Richmond, VA 
Fox and beaver pelts; bear skin rug; mounted; antelope head; antlers from various species; bird skulls lined up neatly on the mantle; baculums; cougar bones on the bookshelf.
Hunting trophies like these lined the walls of my childhood home. In my earliest formative years, I saw my reflection in the taut skin and rigid bones of various species native to the northwest wilderness. The script of my family’s lineage is written within these preserved hides—an invisible subtext that described the type of man I failed to become. The juxtaposition of these objects and my body helped generate my sense of being in the world. Tethered to an impossible standard of masculinity, the taxidermied animals of my childhood represent a version of self that is fragmented, displaced, and unable to become whole.
My research on gender identity and self-formation is catalyzed by childhood memories. I make objects of adornment for both the body and architectural space using a variety of techniques rooted in metalworking. I work in multiple disciplines to explore scale, function, and the politics of material. Essentialist notions of gender identity are called into question as both wearer and viewer are juxtaposed against fur and phallic forms
Adam Atkinson received a MFA in Metal Design at East Carolina University in 2019, and a BFA in Interdisciplinary Studio Practices at Boise State University in 2013 where he studied sculpture, metals, and painting. Atkinson’s work documents relationships between gender and the body using adornment and small scale sculpture as formats for exploration. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.
Education
2016-2019 Master of Fine Art, Metal Design, School of Art and Design, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
2007-2013 Bachelor of Fine Art, Visual Arts: Interdisciplinary Studio Practice, Cum Laude, Boise State University, Boise, ID
Teaching Experience
Fall 2019 Adjunct Faculty, Beginning Jewelry, Craft and Material Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, Richmond, VA
Fall 2018 Instructor of Record, Metal Design Survey, Metal Design Department, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
Teaching Assistant, fall semester, Tim Lazure, Casting I, Metal Design Department SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
Spring 2018 Instructor of Record, Design II, Foundations Department, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
-Introductory course to the fundamentals of three-dimensional design
Fall 2017 Instructor of Record, Metal Design Survey, Metal Design Department, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
Summer 2017 Making with Metal, workshop, Pocosin Arts, Columbia, NC, June19-24
-Workshop for adolescent youth teaching beginning metalsmithing techniques
Adventure Kit, workshop, Pocosin Arts, Columbia, NC, June 19-24
-Workshop for youth teaching sewing and felting techniques
Spring 2017 Teaching Assistant, Tim Lazure, Metal Design Survey, Metal Design Department, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
Spring 2013 Teaching Assistant, Anika Smulovitz, Introduction to Art Metals, Department of Art, Boise State University (BSU), Boise, ID
Exhibitions
2019 (Un)Becoming, MFA thesis exhibition, Wellington B. Gray Gallery, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
2018 Craft Forms 2018, juried exhibition, juror Perry A. Price, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA
11th Annual Joyner Library SoAD Graduate Student Exhibition, juried exhibition, juror Cathy Hardison, Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery, ECU, Greenville, NC
Here Today, Snag//Space juried online exhibition, jurors Sarah Darro and Kathryn Hall, https://www.snagspace.org/here-today
Spectrum: Exploring Gender Identification, MCLA Gallery 51, North Adams, MA
So Fresh So Clean, Ethical Metalsmiths juried online exhibition, juror Curtis Arima, https://www.ethicalmetalsmiths.com/so-fresh-so-clean/
Pitt Community College Metals Show, Pitt Community College, Winterville, NC
In Profile: Modern Cameos, Baltimore Jewelry Center, Baltimore, MD
ECU Metals Exhibition, Greenhill Museum of Art, Greensboro, NC
Shift ’18, Burroughs Wellcome Gallery, ECU, Greenville, NC
Ripple Effect: 168, Wellington B. Gray Gallery, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
Thinking:Making, Mendenhall Student Center Art Gallery, ECU, Greenville, NC
2017 Craft Forms 2017, juried exhibition, juror Nora Atkinson, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA
10th Annual Joyner Library SoAD Graduate Student Art Exhibition, juried exhibition, juror Catherine Coulter Lloyd, Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery, ECU, Greenville, NC
Forge, Form, Fabricate, juried exhibition, juror Heiner Zimmermann, Southern Illinois Metalsmiths Society, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL
Rebel 60, 1st Place in Metal Design, Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge, Greenville, NC
Is This the World We Created?, Wellington B. Gray Gallery, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
2017 Graduate Showcase, Mendenhall Student Center Art Gallery, ECU, Greenville, NC
Sting Like a Bee, solo exhibition, WonderBox Gallery, Farmville, NC
(Up)Setting the Stone, Snag//Space juried online exhibition, jurors Laura Wood and George Sawyer, http://www.snagspace.org/upsetting-the-stone#/adam-atkinson
2016 9th Annual Joyner Library SoAD Graduate Student Art Exhibition, juried exhibition, juror Matt Amante, Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery, ECU
Rebel 59, Honorable Mention, Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge, Greenville, NC
Unconventional Mediums, Mendenhall Student Center Art Gallery, ECU, Greenville, NC
Mentoring as Art, Waterworks Gallery, Friday Harbor, WA
2015 Home Ties: An Intimate Study of Adornment for the Body and Home, Capitol Hill neighborhood residence, Seattle, WA
Seattle Metals Guild Biennial Exhibition, Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, WA
2014 3X2 Redux, traveling exhibition organized by Micki Lippe and Cynthia Toops
Facèré Jewelry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA
Museum of Contemporary Craft Gallery, Portland, OR
2013 Re:Thread, Bricolage Gallery, Boise, ID
Varia: BFA Exhibition, Visual Arts Center, BSU, Boise, ID
Catalyst, Boise State Art Metals Club, Student Union Fine Arts Gallery, BSU, Boise, ID
2012 Emergent Student Juried Exhibition, Juror Cynthia Camlind, Visual Arts Center, BSU, Boise, ID
2010 Transit, international exhibition, NZU Student Works Gallery 1, Nagoya Zokei University of Art and Design, Nagoya, Japan
Awards/Grants
2019 Fountainhead Fellowship Finalist, Craft and Material Studies Department, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
2018 Reese Matthew Kirk Memorial Scholarship, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
Robert Ebendorf Scholarship, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
Hannah Graduate Scholarship, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
McMurray Scholarship, workshop, Steel Sculpture taught by Shawn HibmaCronan, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC
2017 Rebel 60, 1st place in Metal Design, Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge, Greenville, NC
SNAG Educational Endowment Scholarship, Society of North American Goldsmiths
Eastern NC Fund Scholarship, workshop, Design, Forge, Fabricate taught by Greg Gehner, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC
Claire E. Armstrong Scholarship, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
2016 Honorable Mention, Rebel 59, Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge, Greenville, NC
The Robert Ebendorf Graduate Scholarship for Excellence in Metal Design, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
2015 Pratt/Seattle Metals Guild Partners Grant, workshop grant, Pratt Fine Arts Center, Seattle
2012 Art Department Scholarship, Department of Art, BSU, Boise, ID
Professional Experience
2019 Gallery Assistant, spring semester, Angel Bellaran, Wellington B. Gray Gallery, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
-Installation duties including: hanging, lighting, staging, painting, hanging mechanism and display fabrication, and art handling
-Front desk duties including art stewardship, knowledge of past, current, and future exhibitions, and customer service
Metal Design Graduate Assistantship, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
-duties include studio maintenance, lab monitoring, and operational and safety knowledge of metal studio tools and equipment
2018 ECU Material Topics Symposium Co-chair, Co-chaired with Nadia Massoud, Metal Design Department, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
-Co-chaired weekend long conference with over 200 attendees from around the country
-Developed and executed strategic plan to overhaul event funding model, including cultivating University partnerships, securing corporate sponsorships, grant writing, and implementing a new silent auction event
-Curated conference lineup, including 13 nationally and internationally recognized presenting artists, 7 gallery exhibitions, visiting student showcases from 6 universities, as well as opening and closing parties
-Coordinated with presenters to develop lecture and breakout session programming, as well as arrange travel and accommodations
-Managed conference subcommittees and student volunteers
Metal Design Graduate Assistantship, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
Scope Miami Beach 2018, art fair internship, Miami, FL
-international art fair featuring over 140 galleries
-duties included: cash/credit transactions, VIP services, information attendant, and various customer service tasks
Gallery Assistant, fall semester, Angel Bellaran, Wellington B. Gray Gallery, SoAD,
ECU, Greenville, NC
2016-2018 Exhibition and Exchange Co-coordinator, Co-coordinator with Everett Hoffman, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of the Arts, Richmond, VA & East Carolina University, SoAD, Greenville, NC
-Organized travel and weekend exchanges between ECU and VCU Metal Departments to plan Ripple Effect:168 exhibition
-Co-curated Ripple Effect:168 exhibition in Wellington B. Gray Gallery, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
-Collaborated with students between ECU and VCU through demonstrations, team building activities, and making work for the exhibition
2017 Metal Design Graduate Assistantship, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
Hospitality Committee Co-Chair, Material Topics Symposium, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC
-Menu selection, caterer coordination, and food preparation
2016 Workshop Co-coordinator, Virginia Commonwealth University/East Carolina University Exchange, ECU, Greenville, NC
-Organized a weekend workshop and exchange between ECU and VCU Metal Departments
2014-2016 SMG Workshop Committee Member, Seattle Metals Guild, Seattle, WA
-Planning and assisting in visiting artists’ workshops
-Selected and coordinated with artists, business owners, and curators for annual lecture series
2013 Artist Assistant, Chad Erpelding, Boise, ID
2012-2013 Secretary, Boise State Art Metals Club, BSU, Boise, ID
-Keeping minutes, club communication
Art Metals Studio Monitor, BSU, Boise, ID
-Studio maintenance, assisting students
Residencies
2019 Penland Winter Residency, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC
2017 Pentaculum, week long invitational residency, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
Bibliography & Publications
2018 Marissa Saneholtz, ed. SNAG Jewelry and Metals Survey. Eugene, OR: Shelton Turnbull, 2018, Vol. 1, pg. 173.
Emily Brinley, ed. Rebel 60. Exhibition magazine. Greenville, NC: Student Media Literary Arts Publication, ECU, 2018, pg. 104-105.
2017 Stevens, Dean Paul. "Artist brings gender, bees to focus in box.", exhibition review, The Farmville Enterprise, March 22, 2017, Vol. 107, No. 12, pg. 2-3
Liz Reed, ed. Rebel 59, Exhibition magazine. Greenville, NC: Student Media Literary Arts Publication, ECU, 2017, pg. 56
Presentations Given
2018 Skinned, presentation given, Research and Creative Activity Week, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC, March 26
2017 Critters in the Sagebrush, presentation given, Research and Creative Activity Week, SoAD, ECU, Greenville, NC, April 3
Professional Development
2018 Wood/Concrete, workshop, Mark Melonas, Arrowmont School of Art & Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
-mold-making and concrete casting
Steel Sculpture, workshop, Shawn HibmaCronan, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC
MADE: Makers Across Disciplines Engage Conference, Society of North American Goldsmiths Conference, Portland, OR
Deconstruct/Reconstruct, 2018 Material Topics Symposium, ECU, Greenville, NC
2017 Design, Forge & Fabricate, workshop, Greg Gehner, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC
-Forging and fabricating steel
Collective Voices, 2017 Material Topics Symposium, ECU, Greenville, NC
2016 Synclastic and Anticlastic Forming, Julie Brooks, Pratt Fine Arts Center, Seattle, WA
2012-2015 Seattle Metals Guild Symposia, Broadway Performance Hall, Seattle, WA
2015 Impact: Looking Back Forging Forward, Society of North American Goldsmiths Conference, Boston, MA
Introduction to Holloware, Catherine Grisez, Pratt Fine Arts Center, Seattle, WA
2014 Hot Sheet Forming-Planning and Practice, Vivian Beer, SMG 2014 Symposium, Pratt Fine Arts Center, Seattle, WA
-Basic steel forming
2013 Metalworking to Create Personal Narrative, Marilyn and Jack Da Silva, BSU, Boise, ID
-synclastic and anticlastic forming and alternative surface color techniques
2010 Art and Design Study Program in Japan, two-week exchange program at Nagoya Zokei University, Nagoya, Japan
-International cultural exchange program including workshops in paper making, gold leafing, artist lectures, and museum/cultural center visits
Professional Affiliations
Society of North American Goldsmiths
College Art Association
International Sculpture Center
Where to Buy
Work is not available for sale through the SNAG website. Please contact the artist directly to inquire about making a purchase.