Artistic Practice Dickins' artistic practice consists of visual and sound work. His visual work takes the form of drawing, printmaking, and installations that are layered, textured and derived from found imagery, found objects and topical news stories. Much of his current imagery focuses on social and political commentary. Dickins' sound work has shifted to political rhetoric as a study of the power that speech and speech patterns have in manipulating society. He uses the text of speeches to formulate systematic structures in which to manipulate the intended message through sound scores and audio collage. Curatorial Practice Art is an exercise in creating form and content. Form by itself can be appealing, but without a driving concept, it often fails in asking a purpose. Conception without execution often becomes inaccessible, therefore rendering it ineffective and futile. Both can be intriguing by themselves, but the artwork that can successfully combine the two can captivate, provoke, stimulate, challenge, and transform those who are fortunate enough to experience it. My role as a curator in a university setting is to provide diverse programming that is visually appealing, physically engaging, and intellectually challenging to the university and surrounding communities. As a gallery director, it is my privilege to provide a safe space for artists to experiment with their craft, engage with the public, and participate in a dialogue on social, cultural, and political identity issues that is welcoming and accessible to the public. The museum is a pathway to education, inspiration, and reflection. For many undergraduate students, the university gallery is their first experience in viewing a museum art exhibition. My ultimate goal with them is to spark curiosity. This curiosity leads to questions that hopefully lead to self-discovery. These discoveries have the potential for a life-altering experience. For those visitors with museum experience, my goal is to provide experiential and intellectual stimulation. This experience can produce educational growth and invested support for the museum. Bio Michael Dickins is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and gallery director whose work has been exhibited across the Southeastern U.S. as well as in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Denver, Houston, San Diego, Portland, Augusta (Maine), Istanbul, and Berlin. He has twice been a featured artist at {Re}Happening at Black Mountain College and has received commissions from the Pittsburgh Playhouse and the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company for original sound scores and projection designs. With over 15 years of experience directing both commercial and institutional art galleries, Dickins has collaborated with artists across diverse media. He has curated and executed more than 45 exhibitions and public art projects and has served as a guest curator for Atlanta Contemporary. Additionally, he has been a jury panelist for SouthArts, apexart, AIRIE, and collegiate student exhibitions. Dickins holds a BFA from Georgia Southern University and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College. Since 2014, he has been the Director and Curator of The New Gallery and University Collections at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. |
