BIOGRAPHY
Jeff Prokash is an interdisciplinary artist, researcher, and educator in Chicago, IL. He received his MFA in Sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and his BFA in Art and Art History from University of Wisconsin Madison. Jeff Prokash attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2015 and has received awards and fellowships including the Eldon Danhausen and Edward L. Ryerson Fellowships and the International Sculpture Center Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award. He currently teaches in the Sculpture department at SAIC. His work navigates the territories of architecture, design, archival practices, materiality, and contextual histories through the lens of sculpture. As a collector and orchestrator of material based information, his work draws upon the conventions of preservation, appropriation, and the historical archive to produce sculptural installations and interventions that embody the connectivity between people, places, objects, and events. Jeff Prokash embraces the freedom of reinterpretation in order to suggest new relationships and potentialities within the built environment.
EDUCATION
2015 Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Madison, ME
2015 MFA, Sculpture, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2008 BFA with High Honors, Studio Art and Art History, University of Wisconsin-Madison
2005 University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley, Transfer
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2017 Re-enacting the contents of a Box, Randy Alexander Gallery, Chicago, IL
2016 What becomes of the Hole When the Cheese is Eaten?, Randy Alexander Gallery, Chicago, IL
2013 New Growth on Old Remains, Aylward Gallery, Menasha, WI
2010 Nocturnal Revelries, Iola Mills, Iola, WI
2007 New Works, UW-Fond du Lac Visual Arts Gallery, Fond du Lac, WI
SELECTED TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2024 Exhibition title to be determined (In collaboration with Danny Floyd), Julius Caesar Gallery, Chicago, IL (Upcoming)
2023 Tongue & Nail, Iceberg Projects, Chicago IL
2023 Glossolia (In collaboration with David Sprecher) ACRE Exhibitions, Chicago, IL
2019 Stillness Variations (In collaboration with Danny Floyd), The Comfort Station, Chicago, IL
2015 2 Tambours (In collaboration with Danny Floyd), Cornerstore, Chicago, IL
2013 Thinking of You (In collaboration with Morgan Sims) The Octagon Gallery, Chicago, IL
2012 Too Much is Never Enough (In collaboration with Morgan Sims), Heaven Gallery, Chicago, IL
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2019 Hotel Room Art Auction, Ace Hotel, Chicago, IL
2018 Architecture Itself and Other Postmodern Myths, Canadian Center for Architecture, Montreal, QC
2018 After Junk Space, Donnelly Foundation, Chicago, IL
2018 Artificial Life, Chicago Artist Coalition, Chicago, IL
2017 Galleryfill (Keeley Haftner Public Project), Third Space Gallery, Tin Can Beach, Saint John, NB
2017 Sculpture Orchestra (Cathy Hsaio & Damon Locks) Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago, IL
2017 Dangerous Professors, Triumph, Chicago, IL
2017 Boondoggle, Chicago Artist Coalition, Chicago, IL
2017 The Duck and the Document:True Stories of Postmodern Procedures, SCI-Arc Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Door, Triumph, Chicago, IL
2017 Drawing, Randy Alexander Gallery, Chicago, IL
2016 Ground Floor, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL
2016 T O’ Time, Pavillon Carré Baudouin, Paris, FR
2015 International Sculpture Center Student Exhibition, Step Gallery, Phoenix, AZ
2015 Fresh, SLU Contemporary Art Gallery, Hammond, LA
2015 SAIC MFA Thesis Exhibition, Sullivan Galleries, Chicago, IL
2015 General Objects, Fjord, Philadelphia, PA
2014 International Sculpture Center Student Award Exhibition, Grounds For Sculpture, Trenton, NJ
2014 General Objects, Ballroom Projects, Chicago, IL
2014 Almost Ergonomic, Studio 424, Chicago, IL
2014 Frozen Borderline, Ballroom Projects, Chicago, IL
2014 Hot and Cool Sculpture, Base Space-SAIC, Chicago, IL
2013 SLAC, Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival, Chicago, IL
2013 Graveyard, Terraformer, Chicago, IL
2013 Monuments and Ruins, Frogman Gallery & Chicago Loop Alliance, Chicago, IL
2012 Downcast Eyes, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL
2012 Push, Paperish Mess, Chicago, IL
2011 Camp, Octagon Gallery, Chicago, IL
2011 Valley of Expression, Aylward Gallery, Menasha, WI
2011 Yacht Party, The Loft, Chicago, IL
2008 A Reckoning of Revelries, 211 King Street, Madison, WI
2008 UW Colleges Art Department Exhibition, Regents Meeting/Pyle Center, Madison, WI
2007 Mixed Nuts and the 1996 Indiana Pacers, Seventh Floor Gallery, Madison, WI
2007 Color Matter, 7th Floor Gallery, Madison, WI
2007 Illumination, Helen C. White Hall, Madison, WI
2006 7131, 7th Floor Gallery, Madison, WI
2006 Fall Exhibition, Guten Tag Gallery, Oshkosh, WI
2006 UW Fox Valley Alumni Exhibition, Aaron Bohrod Gallery, Menasha, WI
2006 Marble Madness, Appleton Art Center, Appleton, WI
2005 Award Winners Exhibition NEW Art 2005, Manitowoc City Hall Rotunda, Manitowoc, WI
2005 NEW Art Exhibition, Rahr West Art Museum, Manitowoc, WI
RESIDENCIES, FELLOWSHIPS, & AWARDS
2021 ACRE Artist Residency, Steuben, WI / Chicago, IL
2021 Chop Wood Carry Water Artist Residency, Freeport, IL
2021 INhouse Creative Artist Residency, Floyds Knobs, Indiana
2017 Sculpture Faculty Travel Grant, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2016 HATCH Projects, Chicago Artist Coalition, Chicago, IL
2015 Eldon Danhausen Fellowship, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2015 Edward L. Ryerson Fellowship, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2015 Odyssey Travel Grant, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2014 China Taiyuan International Metal Sculpture Symposium, Taiyuan, China
2014 International Sculpture Center Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award
2014 John W. Kurtich Foundation Fellowship, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2014 Carol Becker-Dean’s Merit Scholarship, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2014 School of the Art Institute of Chicago Graduate Travel Grant
2006 Lois G. Roberts Undergraduate Scholarship, University of Wisconsin-Madison
2005 Art Department Award for Academic Excellence, Art Student of the Year, UW Fox Valley
2005 Honorable Mention, Rahr West Art Museum’s NEW Art 2005, Manitowoc Wi
2004 Sloan and Gerard Fine Art Studio Scholarship, University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley
2003 Honorable Mention, WACCO Photography Competition
2003 Honorable Mention, WACCO Photography Competition
2003 2nd Place Award, Fox Valley Camera Club Annual Salon
2003 3rd Place Award, Fox Valley Camera Club Annual Salon
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2022 Alley Fouts, “The Object as a Lightning Rod for meaning: Review of General Objects at Heaven Gallery,” Sixty Inches From Center, March 30, 2022
2017 Elliot J. Reichert, “Off the Record: A Brief History of Triumph, a Short-Lived Chicago Gallery that Might Still Be,” New City Art, June 1, 2017
2017 “Jeff Prokash//Triumph Gallery: In Conversation with Ruslana Lichtzier and Ryan Coffey,” Exposition Chicago, The Seen, March 31, 2017
2016 Tempestt Hazel, Ground Floor exhibition catalog, Hyde Park Arts Center, Chicago IL
2016 Alison Reilly, “Ground Floor at the Hyde Park Art Center,” Chicago Gallery News, September 20, 2016
2016 Back of the Head, Issue No. 1, China, August 24, 2015
2015 Michael Carroll, “Absurdly minimalist objects at FJORD Gallery,” Artblog, February 22, 2015
2014 Hyperallergic, “Best of 2014: Our Top 10 Exhibition Across the United States”, Hyperallergic December 26, 2014
2014 Sculpture Magazine, “Outstanding Student Achievement In Contemporary Sculpture Awards”, October 2014: Vol. 33 No. 8
pp. 48-55
2014 China Taiyuan International Metal Sculpture Symposium Catalog, September 2014
2014 Danny Floyd, “Wheel Chair Lift at the Temple of Dendur,” Serpentine Magazine, December 5, 2014
2014 Joshua Demaree, “Prentice Windows Part I-III,” Exposition Chicago, The Seen, July 17, 2014
2007 Illumination: The Undergraduate Journal of Humanities Spring Issue, 2007
2006 Illumination: The Undergraduate Journal of Humanities Fall Issue, 2006
PUBLIC & PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
2021 Shirin Shahin, Private Collection
2020 IEQ Capital, San Francisco, CA
2016 Iñigo Manglano Ovalle, Private Collection
2016 Scott J. Hunter, Private Collection
2016 Randy Alexander, Private Collection
2015 M. Woods Museum Collection-Michael Xufu Huang, Beijing China
2014 City of Taiyuan-Taiyuan Industrial Cultural Creative Park, Shanxi Province, China
CURATORIAL
2021 General Objects, Heaven Gallery, Co-curator (In collaboration with Danny Floyd), Chicago, IL
2021 Urban Wood: Utilization Initiatives in Art, Architecture, and Design, Virtual Lecture Series, SAIC Sculpture in partnership with Chicago Architecture Biennial, Chicago, IL
2021 Intentional Remnants: Collecting, Reframing, Assembling, Virtual Lecture Series with Keynote Jessica Vaughn, Co-curator (In collaboration with Danny Floyd), SAIC Sculpture and Visual & Critical Studies in partnership with Chicago Architecture Biennial, Chicago, IL
2019 Building Fluidity, Public Lecture Symposium with Keynotes Cyrus Peñarroyo and Gary LaPointe Jr., Co-curator (In collaboration with Danny Floyd), ACRE Exhibitions, Chicago, IL
2015 Glass House: Intimacy with Buildings, Co-curator (In collaboration with Danny Floyd), Ballroom Projects in partnership with Chicago Architecture Biennial, Chicago, IL
2015 Building as Form: Public Lecture Symposium with Keynote Pablo Rasgado, Co-curator (In collaboration with Danny Floyd), Ballroom Projects in partnership with Chicago Architecture Biennial, Chicago, IL
2013 RAZR: Leftover Mythologies: Jon Chambers, The Milk Factory Gallery, Chicago, IL
2012 Taffy Pull: Paul Erschen, The Milk Factory Gallery, Chicago, IL
2012 Maps + Monuments: Ben Dimock, The Milk Factory Gallery, Chicago, IL
2012 Cry, or Don’t: Robin Kang, The Milk Factory Gallery, Chicago, IL
2011 Treasure Island Pizza Party: Gabe Hoare, The Milk Factory Gallery, Chicago, IL
2011 Sculpture Harvest, Co-curator (In collaboration with Dara Benno), The Milk Factory Gallery, Chicago, IL
2011 Double Trouble: Morgan Sims and Nathan Vernau, The Milk Factory Gallery, Chicago, IL
2011 Pulp, Co-curator (In collaboration with Dara Benno), The Milk Factory Gallery, Chicago, IL
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE (School of the Art Institute of Chicago)
2015-Present Part Time Faculty Lecturer, School of the Art Institute of Chicago Sculpture
2022-Present MFA Low Residency Program Mentor, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2022-Present Sculpture Department Part-Time Liaison, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2016-2017 MFA Low Residency Studio Coordinator, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2017 Interim Manager, Columbus Metal Shop, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2014-2015 Digital Maven-Digital Fabrication Technician, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2014 Teaching Assistant, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2013-2014 Shop Technician Columbus Wood and Metal Shop, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2020-Present Co-founder (Founded with David Sprecher), Designer, and Fabricator of design collective, Essay, Chicago, IL
2023-Present Associate Director, Iceberg Projects, Chicago, IL
2022-2023 Illinios Urban Wood Network Steering Committee
2018-2023 Summer Faculty and Studio Mentor, Era Vision International Art School, Beijing, China
2022 Remote Lecturer (as Essay in collaboration with David Sprecher), PLAYSHOP, The China Academy of Art and The School of Design and Innovation, Hangzhou China
2016-2018 Exhibition Coordinator, Randy Alexander Gallery, Chicago, IL
2010-2013 Foreman, Furniture Revival, Chicago, IL
2010-2013 Co-founder and Curator, The Milk Factory Gallery Chicago, IL
2011-2013 Co-founder CUSP: Chicago Unconventional Spaces & Projects, Chicago, IL
2005 Aaron Bohrod Gallery Advisory Committee, UW Fox Valley, Menasha, WI