A mix of technology and good ol' fashion play is the underlying thread in Sean McGowen's sculptural installations and collective based art events. He was raised in the analog generation, before the internet took over our daily lives. This was a time when every phone had a cord and the only way to have fun was to get out of the house. That time has passed; we are in the digital age now. Similarly, most modern art galleries seem to lack the aspect of play that was so present in my adolescence. I have carried a childlike attitude into my adult life and my art work that has influenced me to develop electronic installations and interactive community based events that connect the participants directly to the story of my art. He seeks to show that art does not have to be rigidly defined within galleries and complex metaphors, but instead can be accessible beyond some veiled complexity. Only when the audience is completely immersed and participating fully can the alienating nature of the art world be removed. After all, everyone needs to remember what it was like to be a kid.
smcgowen@ucsc.edu
Associates Degree, in Language, Arts and Humanities, San Diego City College,California
University California, Santa Cruz, Bachelors Degree Arts, Bachelors Degree Economics
Intern Museum Art and History, Santa Cruz, Ca
• Photographer and Volunteer for 3rd Friday events
• Pre/post production of "Show and Tell" photo booth
Jan 2009- present :Founder and CEO of Technical Support TV L.L.C., San Diego, CA
• Artist collective specializing in event coordination and video promotion
• Monthly event coordination
• Artist Bookings
• Promotional material design (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier Pro)
Aug 2003- Dec2011Coronado Historical Association (CHA), Coronado, CA
• Assistant to Event Coordinator and Volunteer for the Art Walk
• Artist participant in 2010 Art Walk
• Photographer and Volunteer for the Arts Ball
• Featured artist at CHA Museum of Art and History
•"Historical Tour of Homes" Coronado Historical Association (CHA), Coronado, CA
March 2013• "Photo ID" Museum Art and History, Santa Cruz, Ca
collaboration:Elliott Taylor
January 2014• "Field B" Museum Art and History, Santa Cruz, Ca
collaboration: Wes Modes,Wayne Marcy
May 2014• “Bio Sensing Garden” Makers Faire, San Mateo, Ca
collaboration: Joel Horne, Ian Ayyad, Richard Vallejos
June 2014• “Bio Sensing Garden” Zero1 Gallery, Sub Zero, San Jose, Ca
collaboration: Joel Horne, Ian Ayyad, Richard Vallejos
University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
• Teaching Assistant, Physical Computing 103 (Art), Elliot Anderson
Winter 2012University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
• Scribe(economics), Disabilities Resource Center
Fall 2013University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
• Teaching Assistant, ART 80D Introduction to Photography, Katie Perry
Winter 2013University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
• Teaching Assistant, Art 80E, Tangible Memory: Artists in the Archive , E.G. Crichton
Winter 2013University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
• Guest Lecture, DANM 219, Intro to Electronics in Art , Laura Wright
Spring 2014University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
• Teaching Assistant, Art 80D, Intro to digital Photography, Katie Perry
Fall 2014University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
• Teaching Assistant, ART 80E Introduction to Digital Media, Race & Ethnicity, Kyle Lane-McKinley
7 years experience in public and private art foundations.
• Ability to work smoothly with groups, and effectively coordinate large scale events.
• Skilled in photography, video(premier),design(AI), sculpture, web design(HTML/CSS), electrically based art(Arduino)
• Economics theory and history, including statistical regression
collaberation:Sarah Stowell, Juliet Deamicis, Alison Moore, Blake Goodmacher