMISSIONS

2011           “Coeur de Mon Coeur” Le Moulin a Nef, Auvillar, France. Permanent installation

                      “La Chapelle aux Ombres” Nellysford, VA. Permanent installation

2010           “The OLU2.0” 1708 Gallery at Linden Row, Richmond, VA. September – October

2009           “Coolwell Pavilion” Amherst County, VA, proposal

                      “Artists Housing” Habitable sculpture for Sculpture Space in Utica, NY,  proposal

2008           “Heliotrope” Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, August, 2006 – present

                      “Perfect Light- a film by Bascomb Letelier” InLight Richmond. November.

2007           “Ipomea” Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Sweet Briar, VA July 1999 – April 2007

2004           “Infidel 1” St. Mary’s College of Maryland, October – November,

2003           “Exclusive” St. Anne’s Belfield School, Charlottesville, VA Ivy Road. March, 1998 – May, 2003.

2001           “Et in Arcadia Ego” North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC July, 2000 – January.

1999           “Oculus” McGuffey Art Center/ 2nd Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA April – September,.

1998           Rirkrit Taravanija’s Glass House. Museum of Modern Art. Artist participant. April,.

1998           “Pentagon” James River Park, Lynchburg, VA May – August,

1997           “Fisch Camp” Hochschule Architecture, Wismar, Germany, August,

                      “The Seedbed Project” Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC July, 1996 – Present.

1996           “Terra Cotta” Institute of the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA April,.

1995           “Rookery” Art/omi, Omi, NY July – September,.

1977           “Windmill Dream Piece” Doodstil, Holland; May-December,.

                      “Beaubourg Series” Centre Culturel Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; a new room-sized  installation each of three consecutive Sundays; April. (uninvited)

                      “Volcano of Thira” Santorini, South Cyclades, Greece; February.

1976           “Self Portrait with Half a Beard”, Chapel Hill to Boone, NC; October 29 – 31,.

                      “Flagpole (Cloth Piece #4)” Univ. of North Carolina, Main Quad, Chapel Hill, NC; August.

1976           “Field Stones” Lincoln School, Carrboro, NC; June.

                      “Moore’s Wall – Fabric Piece #3” Pilot Mountain, NC; May

                     “Tricot Piece #2” University of North Carolina, Old Well Lawn, Chapel Hill, NC; April,

                     “Quarter-Mile Fabric Piece” Pilot Mountain, NC; January,.

1975           “Forty Boxes” Pittsboro Rock Quarry, Pittsboro, NC; November, 1975.

PERFORMANCE ART

1985           “I’m Afraid (The Nuclear Family)” Julia DeMaree Space, New York, NY.

                      “The Nuclear House/The Nuclear Family” Cape Fear Foundation, Wilmington, NC

1984           “The Nuclear House/The Nuclear Family” The Upstairs, Tryon, NC; September 8 & 9, 1984.

                      “The Nuclear House” North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC In conjunction w/ NC Artists Exhibition; April 28, 1984.

1983           “The Nuclear House” Works in progress Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art,   Winston-Salem, NC; April 1983,

1982           “geo” Reedy River Works, Greenville, SC; July 16 & 17, 1982.

1981           “Walking Ridges” North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC; May 24, 1981.

1980           “Walking Ridges” The Upstairs, Tryon, NC; January, 1980.

ARTIST’S BOOKS/PUBLICATIONS

2006           Marketplace of the Dead a novel,, 310 ms pages. Unpublished,

1999           “Ten From Brooklyn” ArtPapers, July – August, 1999. Review.

                     Quarterly West, #48. Spring/Summer 1999. Photo of Transient.

1995           Footnotes: for an argument in favor of marginal housing an artist’s book published by Anderson Gallery, School of the Arts, Virginia Commonwealth
University. Afterword by Steven High.

1994.           The Three Little Pigs: as it was originally passed into English folklore in 1620, artist’s book, published by Gates of Heck, Richmond, Virginia,
ISBN0-9638129-2-0.

1992           “Former Low-income Housing,/Current Homeless” artist’s page ArtPapers, September/October, 1992.

1989           “Black Mountain College in the Age of the Simulacra” The Arts Journal, June 1989.

1986           “Jean Gallagher: Scarcity” ArtPapers, September/October, 1986.

1983           “Director’s Corner: Raising Questions and Creating Fresh Images” The Arts Journal, December, 1983.

1981           “Seeing Beyond Convention: NC’s Small Galleries”, The Arts Journal, March 1981.

1981           “Picasso, Matisse, and Cezanne . . . in Rutherfordton: NC’s Small Galleries”, The Arts Journal, February, 1981.

1980           “Highwater Center-At the Crossroads: NC’s Small Galleries”, December 1980

                      “Conceptual Art” artist’s page, The Arts Journal; February, 1980.

GRANTS/AWARDS

2000           Governor’s Awards in the Arts, nominee

1996           Virginia Commission for the Arts, Individual Artists Fellowship

1992           Virginia Commission for the Arts, Project Grant

1990           Virginia Commission for the Arts, Virginia Prize in Sculpture

1989           South Carolina Arts Commission, Project Grant

                      Art Matters, Inc. Individual Artists Grant

1987           Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Fellowship

EDUCATION:

New York University, New York, NY ABD Arts and Humanities, 1986.

Converse College, Spartanburg, SC M.Ed. Humanities 1983.

L’Institut d’Arts Visuels, Orleans, France 1979. Certificat de Scholarité

University of North Carolina, B.F.A., Sculpture 1976.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

2008          “Gimme Shelter” artist profile, Virginia Living, February, 2008

2007          “Salvage” gallery publication to accompany exhibition, Riverviews Artspace

Artist profile, Lynchburg Living, July, 2007

2004          “Plastic Memory: The Stuff of Dreams” Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post, January 2, 2004

2003          “Thirty Years: Three Decades of New Art at Second Street Gallery”, Caatherine Malone, C’ville Magaqzine, December, 2003

2001          “Preview” NC Museum of Art, Jan/Feb 2001 Introspective Installations

2000          “In the Dark on Guardhouses” Raleigh News and Observer, October 23, 2000.

                     “Interiors” catalog essay, published by the North Carolina Museum of Art, July 2000

1999          “Carbon and Oxygen” Second Street Gallery, catalog essay, Laura Hoptman, Museum of Modern Art, April, 1999.

1996          “Un/Common Ground; Virginia Artists 1996” Art Papers, July/August, 1996. Dinah Ryan.

“Richmond offers common ground for uncommon show” The Daily Progress, Charlottesville, VA, April 18, 1996. p. D1. Ruth Latter.

“Un/Common Art” Style Weekly March 12, 1996, p. 27. Paulette Roberts-Pullen.

“Virginia Unites on ‘Un/Common Ground’ Daily Press Newport News, VA, March 10, 1996. Mark St. John Erickson.

“Committed to Memory”; Richmond Times Dispatch, March 5, 1996. Sibella C. Giorello.

“Un/common Ground” Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, catalog essay, Julia Boyd. March, 1996

1995          “Craig Pleasants: Dwelling” ArtPapers, July/August, 1995. Paula Owens.

“Footnotes for an argument in favor of marginal housing” The Print Collector’s Newsletter May/June 1995 Artist’s Book Beat, p. 72 Nancy Princenthal.

“A Meditation on homelessness” Hard Times, Richmond. February-March, 1995.

“Art in View” review V magazine, March 1995. Ann Weinstein.

“Dwelling” The Progressive, 1995

“Les visiteurs” La Marseillaise February 3, 1995. Angelique Schaller.

“Pleasants constructs commentary and more” The Richmond Times Dispatch, February 2, 1995. p. D5 CeCe Bullard.

“Artist hopes to open minds with homelessness exhibit” The News and Advance, Lynchburg, Virginia, January 27, 1995, C1. Theresa D. Boyes.

“De l’art de regarder Marseille” Le Monde January 26, 1995. Philippe Dagen.

“Un Art Engagé?” TakTik January 1-8, 1995. Yves Gerbal.

Les Visiteurs Catalogue, Musee d’Art Contemporain, Marseille. January, 1995. Philippe Vergne.

“The Three Little Pigs” Umbrella magazine December, 1995 vol. 17, no. 3/4

1994           “The Three Little Pigs” The Print Collectors Newsletter November/December 1994, Artist’s Book Beat, p. 194 Nancy Princenthal

1993          “Options 93” review ArtPapers September/October, 1993. p.41. Megan Hamilton.

“Beds a metaphor for plight of homeless” Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 13, 1993, CeCe Bullard

“Which Old House” Style Weekly, May 10, 1993, Paulette Roberts-Pullen

“Options 1993” Catalogue, Washington Project for the Arts January, 1993, Don Russell, Angela Adams

“It’s Politically Correct, but Is It Art?” Washington Post, January 31, 1993 Paul Richard

“Good Works” City Paper, February, 1993 Rex Weil

1992          “Artist as Activist” Style Weekly, September 1, 1992 Paulette Roberts-Pullen

“No Vote for the Homeless” Throttle Magazine, September-October, 1992. Karrie Mills

“Contingencies” Caprice, September, 1992, p.43. Harriet Zinnes.

“Voice Centerfold Choices” Village Voice, June 16, 1992. Kim Levin.

“Sculpture Show Bounces with Life”, Charlottesville Observer, May 1992. Stephen Marguiles.

“In the eye of the beholder” The Baltimore Sun, April 19, 1992.

“Home” Baltimore City Paper, April 15, 1992. Eileen Murphy.

“Sculpture featured in May show”, Charlottesville Observer Magazine, April 30 – May 6, 1992.

“Home uneven home” Baltimore City Paper, May 15, 1992.

“‘Home’ isn’t quite where the heart is” The Baltimore Sun, May 5, 1992. John Dorsey.

“Home”, Washington Review , Vol. XVII, No. 6, April/ May 1992. Lee Fleming

“Where the Heart Is”, The Washington Post, February 29, 1992. Mary McCoy

“A Home With A View”, The Washington Post, Weekly February 27, 1992. p.1.

Home, catalogue, Arlington Arts Center, January 1992. Judy Byron et. al.

1989          “Craig Pleasants”, Art Papers, November-December 1989.

“Clarity and Displacement: Craig Pleasants at the Upstairs Artspace”, The Arts Journal, September 1989.

Craig Pleasants, catalogue, The Upstairs Artspace, essay by Bill Arning, August 1989.

1988          Selections from the Artists’ File, catalogue, Artists Space, November 1988.

Update 1987-1988, catalogue, White Columns, June 1988. Bill Arning

1987          “Mind/Matter”, Voice Centerfold Choices Village Voice, January 20, 1987. Kim Levin