exhibition history
Education
2001 Master of Fine Arts, Massachusetts College of Art
1997 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Massachusetts College of Art
1984 Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, Boston University
Awards
2020 John Simon Guggenheim Fellow
2014 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant
2014 Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant
2013 MassArt Foundation Faculty Fellowship
2009 LEF Contemporary Work Fund Grant
2007 Art Matters Foundation Award
Residencies
2018 City of Boston Artist in Residence/BostonAIR Program
2016 Isabella Stewart Gardner Artist-in-Residence
2014 MacDowell Colony Fellow
2006 Savannah College of Art and Design
2002 Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture
Solo Exhibitions
2020
Homage to the Auction Block, LaMontagne Gallery, Boston, MA, July 15 - September 15, 2020.
2019
in the name of love, Gallatin Galleries at NYU, New York, NY, February 5 – March 1, 2019
the color of remembering, Gallery 221@HCC, Tampa, FL, 2nd floor DLRC, January 22 – March 7, 2019
2018
#Killers and Family Pictures, Yours Mine and Ours Gallery, Brooklyn New York, September 9 - October 28, 2018.
Three Deliberate Grays For Freddie (A Memorial for Freddie Gray), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA, curated by Pieranna Cavalchini
June 26 2018-January 21, 2019.
Love Letter to a Library, Boston Public Library: Main and neighborhood branches, Boston, MA July 9-November 1, 2018.
The School of Love, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, October 1-November 2, 2018.
2017
Family Pictures (Red), P.S. Satellites a project of Prospect. 4: The Lotus in Spite of the Swamp, in the Backyard at 2527 Ursulines Avenue, New Orleans, LA, November 18, 2017 - February 25, 2018
2016
The School of Love, Samsøñ, Boston, MA, October 21-November 26, 2016
Family Pictures, Gallery Kayafas, Boston, MA, October 21-November 26, 2016
2015
that last time we touched the water, Hudson Opera House, Hudson, NY, April 4-May 10, 2015
2014
Dlectricity, Midtown Detroit's Biennial Light Festival, September 26-27, 2014. (PDF)
there is no one left to blame, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, May 16—July 27, 2014 (video interview)
2013
there is no one left to blame, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Jul 31 – Oct 27, 2013, curated by Helen Molesworth (video interview)
2012
companions, Mendes Wood DM, São Paulo, Brasil, June 24-August 4, 2012
you don't deserve me, Samsøn, Boston, MA, May 11-July 21, 2012
2009
Rapture/New Work, Samsøn, Boston, MA, December 11 - January 30, 2010
the boy with the thorn in his side, The VOLTA Show / VOLTA 5, Booth C3, Markthalle Street: Viadukstrasse 10 Basel, Switzerland
2008
Rapture, Hall Street Gallery Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Georgia, curated by Erin Dziedzic
2007
No Ego: New Paintings by Steve Locke, Schlosberg Alumni Gallery Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA Leonie Bradbury, Curator
mo(u)rning, Lillian Immig Gallery at Emmanuel College, Boston, MA curated by Kathleen Bitetti
2006
Youshi Li + Steve Locke RHYS Gallery, Boston, MA
2005
circumference Mills Project Space-Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, MA, curated by Laura Donaldson
when you’re a boy… Artists Foundation Main Gallery, Boston, MA, curated by Kathleen Bitetti
New Paintings/New Drawings Mazmanian Gallery at Framingham State College, Framingham, MA
2001
Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition Bakalar Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA
2000
Some Men, Patricia Doran Gallery, Boston, MA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2021
Feedback, Curated by Helen Molesworth, The School-Jack Shainman Gallery, Kinderhook, NY, May-October 2021
2020
The BIG Picture: Giant Photographs and Powerful Portfolios, Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg, MA, September 26, 2020–June 6, 2021
Recruiting for Utopia: Print and the Imagination, Fruitlands Museum, Harvard, MA, September 5, 2020 - March 21, 2021
2019
SOMEBODY TOLD ME YOU PEOPLE WERE CRAZY, Curated by Craig Drennen, Hathaway Gallery, Atlanta, GA, May 18 - July 13, 2019
Kim - Locke - Rich: Works by Byron Kim, Steve Locke & Matt Rich, LaMontagne Gallery, Boston, MA, April 26 - May 28th, 2019
Dreamhouse Vs. Punk House (plus Cat house), Organized by Kristin Calabrese, Joshua Aster, and Torie Zalben, Serious Topics, Inglewood, CA, March 23 – September 29, 2019
Coded, Mills Gallery at Boston Center for the Arts, November 17, 2018–January 27, 2019, curated by Alexandria Smith
Nine Moments for Now Cooper Gallery at Harvard, Cambridge, MA, October 30-January 21, 2019, curated by Dell Marie Hamilton
2018
Under a Dismal Boston Skyline Stone Gallery at Boston University, 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA
September 14–October 28, 2018
Cosmic Traffic Jam Zevitas/Marcus, Los Angeles, CA, July 7 – August 25, 2018
USPS Visual Art, Architecture & Design School (VA{A}DS), Free University of Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia, June 30-July 7, 2018, curated by Dana Frankfort and Vera Iliatova
Legacy of the Cool: A Tribute to Barkley L. Hendricks Bakalar and Paine Galleries, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, January 17-March 3, 2018, curated by Darci Hanna
2017
People Watching: Then and Now Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg, MA, September 24, 2017 - January 14, 2018, curated by Lisa Crossman (exhibition catalog PDF)
First I Was Afraid..." Dorsky Gallery Curatorial Programs, Long Island City, NY September 17 - November 19, 2017, curated by Liz Blum
Black and Brown People|White Problems, Samsøñ, June 9 – August 19, 2017, curated by Camilo Alvarez
Reconstitution LAXART, Los Angeles, CA April 23—May 27, 2017, curated by Hamza Walker
Political Discourse, University Hall Gallery, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Feb 21 – April 15, 2017, curated by Sam Toabe
I Dread to Think..., Mills Gallery, Boston Center for the Arts, January 13–March 19, 2017
2016
Mentors, CFHILL Art Space, Stockholm, Sweeden, December 8 — January 5, 2017, curated by Richard Herron
Selections, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, January 26-March 5, 2016
2015
This is Boston, not L.A. Zevitas Marcus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, September 13 – October 31, 2015
The Abstract Body, New Hampshire Institute of Art, Sharon Arts Center, Peterborough, NH, curated by Craig Stockwell
2014
Come Like Shadows: Palimpsests, Traces, Specters of The Silver Screen, Nightlife, Veils, The Absent Present, Zürcher Studio, New York, NY, December 18-February 23, 2014, curated by David Cohen
Gay, Longwood Art Gallery, Bronx Council of the Arts, New York, NY, curated by Ivan Monforte
2013
Paint Things: Beyond the Stretcher, deCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Curated by Evan Garza and Dina Deitsch
White Boys, Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery, Haverford College, Haverford, PA, curated by Hank Willis Thomas and Natasha L. Logan
2012
Hung Jury 225 Friend Street, Boston, MA, curated by Susan Metrican
Shame/Less FPAC Gallery, Boston, MA, curated by AJ Liberto and Kate True
One more kiss then we're history Platform Gallery, Seattle, WA
2011
Anthony Greaney X Samsøn X DAN GRAHAM @Cottage Home Cottage Home Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
i am who I am The Portrait Reconsidered, Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston, MA
2010
Traversing Gender, The McIninch Art Gallery, Southern New Hampshire University, curated by Deborah Disston
Man Up, Judi Rotenberg Gallery , Boston, MA, Curated by Kristen Dodge
Boston Does Boston III, Proof Gallery , Boston, MA
2009
Intersexions Cushing-Martin Gallery at Stonehill College
Reaganography No Globe, Brooklyn, NY, curated by Frank Meuschke
Casual Males Sherman Gallery at Boston University, Boston, MA, curated by Lynne Cooney
Still Painting RHYS MENDES Gallery Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil
2008
Gallery Peopeo Art Exhibition No. 3, Gallery Peopeo 798 Art District, Beijing, China, curated by Josh Yu
ambivalent figuration; people Samsøñ, Boston, MA
Selections ‘08, Massachusetts College of Art + Design, Stephen D. Paine Gallery, Boston, MA
2007
Visual Dialogue, Clark University Traina Center for the Arts, Schiltkamp Gallery, Curated by Elli Crocker
2004
superSalon, Samsøn, Boston, MA, curated by Camilo Alvarez
Boston High Tea, AramonaStudio, New York City, NY, curated by Peter Wayne Lewis
The 18th Drawing Show, Boston Center for the Arts – Mills Gallery, Boston, MA Juror: Ralphaela Paltow, Rose Art Museum
2002
Making a Mark, Danforth Museum, Framingham, MA, curated by Helen Shlien
2001
Selections from the Boston Drawing Project, Bernard Toale Gallery, Boston, MA, curated by James Hull
Drawing the New Millennium: The Challenge of Media and Idea to the Nature of Drawing, Maine Artists Space, Danforth Gallery, Portland, ME Jurors: Elizabeth French, Curator, The Drawing Center, New York and John Murchie, Independent Curator, New Brunswick
His and Hers: New Drawings (with Candice Smith Corby) Patricia Doran Gallery, Boston, MA
Members Show, Copley Society, Boston, MA
Red, Cambridge Art Association, Cambridge, MA, Juror: Harry Cooper, Fogg Museum of Art, HUAC
Select Public Talks and Lectures
Public Art and Political Change: All Things That Rise Must Converge. Panel discussion with Greg Shelnutt, Brian Bishop, A.D. Carson, M. Jessica Rowe, Harriet F. Senie, and Steve Locke. Professional Practices Committee, College Art Association Annual Conference, February 14, 2019.
Uncommon Monument: A King Memorial for Boston (video link). Panel Discussion with Max Page, Scheri Fultaneer (ASLA), Steve Locke, Ian Taberner (AIA), Meejin Yun (AIA), Renee Loth: Moderator. Boston Society of Architects, November 14, 2018.
Tyrone Maurice Adderley Lecture Series/For Freedoms Town Hall: Freedom of Speech and Public Art, Panel discussion with Kate Gilbert, Sneha Shrestha, Stephen Hamilton, and Sabrina Dorsanvil. Steve Locke: Moderator. Massachusetts College of Art and Design, October 16, 2018.
Public Conversation: Public Art, Civic Space, and Activism. Panel discussion with artists Liz Glynn, Lina Maria Giraldo and Steve Locke, moderated by David Leonard, President of the Boston Public Library. BPL Monday, October 15, 2018
The Publics of Art. Conversation with Dell Hamilton, Artist, and Steve Locke. HubWEEK Conference, Boston, MA, October 13, 2018.
Memorialization and the Built Form, Lecture for the Boston Study Group, Harvard Club, Boston, MA, October 10, 2018.
Artist Talk on Three Deliberate Gray for Freddie. Living Room, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, September 13, 2018
Object of Dread/HARD: Subversive Representation. Panel discussion with Janet Loren Hill, Steve Locke, and Creighton Baxter. University Hall Gallery, University of Massachusetts Boston, April 19, 2018.
Black Portraitures IV: Fear in Transition. Panel discussion with Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle, Steve Locke, Helina Metaferia, Enzo Silon Surin, Dr. Nikki Greene, Moderator. Hiphop Archive and Research Institute, Hutchins Center at Harvard University, March 23, 2018.
Artist talk for exhibition: Family Pictures. Community Book Store, New Orleans, Louisiana. Part of Prospect IV New Orleans, January 20, 2018.
Artist talk for exhibition: People Watching: Then and Now, Fitchburg Art Museum, November 5, 2017.
For Freedoms: Artifice of Drawn Borders. Panel discussion with Layla Bermeo, Eric Gottesman, Steve Locke, Sunny Pai, and Annie Weatherwax. Harry and Mildred Remis Auditorium, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, November 1, 2017.
The Artist’s Voice, Steve Locke with Evan Garza, Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, as part of the solo exhibition, there is no one left to blame, September 2013.
Looking at Kerry James Marshall in context, Harvard University Art Museums, October 2013.
Imaging Lazarus – The Undead in Contemporary Painting as part of “Painting in the Collapsed Field,” Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC), with Craig Drennen (Moderator), David Humphreys, Katherine Smith, and Wendy White, November 11, 2011.
Studio-Based Research as Master’s Thesis in Art Education, Presentation at National Art Education Association Conference, Baltimore, MD, with Dr. Daniel Serig and Professor Jennifer Hall, April 16, 2010.
Art Matters NOW, Lecture panel for the Art Matters Foundation, New York, NY, with Clifford Owens, Ernesto Pujol, Dawit Petros, and Fawn Krieger, October 17, 2009.
On Painting as Thinking, Visiting Artist Lecture, Savannah College of Art and Design, January 2008.
4 Lectures on Visual Language, Studio Foundation Lectures, Massachusetts College of Art, September-October 2007.
Domestic Bliss to Domestic Violence, with Leika Akiyama, Leonie Bradbury, Michela Griffo, and Andy Mowbray, Women’s Caucus for Art, National Conference, Moderator: Kathleen Bitetti, February 19, 2006.
Based Here, Art Institute of Boston, with Shelbourne Thurber, Moderator, Bill Arning, MIT List Center, January 12, 2006
Where I’m Coming From at the conference, Educating Artists for a Multicultural World, ProArts Consortium, Boston, Massachusetts, Ted Lansdmark, Boston Architectural Center, Moderator.February 8, 9, 2001.