Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Brian Gillis

Artist :: Educator

“Service Work”

Brian Gillis’s work is rooted in service related to social equity and access. By using platforms, approaches, and points of exchange in art, he creates opportunities for access to socially valuable information and support. Much of this work involves institutional partnerships that connect individuals and com- munities to resources associated with food insecurity, housing, mental health, substance abuse, criminal justice, and violence. All ongoing, multigenerational issues in his family and community.

Gillis uses a variety of production strategies and conceptual approaches, often drawing from specific sites, histories, and related partnerships.

Gillis’s distinctions include fellowships from the Illinois Arts Council, the Oregon Arts Commission, and MacDowell; multiple distinguished grants and residencies, including residencies at MASS MoCA.

Gillis has partnered on projects with national and international institutions, including the Milwaukee Art Museum, Heilongjiang University (China), the University of Applied Sciences in Koblenz (Germany), the City of Roja (Latvia), and Seattle Public Schools.

Gillis holds degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Humboldt State University, and the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. He is currently a Professor of Art at the University of Oregon where he was the founding Director of the Center for Art Research (CFAR).