kim beck

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Using images of architecture and landscape, Kim Beck makes drawings, prints, paintings and installations that survey peripheral and suburban spaces. Her work urges a reconsideration of the built environment - the peculiar street signs, gas station banners, overgrown weeded lots, and self-storage buildings — bringing the banal and everyday into focus.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2008 Bank, Los Angeles, CA (upcoming)
Artists Image Resource, Looked Overlooked, Pittsburgh, PA

2007

Printed Matter, Book Launch: A Field Guide to Weeds, New York, NY

2006 

Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Emerging Artist of the Year, PA, catalogue

Gardiner Art Gallery, Plot, Oklahoma State University,OK
2005

Raid Projects, Lot, Los Angeles, CA

Sonnenschein Gallery, Lot, Lake Forest College, IL
2004 Plane Space, Ideal City, New York, NY, catalogue
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Video Screening – Night: Memphis, TN
2003 Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, Climate Controlled, Buffalo, NY, catalogue
2002 ArtLab, Coordinates, Art Museum University of Memphis, TN
Second Floor Contemporary, Drive, Memphis, TN
2001 CEPA Gallery, New Developments, Buffalo, NY, catalogue
2000 Urban Institute of Contemporary Art, Suburban Lights, Grand Rapids, MI
1998  Sol Koffler Gallery, The Angel of History, Providence, RI
Market House Gallery, Wise Wicked Simple Naive, Providence, RI
1997 Edge Gallery, Self Portraits, Denver, CO
Selected Group Exhibitions
2008 Carnegie Museum of Art, Worlds Away: New Suburban Landscapes, Pittsburgh, PA (upcoming)
Emerging Artist Fellowship Program Exhibition, Socrates Sculpture Park, New York, NY (upcoming)
Mattress Factory, Meet the Made, Pittsburgh, PA (upcoming)
Walker Art Center, Worlds Away: New Suburban Landscapes, Minneapolis, MN, catalogue
Francis M. Naumann Fine Art, Manufactured Unreality: The Art of Collage, New York, NY
Plane Space, Gangbusters, New York, NY
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Shuffle, Memphis, TN
Smack Mellon, Kentucky Derby, Brooklyn, NY
Virginia Commonwealth University, Southern Graphics Conference, Are We There Yet?, VA
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, 2008 Biennial, Pittsburgh, PA
2007 Williamson Gallery at Scripps College, LA Live: Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Claremont, CA
Artists Image Resource, Cut, Copy, Fold, Pittsburgh, PA
Urban Institute for Contemporary Art, Being Open, Grand Rapids, MI
Nashville International Airport, Arts at the Airport, Nashville, TN
Smack Mellon, Kentucky Derby, Brooklyn, NY
2006 Aqua Art Miami with Bank, Los Angeles, Miami, FL
Rochester Contemporary, Land Tracking Land, Rochester, NY, catalogue
Kontekst Galeriya, Guide with Next Question, Belgrade, Serbia
Smack Mellon, Site 92, Brooklyn, NY
Pierogi 2000 Flat Files, The Armory Show, New York, NY
2005 Sherman Gallery, Skyline, Boston University School of Visual Art, Boston, MA
Material Art Space, ...and everythings picking up speed..., Memphis, TN
Cornell University, In Exchange, Ithaca, NY
Smack Mellon, Fifteen Paces, Brooklyn, NY
2004  Plane Space, Drawing, New York, NY
Santa Fe Art Institute, SElections, Santa Fe, NM
2003 Art Museum University of Memphis, MAX 2003; curated by Beth Venn, catalogue
Bradbury Gallery, Arkansas State University, Photo Album, Jonesboro, AR, catalogue
2002 Annex Gallery, Mentor, Houston, TX
Zeitgeist Gallery, Switchyard, Nashville, TN
2001 Central Academy of Fine Arts, Open Source, Beijing, China, travelling show, catalogue
International Studio & Curatorial Program, New York, NY
SUNY Geneseo Gallery, CIT ’01 Digital Media, Purchase, NY
George Mason University, Media/Matrix, Fairfax, VA
2000 George Sherman Gallery, Bon á Tirer, Boston, MA
1999 Attleboro Museum, New England Printmaking, MA
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, MFA Thesis, Providence, RI
Elam School of Art, Works on Paper, Auckland, New Zealand
1998 Sol Koffler Gallery, Works on Paper, Providence, RI
1997  Market House, One-Minute-Limit Video Show, Providence, RI
Movimiento Artistico del Rio Salado, Phoenix, AZ
1996 Denver Art Museum, Recent Acquisitions, Denver, CO
Selected Awards & Residencies
2008 The Space Program, The Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation, New York
Emerging Artist Fellowship Program, Socrates Sculpture Park, New York
Visual Artist Residency, Yaddo
2007 Publishing Program for Emerging Artists, Printed Matter, New York
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership Project with Heinz Endowment Grant
2006 Heinz Endowment Creative Heights Production Grant
Berkman Development Grant, "Transitional Cities: Pittsburgh & Belgrade"
Emerging Artist of the Year, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
2005 Heinz Endowment Grant, Virginia Center for Creative Arts
Center for the Arts in Society Project Grant, Carnegie Mellon University
2004 Artist-in-Residence, Plane Space, New York
2003 Cité Internationale des Arts Residency, Paris
2002 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant
Vermont Studio Center, Full Fellowship
Tennessee Arts Commission, Professional Artist Support Grant
2001  International Studio & Curatorial Program, NYSCA Grant, New York
1999 RISD Award of Excellence in Printmaking
RISD Graduate Studies Award
1998 Leopold Schepp Scholarship
1993 Artist-in-Residence, College of Fine Arts, Sidney, Australia
1992 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship: Travel Award for Europe, Australia & Japan
Viewing Programs
Artist Pension Trust, New York
Pierogi 2000 Flat Files
The Drawing Center Viewing Program
Sculpture Center Image Library
White Columns Curated Artist Registry
Public Collections
Carnegie Museum of Art
Denver Art Museum
Northern Territory Museum, Australia
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
The Capitol Group, Los Angeles
Selected Bibliography
Oisteanu, Valery. "Prefabricated Art, Undesirable Surreality." The Brooklyn Rail. June 2008
Flick, Sherrie. "The Re-Examined Life." Pittsburgh City Paper. May, 21, 2008
Miller, Leigh Ann. "Reviews: Pittsburgh / Kim Beck / Center for the Arts." Art in America. Feb 2007
Kalb, Peggy Edersheim. "Sharing the Wealth." Art + Auction. Fall 2007
Thomas, Mary. "Best of 2006" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Dec 28, 2006
Thomas, Mary. "Art Review: Beck uses the Mundane..." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Oct 11, 2006
Shaw, Kurt. "Let there be light." Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Sept 10, 2006
"Shortlist: Fifteen Paces." Village Voice. May 4-10 2005
Karlins, N.F. “Drawing Notebook.” ArtNet Magazine. July 2004
Anthes, Bill. “Memphis.” Contemporary Magazine. Fall 2004
Koeppel, Fredric. “Arts Profile.” Commercial Appeal. June 26 2004
Koeppel, Fredric. “Not Exactly.” Commercial Appeal. Memphis, TN, Sept 21 2003
DeForest, Kate. “Ordinary Objects” Buffalo News. July 11, 2003
Sparks, Jon. Commercial Appeal. July 20, 2003
Gaasch, Cynnie. “Reworking Concepts of Beauty” ArtVoice, Buffalo. NY, July 2003
Hall, David. “Reviews: Memphis – DriveArt Papers, Fall 2002
“Memphis Top Ten.” Number 44. Fall 2002
Dobbins, Hamlett. “A Conversation.” Number 43. Summer 2002
Catalogue Essays
Walker Art Center. Worlds Away: New Suburban Landscapes, 2008. Minneapolis, MN. Text by Andrew Blauvelt.
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. Finding "Other Spaces," 2006. Pittsburgh, PA. Text by Heather Pesanti.
Plane Space. Ideal City, 2004. New York, NY. Text by Chad MacDermid and Bryson Brodie.
Art Museum at University of Memphis. MAX, 2003. Memphis, TN. Text by Beth Venn.
Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center. Climate Controlled, 2003. Buffalo, NY. Text by John Massier.
Bradbury Gallery, Arkansas State University. Photo Album, 2003. Jonesboro, AR. Text by Les Christensen.
Central Academy of Fine Arts, Open Source, 2001. Beijing, China. Text by Gerar Edizel.
CEPA Gallery, New Developments, 2001. Buffalo, NY. Text by Anne Ellegood.
Curatorial Projects
2007 Cut, Copy, Fold, Artists Image Resource, Pittsburgh, PA, catalogue with essay
2003 Not Exactly, Delta Axis @ Marshall Arts, Memphis, TN, catalogue with essay
Video Screening, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, TN
Public Lectures / Visiting Artist
2008  University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
2007   University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
2006   Frick Art & Historical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Outside Project, Faculty of Fine Arts, Belgrade, Serbia
College Art Association, Boston
Oklahoma State University
2005 Scripps College, Los Angeles
Boston University, School of Art
FedEx Institute, University of Memphis
Simmons College, Boston
Lake Forest College, Chicago
2004 Parsons School of Design, Paris
Memphis College of Art
Appointments
2004-present  Assistant Professor, School of Art, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
2004-2002 Assistant Professor & Coordinator of Graduate Studies, Memphis College of Art, TN
2000-2001 Visiting Assistant Professor of Print Media, Alfred University, Alfred, NY
Education
1999 MFA, Rhode Island School of Design
1992 BA, Brandeis University
1991 Yale Norfolk