Chris McMullen Productions
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  • Home
  • Available Work
  • Large Equipment
  • Small Equipment
  • Recent Exhibitions
  • Select Past Exhibitions
  • Bio
  • Bibliography
  • Contact
  • Links
  • Find my art on Singulart
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YOUR CART

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Chris McMullen was born and raised in Reno, Nevada where much of his free time was spent mountain biking and snowboarding in the surrounding Sierra Nevada mountain range. He moved to Seattle, WA in 1999 to pursue a career as a sculptor.
 
For many years he has incorporated motion into his sculpture. Chris works primarily with steel, a material that when used for sculpture, has often been bent, moved and stretched in seemingly impossible ways to exploit its strengths. His work is about making the material move literally, in real time.
He uses mechanics based on simple geometry to affect a series of shapes transforming mechanical engagement into a fluid motion. This motion can evoke memories or emotion, like the feeling of watching water or the slow tension of ships passing on parallel courses.
 
Chris McMullen has been working from his Seattle studio since 2000. A fascination with industrial process and a background in Graphic Communication has led to a body of work consisting of machine-like, interactive sculpture.
 
He is a recipient of the 4Culture Individual Artist Project Grant, as well as the Artist Trust Grants for Artists Projects (GAP). His work has been featured in the Bellevue, WA Biennial Sculpture exhibition; Bellwether, the Redmond, WA Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, Bumbershoot, Maker Faire, Coachella, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Out of Sight at King Street Station, Bellevue Art Museum’s Biennial 2016: Metalmorphosis and Oxbow in Seattle, WA.
Chris also has work permanently installed in City Hall in Redmond, WA as part of the city’s collection,
the Science Museum of Oklahoma, and the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle; commissioned by SDOT through the Office of Arts & Culture.
 
His most recent work is currently installed in Palazzo Mora, Venice, Italy for Personal Structures: Identities during the Venice Art Biennale 2019. This exhibition runs through Nov. 25, 2019.
 
Nationally his work has been exhibited in California, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas and Washington.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2017  Infrastructure, Oxbow, Seattle WA
​2017  C.S.E. (Collaborative Stacking Extravaganza!), Gallery4Culture, Seattle, WA
2011  Crank-E-Joes, The Firm, Seattle, WA
2008  Modern Convenience, Grey Gallery and Lounge, Seattle, WA
2002  Process Physics, Vital 5 Productions, Seattle, WA
2002  Industry, Forgotten Works Gallery, Seattle, WA
2001  Industry, Secluded Alley Works, Seattle, WA
 
JURIED EXHIBITIONS
2019  Personal Structures: Identities, Palazzo Mora, Venice Art Biennale, Venice, Italy
2018  TimeSpaceExistence, Palazzo Mora, Venice Architecture Biennale, Venice, Italy

2017  Making Our Mark: Art by Pratt Teaching Artists, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA
2016  Out of Sight, Vital 5 Productions, King Street Station, Seattle, WA
2016  Bellevue Art Museum Biennial: Metalmorphosis, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA

2015  Out of Sight, King Street Station, Seattle, WA
2012  Bellwether 2012: reGeneration, Bellevue City Hall, Bellevue, WA
2010  10th Biennial Bellwether Artwalk, Bellevue Downtown Park, Bellevue, WA
2008  Flash Forward: Coupling VI, Ouch My Eye, Seattle WA
2007  Redmond Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, Redmond Town Square, Redmond, WA
2006  Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition, Bellevue City Hall, Bellevue, WA
2006  Art Outside, Enchanted Forest, Austin, TX
 
SELECTED INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS
2015  Georgetown Carnival, Seattle, WA
2013  Carcass, SEAWORTHY’S inaugural show, Seattle, WA
2012  Mini Maker Faire, Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
2011  Projects, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
2011  Bumbershoot, Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
2011  *Not To Scale, Smoke Farm, Arlington, WA
2011   Gallery (206), Occidental Park, Seattle, WA
2011   Maker Faire, San Mateo Fairgrounds, San Mateo, CA
2010  Art Outside, Apache Pass, Austin, TX
2010   Artopia, The Firm, Seattle, WA
2010  Maker Faire, San Mateo Fairgrounds, San Mateo, CA 
2010  The Official Ouch My Eye 2nd Annual International Invitational, Seattle, WA
2009  Bumbershoot, Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
2009   The Heavens Reflect Our Labors, Fulcrum Gallery, Tacoma, WA
2008  Artopia, Georgetown, Seattle, WA
2008  Maker Faire, San Mateo Fairgrounds, San Mateo, CA
2008  Art Outside, Enchanted Forest, Austin, TX
2008  GO!, Grey Gallery and Lounge, Seattle, WA
2007  Artopia, Georgetown, Seattle, WA
2007  Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Empire Polo Fields, Indio CA
2006  Bumbershoot, Seattle Center, Seattle WA
2006  One Night Stand, Ballard Fetherston Gallery, Seattle, WA
2005  Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Sea-Tac, WA
2005  Burning Man Festival, Black Rock Desert, NV
2005  Dorkbots at the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
2005  The Henry Bash, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA
2005  Georgetown Invasion, All City Coffee, Seattle, WA
2004  101 ways to remove a president from power, COCA, Seattle, WA
2003  Art at Work, Tacoma, WA
2003  Bumbershoot, Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
2003  Man:Made: Witness the mundane transformed, Colorgraphics, Seattle, WA
2003  Dorkbots at COCA, COCA, Seattle, WA
2003  Urban Art Installations at The Woolworth Windows, Tacoma, WA
2002  Consequence, Bemis Building, Seattle, WA
2001  Art at the Bemis, Bemis Building, Seattle, WA
2001  Seclusion, Secluded Alley Works, Monroe, WA
2001   Brewtown Arts, Georgetown, WA
 
AWARDS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2017-’20     Seattle Office of Arts and Culture Public Artist Roster
2017-’18     San Francisco Arts Commission Pre-Qualified Artist Pool
2016    Bellevue Art Museum Biennial Open House, Bellevue, WA
2016-’19   Sound Transit Artist Roster, Seattle WA
2011    Four (4) Editor Choice Awards, Maker Faire, San Mateo, CA
2009    Merit Award of Excellence, 8th Annual PONCHO Invitational Fine Art Auction, Grow Art, Seattle, WA
2009    Juror’s Choice Award, Pratt Fine Arts Center’s 27th Annual Fine Art Auction, Seattle, WA
2009    Instructed Creative Mechanical Movement class at Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle, WA in summer of 2009
2009    Seattle Metals Guild Lecture Series, Guest Speaker, Seattle, WA
2006    Dorkbots, Guest speaker, Seattle, WA Chapter
2003    Dorkbots opening reception, Guest speaker, Seattle, WA Chapter
2000-2004       Sculpture Studio Coordinator/Monitor, Pratt Fine Arts Center, Seattle, WA

GRANTS
2016    Americans for the Arts/Kris Wine: Art of Giving Grant
2011    Bumbershoot, Seattle, WA
2010    4Culture Individual Artist Project Grant, Seattle, WA
2010     Art Outside, Austin, TX
2009    Artist Trust 2009 Grants for Artist Projects (GAP),Seattle, WA
2009     Bumbershoot, Seattle, WA
2007    Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Indio, CA
2006    Bumbershoot, Seattle, WA
2005    Burning Man LLC., San Francisco, CA

COMMISSIONS
Revolution, Seattle, WA , SDOT 1% for Art funds, administered by the Office of Arts & Culture, completed June 2015
Fillings and Extractions, Seattle, WA, commissioned by Dr. Joseph Zimmer DDS, completed April 2012
Version No. 12, Reno, NV, commissioned by Elton Colbert, completed December 2011
Krane with a K, Oklahoma City, OK, commissioned by Science Museum of Oklahoma, completed August 2008
Sconces, Sammamish, WA, commissioned by MacPherson Construction & Design LLC, completed April 2004
 
​COLLECTIONS
2012    Version No.12, private collection, Reno, NV
2011    A53, private collection, Seattle, WA
2010   Coil, private collection, Seattle, WA
2009   Modern Convenience, Redmond City Hall as part of the city’s permanent collection, Redmond, WA
2009   ASTM A5, private collection, Seattle, WA
2009    SCAL, private collection, Seattle, WA
2006   Technology, private collection, Seattle, WA
2005   Gear Set, private collection, Seattle, WA
2003  Slide, private collection, Seattle, WA
 
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Gallaher, Rachel. “Artist Helps Design New Festival Street,” City Arts (April 28, 2014)
- Richardson, Matt. “This Potentially Annoying Sound Isn’t so Bad After All,” Make: (September 2, 2011)
- Wilkins, Matt. "McMullens Machines," Video for MTV's Seattle Scene: B-Side Docs About Seattle (2010)
- Miller, Brian. “Touch My Crankshaft,” Seattle Weekly (June 24, 2009)
- Lang, Kirk. “Lecture by Chris McMullen,” Seattle Metals Guild (March/April 2009)
- Farr, Sheila. “Clever kinetic sculptures and witty one liners,”  The Seattle Times review (Aug. 1, 2008)
- City of Bellevue Arts Commission. " Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition 2006," Catalogue (June 17, 2006)
- Martin, Nick. " Seattle 's "Machine" a metaphor in motion for Burning Man fest,"The Seattle Times
  (Aug. 6, 2005)
- Catalini, Stefano. "The Last Judgement Project," Catalogue (Aug. 2003)
- Muse, Alexandra. "Man:Made: Witness the mundane transformed:Art show at Colorgraphics,"
  Catalogue (Aug. 6, 2003)
- Fefer, Mark D. "Process Physics," Seattle Weekly (Aug. 1, 2002)
- Esquivel, Karla. "Chris McMullen's 3-D Physics at Vital 5," Tablet (July 25-Aug. 7, 2002)
 
EDUCATION
Associates Degree of Applied Science in Graphic Communication from Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, Nevada
One Year of animation study at The Art Institute of Seattle, Washington
Continuing study in Sculpture at Pratt Fine Arts Center, Seattle, Washington
 

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