JORGE LUIS RODRIGUEZ

ARTIST STATEMENT:

"I am inspired greatly by nature and enjoy using elements from the natural world as a catalyst for my work. I apply art history and historical milestones in my work and am as easily inspired and can create art from a vast array of sources, materials and techniques. Many of my projects may progress in themes, with variations across time and influencing subsequent works. My ideas continue to evolve from piece to piece and are informed by relevant past as well as present day challenges. " Jorge Luis Rodriguez

Bio:

Jorge Luis Rodriguez moved to New York in 1963, beginning his artistic career as the art director at the international advertising agency, J. Walter Thompson ('70). He received his BFA '76 in Sculpture from the School of Visual Arts, where he studied under the tutelage of Louise Bourgeois, George Trakas, Hannah Wilke, Alice Adams, Brice Marden and Joseph Kosuth, before moving on to NYU where he received his MA in Sculpture in 1977.

Jorge's teaching experience included CUNY (1977-2003) as well as teaching sculpture at his alma mater School of Visual Arts (1984-2003). He developed and implemented art curriculum for museums, arts organizations, community programs and NYC public schools, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Studio Museum in Harlem, Association for Hispanic Arts, El Museo del Barrio, Altos de Chavón, and Escuela de artes plásticas de Puerto Rico.

Growth ('85, Harlem Art Park) was his first monumental work as well as the inaugural installation of the Percent for Art program of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. He has installed public art in schools, open spaces and parks, the most recent being Atlas of the Third Millennium at Marcus Garvey Park (2017-2018). Since 1976, he has participated in individual and collective exhibitions in the United States, Latin America and Europe. including Just Above Midtown Gallery, and the 2023 exhibition at MoMA bearing the same name, The Studio Museum in Harlem, El Museo del Barrio, Museum of Contemporary Hispanic Arts (MoCHA), Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños, Taller Boricua, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Governors Island, Maryland Art Institute, Yale University Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, Museo de Arte de Ponce, Mánes Gallery.

His work is documented in the Smithsonian Institute, The World History of Art, Mixed Blessings: New Art in a Multicultural America, Great Themes in Art, The Guide to Manhattan's O