Norwood Viviano

Within my work, I balance a practice at the intersection of ancient metal casting processes and contemporary digital technology. I am fortunate to hold a position as an Assistant Professor of Sculpture at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, MI, which has an extensive sculpture facility that supports both of these processes. At Grand Valley, I head up the Sculpture Emphasis and teach 3D Design in Foundations. I live in Plainwell, MI, a small mill town between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, with my partner Sarah Lindley and our five-year old son. In the studio, I am busy with two extensive research projects– Recasting Michigan and First Generation Artifacts.

The First Generation Artifacts is an ongoing project that I started in 2003. The pieces in this series use bronze to record objects brought to America by Italian immigrants during the great immigration of the early 20th century. Damaged and discarded objects which once embodied the stories and family traditions brought to the new country by the first generation are used to create a new narrative– one that focuses on the passage of time and questions of identity.

In 1995, I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus in sculpture and glass from Alfred University in Alfred, NY. I earned a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI in1998. I have been an Artist-in Residence at the Royal College of Art, London, UK and Ox-Bow School Art and Artists’ Residency, Saugatuck, MI. My work has been exhibited at Zolla/Lieberman Galley, Chicago, IL, Esther Claypool Gallery, Seattle, WA, Revolution Gallery, Ferndale, MI, and the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, Staten Island, NY.




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