Bio

EDUCATION
1988 M.F.A. in studio practice, University of California, Davis
1986 B.F.A. Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. Graduated with high honors.
1983 St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2005 Bodybuilder and Sportsman Gallery, "Object Lessons", Chicago, IL
2004 Gallery Paule Anglim, "Panoplied", San Francisco, CA
2002 Bodybuilder and Sportsman, Chicago, IL
2000 Gallery Paule Anglim, San Francisco, CA
1997 Gallery Paule Anglim, San Francisco CA
1995 Gallery Paule Anglim, San Francisco CA
1993 Southern Exposure, "Between You and Me and the Bedpost", San Francisco, CA
1991 Gallery Paule Anglim, "Introductions '91", San Francisco, CA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2006 "It's So Real", The Front Room Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
"Critics Select", Shore Institute of Contemporary Art, Long Branch, NJ
"Fountain", The Front Room Gallery, New York, NY
"MixArt", James Hotel, Chicago, IL,
(invited by Lorelei Stewart, Director of Gallery 400, Chicago, and Stephanie Smith, Curator of Contemporary Art, The Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago.)
Recent Sculpture/Summer show, Platform Gallery, Seattle, WA
2005 "AquaArt Fair", Aqua Hotel, Miami Beach, FL
"Spin/Spun", Gahlberg Gallery, College of DuPage, Chicago, IL
2003 SCULPT ­ Central Illinois Sculptors ­ McClean County Arts Center, Bloomingtonn, IL
2002 Faculty Exhibition, Krannert Art Museum, University of Illinois
Stray Show ­ Chicago, IL
Artpoint at Art Basel/Miami- group show of work by artists outside of major metropolitan areas ­ organized by Janet Phelps, guest curator Dominick Molon, MCA Chicago
Loaded ­ Midway Contemporary Art, St.Paul, MN
The Future Is Now Right ­ I Space, Chicago IL
2001 Faculty Exhibition, Krannert Museum, University of Illinois
40 Oakland Artist's, Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA
Off the Wall, Gallery 400, University of Illinois, Chicago
Lifelike, New Langton Arts, San Francisco, CA
Kickback, faculty show, Worth-Ryder Gallery, University of California, Berkeley
2000 Boom-Boom, faculty show, Worth-Ryder Gallery, University of California, Berkeley
1998 SAP, Hotel show at Hotel Lanai, San Francisco. Co-Sponsored by Four Walls and Scene/Escena, San Francisco, CA
1997 Center for the Arts, Yerba Buena Gardens, "Bay Area Now", San Francisco CA
1995 Center for the Arts, Yerba Buena Gardens, "Fabricators: New Bay Area Sculpture", San Francisco, CA
Food House, "Pretty", Santa Monica, CA
Victoria Room, "Big Jesus Trash Can", San Francisco, CA
1994 Victoria Room, "Happy Hands", San Francisco, CA
Southern Exposure, "20TH Anniversary Alumni Show", San Francisco, CA
The LAB, "Addressing Herself", San Francisco, CA
1992 Oakland Museum, "From the Studio; Recent Painting and Sculpture by 20 California Artists", Oakland, CA
San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery, "Real Tears", San Francisco, CA
Judith Weintraub Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Ohlone College, Faculty Show, Fremont, CA
1991 John Natsoulas Gallery, "30 Years of TB-9: A Tribute to Robert Arneson", Davis, CA
Matrix Gallery, "Matrix International", Sacramento, CA
Crocker Art Museum, "Crocker-Kingsley Annual", Sacramento ,CA
1990 Judith Weintraub Gallery, "Influences", Sacramento, CA
1988 Richard L. Nelson Gallery, "M.F.A. Exhibition", Davis, CA
Pence Gallery, Davis, CA
HONORS AND AWARDS
2005 Illinios Arts Council Grant
2004 Research Board Grant, University of Illinois
2002 Research Board Grant, University of Illinois
1996 Finalist, 1995-1996 SECA award, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
1995 San Francisco Bay Guardian Outstanding Local Discovery (GOLDIE) Award in Visual Arts
1994 Creative Artist Fellowship, City of Oakland Cultural Affairs Commission
1991 Honorable Mention, Crocker Kingsley Annual, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
Cash Award, First Place in Sculpture, Matrix International, Matrix Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1987 Distinguished Scholar Research Award, University of California, Davis
Represented the Davis Art Department at the 4-Arts Festival Workshop with Rachel Rosenthal. Three day workshop, University of California, Irvine, CA
1986 University of California Graduate Fellowship, two year academic achievement award
Jurors choice award, student exhibition, Southern Illinois University , Edwardsville, IL
1985 Friends of Art Honor Award for academic excellence, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville
Friends of Art Honor Award in studio art, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL
1984 James Cardwell Award in Ceramics, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL
COLLECTIONS
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Oakland Museum of California
UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive ­ gift of Peter and Eileen Norton
Orange County Museum of Art ­ gift of Peter and Eileen Norton
TEACHING AND RELATED EXPERIENCE
2001 Assistant Professor, sculpture, School of Art and Design, University of Illinois
2001-2000 Visiting Lecturer, Department of Art Practice, University of California, Berkeley
2001-1998Visiting Artist, Sculpture/Graduate Division, San Francisco Art Institute
1998 Visiting Lecturer, Art Department, University of California, Davis
1997-1995 Full Time Lecturer, Art Department, University of California, Davis
1995 Artist's Committee, San Francisco Art Institute
Curatorial Committee, The LAB, San Francisco, CA
BIBLIOGRAPHY
  • Elms, Anthony, "What Have You Left Me With?", essay in exhibition catalogue for Spin/Spun, Gahlberg Gallery, College of DuPage.
  • Baker, Kenneth - "Pokorny at Anglim", San Francisco Chronicle, Datebook section, May 29, 2004.
  • Fred Camper, "Ordered Disorder", Chicago READER, April 5, 2002 p.31
  • Harry Roche, "Lifelike at New Langton", ArtPapers, Fall 2001
  • Mark Van Proyen, "San Francisco e-mail, Melissa Pokorny at Gallery Paule Anglim", Art Issues, Summer 2000
  • Lindsey Westbrook, " Over There: Visual Arts", East Bay Express, March 17, 2000
  • Glen Helfand, "Critics Choice ­ Art", San Francisco Bay Guardian, March 22-28, 2000
  • David Bonetti, "Gallery Watch - Melissa Pokorny at Paule Anglim", San Francisco Examiner, March 24, 2000, p C-11
  • Kenneth Baker, "Critics Picks", San Francisco Chronicle, March 31, 2000, p.D1
  • Glen Helfand, " Fabricators: New Bay Area Sculpture", New Art Examiner, Dec. 1995, p.36
  • David Bonetti, "Arts Ugly Ducklings", San Francisco Examiner, Weekend' section, p. C1, September 29, 1995
  • Harry Roche, "Melissa Pokorny, Sculptor", San Francisco Bay Guardian, ( Special Goldies edition ) p.29.43, September 11, 1995
  • Harry Roche, "Critics Choice: Fabricators", San Francisco Bay Guardian, p.87, September 11, 1995
  • Kenneth Baker, "Sculptors Share Material Vision in Fabricators", San Francisco Chronicle, p.E3 September 12 1995
  • Terri Cohn, "Preview: Fabricators: New Bay Area Sculpture", Artweek, p. 25, September 1995
  • Maria Porges, " San Francisco in Review: Melissa Pokorny at Paule Anglim", Artforum, p.104, May 1995
  • Harry Roche, "Critics Choice: Melissa Pokorny", San Francisco Bay Guardian, p.71, March 29, 1995
  • Randal Davis, "Big Jesus Trash Can at Victoria Room", Artweek, p.33, March 1995
  • Michael Darling, "Pretty at Food House", Artweek, p. 38, March 1995
  • David Bonetti, "Gallery Watch", San Francisco Examiner, p. D3, February 10, 1995
  • Sylvia Rubin, "State of the Art in the Bay Area", San Francisco Chronicle Datebook, January 13, 1995
  • Erin Blackwell, "Happy Hands", New Art Examiner, p.44, November 1994
  • Maria Porges, "San Francisco in Review", Sculpture magazine, p.53, Nov/Dec, 1994
  • Kenneth Baker, "San Francisco in Review, Happy Hands at Victoria Room", ArtNews, p.146, December 1994
  • Kenneth Baker, "Happy Hands", San Francisco Chronicle, p.E4, Sept. 10, 1994
  • Harry Roche, "Critics Choice: Happy Hands", San Francisco Bay Guardian, p.69, September 7th, 1994
  • Roberto Friedman, "Fetish Furniture", Bay Area Reporter, p.35, August 25, 1994
  • David Bonetti, "State of the Art Revisited", San Francisco Examiner, June 3, 1994
  • Marcia Tanner, "Artists Work at Southern Exposure's 20th Anniversary Show", San Francisco Chronicle Datebook, May 8, 1994
  • Kenneth Baker, "Bad Girls Do Cry", San Francisco Chronicle Datebook, February 13, 1994
  • Glen Helfand, "Transforner", SF Weekly, February 2, 1994
  • Diana Ketcham, "Artwork in an Unpretentious State", Oakland Tribune, July 6, 1992
  • Kenneth Baker, "Studio Show a Bright Light in Dark Times", San Francisco Chronicle Datebook, July 5, 1992
  • David Bonetti, "Real Tears", San Francisco Examiner, March 13, 1992
  • David Bonetti, "S.F. Dealers' Show of Shows", San Francisco Examiner, July 12, 1991
  • Victoria Dalky, "The Sound of Distant Echoes", Sacramento Bee Encore Magazine, December 22, 1990
CATALOGUES
  • Bay Area Now, Center For The Arts, Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco, CA
  • Fabricators: New Bay Area Sculpture, Center For The Arts, San Francisco, California
  • Addressing Herself, the LAB, San Francisco, California