Hello All, We are very honored to announce that the documentary film, Work at Hand, Michael K. Paxton, is in the process of being archived into the West Virginia & Regional History Center, WVU, Morgantown. A huge thank you to Ms. Lori Hostuttler, Director for not only spearheading this inclusion, but also requesting all of Michael’s exhibition show cards, catalogs and reviews/features so that can be included in the archives. It will take some time for the film to be ready to view but until then here is Michael crossing a a swinging bridge over the Elk River in Clay, County WV.
Captive Coal to Open At Sharp Museum
Michel is very pleased to announce that he will have a one-person retrospective exhibition, Captive Coal, that will be presented at the Sharp Museum of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, opening January 16th and on view through May 10th, 2024, this will be a retrospective exhibition covering 30 years of my work that will feature from the very early worker drawings and paintings through to the most recent large-scale paintings on raw canvas. Michael will give an Artist Talk at the opening and the documentary film, Work at Hand, will be screened during the run of the show at some point. A special thanks goes to Curator of Exhibitions, WM Weston Stoerger and long time collectors and wonderful supporters, John E. and Lucia Hollister.
Interpolated at Western Illinois University
Michael’s one-person exhibition Interpolate opened September 12th with he University Art Gallery of Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois and ran until October 19th. This exhibition feature his large-scale Interpolations works on canvas. Thanks to Director Tyler Hennings for this opportunity to share my work with the WIU art students, faculty and folks of Macomb. Shown is a detail of Interpolations #11
2023 Individual Artist Grant Awared
Micheal weceived a 2023 Individual Artist Program grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events for both photography of new work and series of accordion folded cards for future exhibitions #DCASEgrants.
Humanities Film Series and Bone Deep
Work at Hand was screened as part of the Humanities Film Series at the Shircliff Gallery of Art at Vincennes University, IN, where Micheal also gave an Artist Talk after the viewing. This was in conjunction with the exhibition Bone Deep.
WVPBS to Broadcast Film June 14, 2020
We are excited to announce that West Virginia Public Broadcasting HD will air the documentary film Work at Hand, Michael K. Paxton, Sunday June 14th at 7:00 pm (ET) across the entire state. Special thanks to Director of Programming Eddie Isom and his staff at WVPBS. For more information and program schedule.
Raw Reckoning Gallery Talk July 28, 2019
We are pleased to announce that Michael will be having an Artist Talk connected with his current one-person exhibition Raw Reckoning. He will be joined by Dr. Robert Cohen, an international expert on black lung. Moderator for the talk will be Adrienne Kochman, Curator of UIMA and the driving force for this exhibition. Hope all can attend Sunday, July 28th from 1 to 3pm at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago. https://uima-chicago.org/events/2019/7/28/raw-reckoning-gallery-talk
Raw Reckoning Exhibition at UIMA Chicago
Opening Reception: 6-9pm, June 7th, 2019
On display from June 7th-August 4th, 2019
Raw Reckoning is veteran Chicago artist Michael K. Paxton’s one-person exhibition of large-scale paintings and works on paper that derive their structure from the study of slide sections of the effect of black lung disease on coalminers. Paxton, a sixth generation West Virginian creates pillar size fields of chalk, charcoal, gesso and acrylic on raw canvas that embrace this ongoing devastation from coal in an effort to point to a place and people not heard from often in contemporary art. Through a well ingrained working process of size and materials, the open-ended approach of how each painting is developed produces a colorful and awkward work of aggressive mark making that refuses to stand still. Pushing hard against expectations an otherness surrounds his work as he looks for the exact point where his bone deep Appalachian heritage can carve out a place for a heart’s desire to speak of something important, personal and yet as common as dirt. More information at https://uima-chicago.org/raw-reckoning-1
Artist Talk at Screening at Peninsula Fine Art Center
Here is a photo of me with those in attendance for the screening of Work At Hand talking about one of my older ink on drafting film drawings on display at the Peninsula Fine Art Center, Newport News, VA.
Q&A With Filmmakers and Artist
Here is a link to a Q&A with Director/Producer peter Hartel, Editor/Co-Producer Libi Hake and Artist Michael K. Paxton. This was filmed after the Premiere Screening of the film last year at the Wealthy Theater in Grand Rapids, Michigan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6ntA0MIj1E
