Michael McCormick Objective to Record Image a Life in Art and Film 1960-2009
Exhibition at The William Platz Gallery at The Art Center Design College
Contact: Richard Cutshall, Department Chair for Fine Arts and Photography, The Art Center; (505) 254-7575;rcutshall@theartcenter.edu; Michael McCormick; (575) 680-0702; Email: prof.micmac@hotmail.comAlbuquerque, New Mexico: Friday, March 6 through Friday, April 17, 2009. The Art Center Design College is proud to announce a retrospective exhibition of work by artist and puppeteer Michael McCormick featuring sculpture, painting, and installations as well as masks, puppets, and other performance objects. Credited for creating memorable props, puppets, and models for films including The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Return of the Jedi, and White Sands, McCormick explores the theme of Gravity: Decay and Resistance in this comprehensive show of personal and commercial projects.
In addition to film work, the native New Mexican recently spent six years in Ireland, performing puppet shows at the National Wax Museum of Dublin and lecturing on his specialty, Punch and Judy, at the International Puppet Association at Trinity College in Dublin. Before returning to Albuquerque he taught for one year in the Creative Media Center at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. In The Art Center show, McCormick will reconstruct part of his actual studio space, assembled from objects that have influenced and inspired him over the years. Imagery will be drawn from his childhood in Los Alamos and early work with Native American populations as well as international travels as a performer. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 6 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the William Platz Gallery, located on the second floor of The Art Center. A Gallery Talk will take place on Wednesday, March 11 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Both events are free to the public. Additional workshops are planned for the run of the show with exact times and topics to be announced. There will also be a screening of The Dark Crystal at the Guild Theater, 3405 Central Ave. NE, April 10 through 12. Celebrating 20 years in Albuquerque this year, The Art Center is located at 5000 Marble Ave. NE near the intersection of Lomas and San Mateo. The college educates students to excel in the fields of fine arts and design, offering Bachelor of Arts degrees in Advertising and Marketing, Animation, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Studio Art and Photography. The Art Center is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association. The Interior Design BA degree is also accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). Regular gallery hours are Thursdays 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm, Fridays 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and Saturdays 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Arrangements can also be made for showings by appointment. For
