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Robert McCauley Biography |
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Born and raised in Mt. Vernon, Washington, Robert McCauley has been influenced by the Northwest Coast culture in his artwork. Originally an oceanography major at Western Washington University, he switched to art when he realized that oceanographers have to work in labs. Later, hearing that it was best to go east for grad school, he went all the way to eastern Washington to attend Washington State University. After getting an MFA in 1972, he settled in Illinois to teach at Rockford College. After a long and distinguished career as a professor and chairman of the art department, McCauley returned to his beloved Skagit Valley to live and work.
While McCauley’s paintings, drawings, installations and mixed media works are rooted in the tradition of 19th century American Romanticism, his narratives are contemporary, timely and relevant. Through the metaphorical juxtaposition of found objects, inscribed texts on frames and ambiguous titles, McCauley addresses a wide variety of contemporary themes and issues, including cultures in collision, environmental ethics, humankind’s impact on nature and the appropriation of nature in art. McCauley’s paintings are sometimes ambiguous, but not so much that no meaning comes across. Returning to his childhood haunts each summer has shown the artist how much things keep changing. “The salmon streams I fished in are silted up and have no more salmon,” he says. “The Native Americans used to set a trap of chicken wire a half mile out to sea, and I would watch the salmon in the trap in awe. That’s gone. Even the huge fishing resorts are gone because the fish are gone. Clear-cutting is still common. A small greenbelt of ten feet on either side of the roads makes you think you’re looking at forest, but beyond that it’s just devastation.” EDUCATION: MFA, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington BA, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington TEACHING EXPERIENCE: Professor and Chairman, Art Department, Rockford College (retired) SELECTED SOLO MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS: “Rear View Mirror: Robert McCauley from the Rockford Art Museum collection, 2010 Retrospective, Hallie Ford Museum, Oregon, 2009 Ball State University, 2006 "Robert McCauley: Alone in the Wilderness", 30 year retrospective, Rockford Art Museum, 2006, catalog "Trusting Woods to Tempest Sea: Robert McCauley", Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto, Ca, 2005 Bank of America, San Francisco, 2001 Aurora Public Art Commission, Aurora, Illinois, 2000 Illinois Wesleyan University, 1998 Northern Illinois University, 1998 Whatcom Museum of Art, Bellingham, Washington, 1997-98 West Virginia University, Morgantown, 1993 Parkland College, Champaign, Illinois, 1993 University of Notre Dame, South Bend, 1992 “Robert McCauley: Sculpture & Drawings”, Sonoma State University, 2-year traveling, Dennis Adrian catalog, 1989-91. Columbus Cultural Center, Columbus, Ohio, 1989 University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 1983 “Magic Shows”, Northern Illinois University, 1983 “Robert McCauley: Towers”, Chicago Cultural Center, 1982 Eberdt Gallery, Marycrest College, Iowa, 1982 Millikin University, Decatur, Illinois, 1981 Western Washington University, Bellingham, 1979 Bradley University, Peoria, 1978 Contemporary Art Workshop, Chicago, 1978 Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, 1977 Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana, 1977 Denison University, Granville, Ohio, 1976 Illinois Arts Council, Chicago, 1975 SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS AND INVITATIONALS: “Wild/Life”, Museum of Northwest Art, curated, LaConner, WA, 2011 “Critical Messages: Contemporary Northwest Artists on the Environment”, traveling to Western Washington University, Willamette University, and Boise State, 2010-2011, catalog. “Moby-Dick: Heart of the Sea”, Rockford Art Museum, 2009. "Magnificent Extravagance: Artists and Opulence", Racine Art Museum, 2005. "Mark My Word: Text, Code and Literary Allusion”, Museum of Northwest Art, 2004. “A Sofa and...”, curated, Western Washington University, Bellingham, 2003. “ Framing the Wild: Animals on Display”, University of Wyoming, traveling, 2002-03 "Chicago Art Expo”, 1999-03 (also 1981-94) “ Wild Life: The Other Tradition”, Invitational, Polk Museum of Art, Florida, 2002 “Underfoot”, curated, catalog, Sao Paulo, Brazil, traveling, 2001-2004 “ Departure: American Contemporary Landscape”, curated, IUN Gallery for Contemporary Art, Gary, Indiana, 2001 Faculty Exhibition, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Aspen, 2001 “ The History of Art in Rockford”, Rockford Art Museum, 2000 “ The Great Novel”, Palo Alto Art Center, 2000 “Notable Alumni in the Visual Arts”, Centennial Celebration, Western Washington University, Bellingham, 2000 “The View from Here: 100 Artists Mark the Centennial of Mt. Rainier National Park”, Seafirst Gallery, Seattle, traveling, 1998-01 “Countdown: The Millennium Show”, K. Kimpton Contemporary Art, San Francisco, 1999 “ Twenty Years/Twenty Artists”, Sonoma State University, 1998 “ A Thought Intercepted: A Survey of Drawings by Artists in the U.S.”, California Museum of Art, Santa Rosa, 1997 “ Bio-Adversity”, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, 1997 “Mythic Narrative”, Palo Alto Cultural Center, 1996 “Unpainted to the Last: Moby-Dick and American Art, 1940-1990”, 2-year traveling, text, 1995-96 “SOFA” Exposition, Chicago Navy Pier, (installation piece), 1995 “Exploring Natural Imagery: Works by Four Midwestern Artists”, Quincy Art Center, Quincy, Illinois, 1995 “Illinois Art Faculty: A Statewide Survey”, Rockford Art Museum, 1995 “U.S.A. Within Limits”, Galeria Millan, Sao-Paulo, Brazil, 1995 “Ex Libris: An Exhibition of Artists’ Books”, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, 1995 “The Art of Language”, St. Paul Insurance Companies, 1994 “No Feathers: Manifest Destiny Indicted”, catalog, Rockford College,1994 “The Object Redux: Re Used, Re Newed, & Re Invented”, catalog, Wustum Museum of Art, Racine, WI, 1994 “Artfair/Seattle”, 1996 (also 1992-95) “Aquatic Visions”, Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, 1993 “Book, Box, Word”, Center for Contemporary Art, Miami, 1993 “Art L.A.92”, International Art Expo, Los Angeles,1992 “Shipwreck”, Kirkland Arts Center, Kirkland, Washington, 1992 “The Sign of the Cross”, Jamison Thomas Gallery, Portland, Oregon, 1992 “Sculptors on Paper”, traveling, University of Wisconsin, 1992 “Beyond the Frame: Techniques and Expressions in Sculpture”, Alza Corporation, Palo Alto, 1990 “The Making of a Legend: Chief Seattle’s Reply”, Hatley-Martin Gallery, San Francisco, 1990 “Nature/Nature”, University of Chicago, 1990 “Partners in Purchase: Selected Works, 1976-87”, catalog, Lakeview Museum,1990 “Selections from the Roy Boyd Gallery”, Grand Valley State University, 1990 “Deep Woods: Concerning Nature in Recent Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture”, 2-year traveling, catalog, Tweed Museum, Duluth, 1989-91 “Made in America: The Great Lakes States”, Alternative Museum, New York, catalog, traveling, 1986 “Contemporary Screens”, Art Museum Association of America, traveling, catalog, 1986-89 “Sculptor’s Drawings”, Sonoma State University, traveling, catalog, 1986-88 “Chicago Draws”, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, 1986 “Forum”, Zurich, Switzerland, 1986 “Whirlpool Foundation Sculpture Competition”, traveling, Chicago, 1986 “Materials in Media”, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, Illinois, 1986 “Fetish: Obsessive Expressions”, Rockford Art Museum, 1986 “Exterior/Interior: Large Scale Sculpture”, catalog, Rockford Art Museum, 1986 Stux Gallery Group Exhibition, New York, 1985 “Menagerie”, San Francisco International Airport, 1985 “Artists Look at Architecture”, Transamerica Pyramid, San Francisco, 1985 “Nocturnal Images”, catalog, Paine Art Center, Oshkosh, traveling, 1985 “The Object Transformed”, Jan Cicero Gallery, Chicago, 1985 “Salvo”, Ruth Siegel Gallery, New York, 1984 “Alternative Spaces: A History in Chicago”, catalog, MCA, Chicago, 1984 “Construction”, San Francisco International Airport, 1984 “Chicago International Sculpture/Mile 2”, catalog, Chicago Navy Pier, 1984 “New Directions in Pastel”, Rahr-West Museum, catalog, 1984 “Chicago: Emerging Visions”, Paine Art Center, Oshkosh, 1984 “Five Sculptural Artists”, Cerritos College, California, 1984 “Twenty Illinois Painters”, Springfield Art Museum, catalog, 1984 “The Artist Collects”, Illinois Arts Council, traveling, 1983 “Shelters”, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, Illinois, 1983 “Works on Paper”, Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, 1983 “Mayor Byrne’s Mile of Sculpture”, Chicago Navy Pier, catalog, 1982 “New Horizons in Art”, Chicago Cultural Center, 1982 “Drawing from Chicago”, University of Nebraska, catalog, 1982 “78th Exhibition by Artists of Chicago and Vicinity”, John G. Curtis Award, catalog, Art Institute of Chicago, 1981 “Objects to Ponder”, Columbia College, Chicago, 1980 “Best of the Midwest”, Artists Guild of Chicago, 1980 “Illinois % for the Arts”, Eastern Illinois University, 1980 “6/6”, ARC Gallery, Chicago, 1979 “75th and 76th Exhibitions by Artists of Chicago and Vicinity”, catalog, Art Institute of Chicago, 1975, 1976 GRANTS: Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in PAINTING, 1999 Research Grant, Kwakwaka’wakw Culture, Vancouver Island, Rockford College, 1994 Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in DRAWING, 1991 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in DRAWING, 1982 Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in SCULPTURE, 1981 Illinois Arts Council Completion Grant, SCULPTURE, 1980 COMMISSIONS: U.S. Embassy, Romania, 5 paintings, 2011 McCormick Place Expansion, Chicago, 2005-2007 State of Illinois, Outdoor Sculpture Commission, Northern Illinois University, 1996 Imagery Wine Labels, 1989, 1996, 2001, 2010, Benziger Winery, Sonoma, California Art on the River, Outdoor Sculpture Commission, Rock River, Rockford, 1989 VISITING ARTIST: Guest Curator, “Rockford Collects”, Rockford Art Museum, 2002 Guest Curator, “Customized Culture”, Rockford Art Museum, 2002 Imagery Studio, Benzinger Winery, California, 2001 Anderson Ranch, Aspen, 2001 Columbia College, Chicago, 2000 Ball State University, 1997 Art Institute of Chicago, 1996 Curator, “Small Wonders”, San Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum, 1996 Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 1995 West Virginia University, Morgantown, 1993 University of Notre Dame, South Bend, 1992 University of Illinois, Champaign, 1992 “Artfair/Seattle”, interviewed, 1992 Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, 1990 California State University, Stanislaus, at Turlock, 1989 University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 1989 Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, 1989 Spazio Umano, International Review of Art and Literature, #1, 1987 Art Institute of Chicago,1983 |
