Agmt15 Fung Collaboratives - "Harmabee"

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k�.:�...., �, � � }e� ,�� ...�. > � �f 515a, h"dF�'ky'�,nr.0� ` ..., � . � ; . � .. . � . ...... . . .� .... , . .. , � . .,.� � ... � � � .. �. :,�„-. °�a. .=^a�<. �,. _.,x,. Michael Koliner Bio Michael Koliner is 25 years old, currently making work in his hometown Pittsburgh, Penn- sylvania. Before attending university, Michael worked as a semi-pro in-line skater and skatepark builder, which further developed his intuitive relationship with materiais, body movement, and form. He graduated in 2012 from The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)with a Bachelor's of Fine Art in Interdisciplinary Sculpture accompanied with a minor in Art History. Early on, Michael depended on his artistic ability to overcome dyslexia. In the 3rd grade his teachers allowed him to use alternative methods (drawing, animations, sculptures and per- formances) to show his comprehension of class materials. His middle school art teacher, Phil Hessler, gave him private lessons where they investigated abandoned steel mills and visited contemporary art exhibitions. This early relationship to art gave him the license to interpret his environment in an extraordinary way. In parallel to his artistic development, Michael became increasingly involved with in-line skating. He gained several sponsors and traveled to compete. The summer before leaving for col- lege he helped build Mr. Smalls Skatepark just outside Pittsburgh. This experience cultivated his interest in sculpture. Once he got to MICA, he dropped all of his skating sponsors to focus on his studies and artwork. In art school Michael explored how the body interacts with forms by making things that could be stood on, inside of, and next to. He explored various media and how they altered the experience of space. Late-Modern and Conceptual Art were especially interesting to him during this time. He graduated university with more questions than answers. After college, Michael was a studio assistant for various artists and designers in Baltimore, Chicago, New York and Washington DC. While working for others he had time to refine his craft and learn the business side of the industry. In the Spring of 2014 a call for entries was put out by The Washington Project for Arts to have a public seating project shown with Fung Collaboratives' Nonuments Exhibition. Michael was selected for his "Nonumental Seating" which was a project that emphasized the commonal- ity of people through the production of social objects. On August 23rd, 2014 he held The Mud Dance in South West Washington DC which had 250 people from various communities help mix adobe for the sculptures. The seats were only supposed to exist for iwo months in the park, but were acquired by the South West Community Garden just a few blocks away. The benches to this day are serving the South West locals. In Pittsburgh, he is now a resident artist at Techshop and teaches at The Mattress Factory art center. He is continually developing socially engaged projects that generate communal activ- ity in order to offset our heavily mediated culture. He still has more questions than answers. REV:08-28-15 MLG ATTY/AGR.2015.180/FUND COLLABORATIVES Page 14 of 27