Blanksteen Artist in Residence

Max Spitzer, a sculptor, was awarded the Blanksteen Artist Residency at Slifka and will now be Slifka’s second resident artist, after Hannah Altman served as the inagural artist last year. He has been commissioned for an original piece and will work with students on a collaborative project all based in the residency’s central question, “How Can You Change the Ways You Matter in a World so Vast and Complex?”

Max Spitzer is a sculptor and educator currently based in Grand Rapids, MI where he teaches at Grand Valley State University. He earned his MFA from Carnegie Mellon University in 2021 and his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2012. His background as an educator includes teaching at Berkshire Country Day School and the Environmental Charter School, serving as instructor and education program manager at Omi International Art Center, and leading independently organized workshops. He has participated in residencies and exhibited his work at the Stove Works, in Chattanooga, TN, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the Vermont Studio Center, and more.

Max Spitzer’s art and research explores the relationship between materiality and language, often blurring the boundary between art objects and their contextualizing media. This exploration is realized through his teaching, his sculpture practice, and through sculpture-adjacent production such as furniture, video, and publication.

To join the student cohort, fill out this form. Email Aviva Green with questions.