BIO

Born in Portland, OR
Lives and works in New York, NY

EDUCATION

2013  MFA, Stamps School of Art & Design, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Certificate in Museum Studies, History of Art Department

2006  BFA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Concentration in Fiber and Material Studies

SOLO & TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONS

2018  Legerdemain: Matt Neff & Alisha Wessler, Tiger Strikes Asteroid (TSA) Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2013  From Afar It Is an Island, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, Ann Arbor, MI (solo)

2010  Der Struwwelpeter, Container Corps, Portland, OR (solo)

2009  Back Channels, Johansson Projects, Oakland, CA
Jennifer Parks and Alisha Wessler, Pony Club, Portland, OR

2008  Necessary Territories, Vorpal Space, Portland, OR (solo)
Two Years Under Olaf’s Sun, Core Gallery, Portland, OR

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2018  Montserrat Gallery, Beverly, MA (forthcoming)
Fugitive Designs, Biggercode Gallery, New York, NY
Asterisms, Hercules Art/Studio Program, New York, NY

2017  Et Tu, Art Brute?, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York, NY
Made Here, Guttenberg Arts, Guttenberg, NJ
Art in Odd Places (AIOP) 2017: SENSE, New York, NY
AIM Biennial, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY

2016  Source Material, InCube Art Space, New York, NY
Governors Island Art Fair, Castle Williams, New York, NY
With Passion, Slag Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Converging Paths, Objects, and Selves, NARS Foundation, Brooklyn, NY

2015  A Story of a Story, Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY
personal:interpersonal:connected, SARDINE, Brooklyn, NY 

2014  Highly Recommended, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, MI
Discrete Geometry, Gowanus Studio Space, Brooklyn, NY
Curiovan, mobile museum, various locations in England
In Print, Work-Detroit, Detroit, MI

2013  citydrift/Detroit, Kunsthalle, Detroit, MI
Re:Day Job (Don’t Quit Your?), Work Gallery, Ann Arbor, MI 

2012  Monster Drawing Rally, MOCAD, Detroit, MI
Showcase, Betsy & Iya, Portland, OR

2011  Návstevníci/The Visitors, MeetFactory Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
Six, Warren Robbins Gallery, Ann Arbor, MI
(UofM)2 Exchange Show, Quarter Gallery, Minneapolis, MN

2010  (UofM)2 Exchange Show, Warren Robbins Gallery, Ann Arbor, MI

2009  Thread, Cannibals Gallery, Portland, OR
Ten by Ten, Lucia Douglas Gallery, Bellingham, WA

2008  Protagonist - Contemporary Art from America, Claire Morris Gallery, Ireland
Portland Art Open, Portland, OR
Wish You Were Here, City Space, San Francisco, CA

2007  Lollapalooza Festival, Chicago, IL
Alice, Vorpal Space, Portland, OR
Mississippi : May, 3810 N Mississippi, Portland, OR
Open Studio Exhibition, Point B, Brooklyn, NY

2006  Anonyme Zeichner, Blutenweiss – Raum fur Kunst, Berlin, Germany
All That Is Solid Melts Into Air, G2, Chicago, IL
i will if u will, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
BFA Thesis Exhibition, G2, Chicago, IL

GRANTS & AWARDS

2014  Finalist, ArtPrize Juried Award for Three-Dimensional Work, Grand Rapids, MI; Juror Shamim Momin

2013  Rackham Graduate Student Research Grant, University of Michigan
Smucker-Wagstaff Creative Work Research Grant, University of Michigan

2012  Nominee, Dedalus Foundation MFA Fellowship
Rackham International Research Award (Serbia and Croatia), University of Michigan

2011  International Institute Grant for Films, Exhibitions and Performances, 
University of Michigan; Topophilia exhibition, Work Gallery, Detroit, MI

2010-13  Graduate Teaching Fellowship, University of Michigan School of Art & Design; Three-year teaching assistantship, tuition waiver, and stipend

2007  Open Craft and Sculpture Award, Marin Society of Artists 

2006  BFA Fellowship, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago

RESIDENCIES

2018  Residency Unlimited (RU), Brooklyn, NY

2017  Space and Time Artist Residency at Guttenberg Arts, Guttenberg, NJ

2016  NARS International Artist Residency Program, Brooklyn, NY
Artist in the Marketplace (AIM), The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY

2015  Wave Hill Winter Workspace Residency, Bronx, NY

2011  MeetFactory Residency Program, Prague, Czech Republic

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Pac Pobric, “Critic’s Pick: The Unknowns,” The Village Voice, September 14, 2017. 

Allison Meier, “Harboring Art in Historic Spaces at the 2016 Governors Island Art Fair,” Hyperallergic, September 1, 2016. 

Jessica Holmes, “Live Fully and Well: Art at Slag Gallery in a Time of Trauma,” artcritical, July 1, 2016. 

Benjamin Sutton, “Dissecting and Detecting Stories in Found Objects and Remnants,” Hyperallergic, July 23, 2015.

Paddy Johnson, “This Week’s Must-see Art Events,” Art F City, July 21, 2015. 

"Story of a Story," Wall Street International, June 13, 2015.

David Xu Borgonjon, “Wondering, Not Knowing: An Interview with Alisha Wessler,” Wave Hill Blog, January 30, 2015. 

Louis Meldman, “Artbeat: MFA Shows 2013,” Current, April 2013, pp 32. 

Stacia Yeapanis, “OtherPeoplesPixels Interviews Alisha Wessler,” OtherPeoplesPixels Blog, October 4, 2012. 

Mike McGonigal, “Interview with Alisha Wessler,” Yeti Magazine, Issue #9, August 2010. 

Exhibition Catalog with essay by EC Balazs, “Protagonist: Contemporary Art from America,” Claire Morris Gallery, Ireland, 2008. 

Owen Hunter, Interview for Portland Art Open, Portland, OR, September 9, 2008. 

Julie Sabatier, “Art in Strange Places,” KBOO Radio, Destination DIY, April 17, 2008. 

Richard Speer. “Post-Modern Zoo,” Willamette Week, May 16, 2007. 

Santa Clara Review, Fall/Winter 2006/2007 issue – Featured artist.

CONTACT

Please direct questions or comments to acwessler [at] gmail [dot] com
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