MICHAEL J. KRUEGER

it's krueger
  • Full Professor of Art
  • Visual Art

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Biography —

Grounded firmly in drawing, Michael Krueger works in a variety of media including, painting, drawing, printmaking, animation, and ceramics. His ideas dictate the media and he floats freely between them. Krueger's artwork reflects a deep interest in American history, contemporary American culture, art history, the human experience, and personal memoir. The psychic potential of drawing and the permeating ways in which the quality of a line or a smudge can affect and reflect the human psyche are at the forefront of his creative practice. Michael Krueger's artwork has been included in over 300 exhibitions, and recent solo exhibitions include prestigious venues such as: Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston, MA, Sunday L.E.S., New York, NY, Blackburn 20/20, New York, NY and the Dolphin Gallery, KCMO. Important group exhibitions include, The Drawing Center, New York, NY, KRETS Gallery, Malmo, Sweden, The Denver Museum of Art, Denver, CO, Ambacher Contemporary, Munich, Germany, Glasgow Print Studio, Scotland, UK, Adam Baumgold, New York, NY, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Museum, Philadelphia, PA and the Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA. Michael Krueger is an artist, a father, and a husband, a Love Librarian (Lawrence Kansas Chapter), and an Honorary Resident Dropper. Michael's primary teaching responsibilities at the University of Kansas include, drawing, intaglio and relief. He has also taught numerous workshops across the country and abroad including, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, City College of New York, Edinburgh College of Art, Scotland, St. Luc, E.R.G., Brussels, Belgium, Santa Reparata Graphic Art Centre, Florence, Italy, Instituto Superior de Arte, Asunción, Paraguay, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and the San Francisco Art Institute.

Research —

The charge for artists like me is to embed an idea in material. And in doing so create something that exists beyond language, in a non-linear, paradoxical realm where several things can be true at the same time. To create a work of art that can be seen with the eyes and the mind and transcends the material origins. In this way art is alchemical, it is not direct or tangible but rather mystical, prophetic and psychic. It is a calling, an obsession, and people become artists because they must, and there is simply no other way to navigate through this world for them, for me. Art teaches us about who we are as a culture and how we relate to the world; it is also a large part of the legacy that is left behind for future generations to know us, themselves and better understand who we are becoming.

Teaching —

My goal in teaching is to encourage critical thinking and the development of each student's distinctive creative abilities. From freshman foundation to senior courses, my primary job as a teacher is to provide the course structure, a diversity of teaching and assessment methods, and one-on-one mentoring that will challenge each student. Integral to this process is the encouragement of each student to develop a sense of ardor for the creative process. It is this intensity that will motivate students to learn the necessary technical and conceptual skills to pursue their lives as artists.

Teaching interests:

  • art
  • painting
  • digital
  • printmaking
  • drawing

Selected Presentations —

Hippie Modernism / Drop City Film Screening - Walker Art Center, Hippie Modernism / Drop City Film Screening. Location: Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN. (12-31-2015).

Service —

<div class="">My commitment to service stems from my dedication to my discipline, my department and to supporting my colleagues. </div>