James Van Arsdale is a mixed-media artist, a designer in the duo MYOPIA (with fellow artist Kimberly Hahn) and a member of indie-rock band THE CORAL SEA. He holds an MFA from Southern Methodist University, and a BFA from The University of Texas at Austin. His artwork has been shown in many solo and group exhibitions including "(Safe Inside My) Green Zone" at the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, "Anxiety" at the Pump Project Gallery in Austin, TX, and the installation "The Bomb" at The Sylvia White Gallery in Ventura, CA. He lives and works in Santa Barbara, California.
Download Bio-Resume-Statement (PDF)
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Born 1970, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Education:
MFA 2001 - Meadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist
University. Dallas, TX
BFA 1999 - University of Texas at Austin. Austin,
TX
SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2007
(Safe Inside My) Green Zone. Santa
Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, Santa Barbara, CA brochure
essay
2002
Tank Farm! Santa Barbara Contemporary
Arts Forum, Santa Barbara, CA
2001
The Glory Solution. Cactus
Bra Space.
Blue Star Art Complex, San Antonio, TX
2000
Trans-Continent. Doolin Gallery, Meadows School
of the Arts, SMU. Dallas, TX
1999
James Van Arsdale. Forum Gallery, Brookhaven
College. Dallas, TX brochure
essay
1998
Paintings by James Van Arsdale. New
Gallery, University of Texas at Austin.
1996
Once at Rest; Paintings by James Van Arsdale.
Dada Gallery, Dallas, TX
GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
2010
The Art of Play, Art From
Scrap Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA Curated by Mary Price
California Visual Artists,
The 2nd City Council Art Gallery, Long Beach, CA Juried by
Ed Schad
La
Vie En Rose: Annual Valentine's Exhibition and Auction,Santa
Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, Santa Barbara, CA
2009
Super Santa Barbara, 121
Santa Barbara Street, Santa
Barbara, CA Curated
by Warren Schultheis
Plastic Planet,
Art From Scrap Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA Curated by Holly
MacKay
Anxiety, Group Show, Pump
Project Art
Space, Austin, TX - with
publication, Cantanker Magazine,
Issue 8: Anxiety
Juried by: Andrea Mellard, Austin Museum of Art
National Juried Exhibition, Sylvia
White Gallery, Ventura, CA Juror: Sylvia White
5x7, ArtHouse, Jones
Center for Contemporary Art, Austin, TX. Benefit Invitational.
Group Show, Fishnet, Santa Barbara, CA
2008
30th Anniversary Exhibition, Brookhaven College, College
of Fine Arts, Dallas, TX Curated by David Newman
2007
Girls Inc. Benefit Exhibition, Girls Inc., Santa Barbara,
CA (Preview at Frameworks Gallery)
5x7, ArtHouse, Jones
Center for Contemporary Art, Austin, TX. Benefit Invitational.
2006
5x7, ArtHouse, Jones
Center for Contemporary Art, Austin, TX. Benefit Invitational.
Photographs 2006, Reds, part of Off-Axis2006 Bienniel, Santa Barbara,
CA
2005
5x7, ArtHouse, Jones
Center for Contemporary Art, Austin, TX. Benefit Invitational.
2003
6th Annual Valentine Exhibition and Benefit. Santa Barbara
Contemporary Arts Forum, Santa Barbara, CA
Small Images. Atkinson
Gallery, Santa
Barbara City College, CA Juried by Dane Goodman
2002
Forumulations. Santa Barbara Contemporary
Arts Forum, Santa Barbara, CA
Living Room Show, Calico Brown, Santa Barbara, CA
2001
The Glory Solution. (Installation) Pollock
Gallery, SMU, Dallas, TX
2000
Art In The Metroplex 2000. Templeton
Art Center, TCU. Ft. Worth, TX Juror: Annette Carlozzi. Fith Avenue
Foundation Award.
Black & Blue. Membership Exhibition. McKinney
Avenue Contemporary (the MAC). Dallas, TX
Paint the Town Red. Invitational Benefit Auction.
Arlington Museum of Art. Arlington, TX
1999
Off the Page. Fifth Annual Members’ Exhibition. The McKinney Avenue
Contemporary.
Dallas, TX
Seven to Watch: New Artists from UT Austin. Blue Star Art Complex, San Antonio,
TX
Curator: Annette Carlozzi.
It’s A Beauty Show, Invitational Benefit Auction. Arlington Museum of Art.
Arlington, TX
1998
TVAA Citation ’98. San Jacinto Tower, Dallas, TX
TVAA Signature Members Exhibition. Plano, TX
Benefit Exhibition Invitational. Arlington Museum of Art. Arlington,
TX
Art Student Exhibition. Archer M. Huntington Gallery. University of Texas
at Austin.
’98 S.H.O.W. National. Old Dominion University Gallery. Norfolk, VA
Juror: Terry Suhre
1997
Citation ’97 - Texas Visual Arts Association. San Jacinto Tower, Dallas,
TX
Juror: Joan Davidow. Award: Best of Show
New Texas Talent 1997, Craighead-Green Gallery, Dallas, TX Juror: Philip
Van Kueren.
Art Student Exhibition and Gallery Talk, Archer M. Huntington Gallery,
UT Austin.
TVAA 50th anniversary Membership Exhibition. Northpark Center, Dallas,
TX
1996
Citation ’96 - Texas Visual Arts Association. San Jacinto Tower, Dallas,
TX Juror: D. Jack Davis
TVAA Regional Exhibition Open ‘96. Dallas City Hall. Dallas, TX Juror:
Philip Van Keuren.
Brookhaven Student Art Exhibition. Farmer’s Branch,
TX
Awards: Best of Show, two purchase awards. Juror: Lawrence
Scholder.
League of Innovations Invitational. Mountain View College, Dallas, TX
1995
Citation ‘95. Texas Visual Arts Association. San
Jacinto Tower, Dallas, Tx. Award: Hall Gallery Award. Juror: Catherine
Chang Li
u
Two
Person Exhibition. Second Avenue. Club Dada, Dallas,
TX
Brookhaven Student Art Exhibition. Farmer’s Branch, TX Awards:
Third Place, Honorable Mention, Purchase Award
Juror: Ronald Watson
PUBLICATIONS
“La Vie En Rose”, Erin Graffy de Garcia, Montecito Journal
Weekly, State Street Spin,
4-11 February, 2010, p 25
"Toying With A Classic", Dave Mason, Santa
Barbara News-Press, Sunday, January 10, 2010, pp D1, D11 (images)
“Anxiety”,
Wayne Alan Brenner, Austin Chronicle, September 3, 2009
Issue 8: Anxiety, Cantanker Magazine, 2009, Pump Project Art Complex
“Another Artist in Bloom” - Review of ”(Safe Inside My)
Green Zone” by Josef Woodard,
Scene Magazine, SB News-Press, August 10, 2007, (images)
“Artist Profile - James Van Arsdale”, Casa Weekly Magazine,
July 21, 2007 (images)
Exhibition brochure essay, “(Safe
Inside My) Green Zone”,
Kim Beil, 2007, Santa Barbara
Contemporary Arts Forum
“Size Matters”, Josef Woodard, Santa Barbara Independent, Oct
10, 2002
"A New Perspective", San Antonio Express-News, July 7, 2001, Karen
L. Shaw (image)
“Between
Artist and Audience” Exhibition
brochure essay, David Newman, 1999, Brookhaven
College
"Off The Page: A Multidisciplinary Celebration of Literature",
Mike Daniel, DallasMorning News, GuideLive, 1999
AWARDS
Colville Memorial Foundation
Artist Grant, November 2009
SMU Meadows Artistic Scholarship – 1999, 2000
SMU
Rigsby Grant – 2000,
2001
UT Austin, College of Fine Arts Scholarships in Painting, Printmaking – 1998
WORKSHOPS / LECTURES
2007 – Art From Scrap Workshop, “Explosions of Color”
2007 – Lecture at UCSB, Honors Undergrad Art Seminar
2007 – Lecture at UCSB, Beginning Painting Class
PUBLIC ART
2010 – Gallery Car Wash Mural Project, Ventura, CA (upcoming)
STATEMENT
Games and toys provide the models with which I can ponder movements and systems and relationships. They are a means of play and of education, a duality that is the focus of these works that interest themselves so intently on our diversions, entertainment and FUN! , but also contemplate more complex situations of human relations and conflict. Out of these works arise more specific, peculiar notions or qualities such as; what is learned by the engagement with the game or toy, what are the consequences of a given action, and the tactics of misdirection and entrapment - both usually within a set of rules - and cheating, which exists outside of the rules of play.