Gary Schott was born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin and recently moved to Houston after serving as the Chair of the Metals Department at the Southwest School of Art for seven years. He earned his BFA from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and his MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Intrigued by the term utilitarian, Gary Schott finds himself drawn toward creating objects that balance between aesthetics and function; wearable and non-wearable. With a humorous undertone, the work allows for playful interactions.
Having trained as a metalsmith and jeweler, metal is a comfort zone when designing for Schott, but he freely works with other materials as well. Schott’s process typically involves beginning with a working model and then moving on to the final materials. This method allows for experimentation and errors in more easily manipulated and affordable materials.
Schott recently participated in The Jeweler’s Journey: From the Bench to the Body and Beyond at Peters Valley. He was included in Brigitte Martin’s widely celebrated book Humor In Craft. In 2012 he co-curated Interplay, an exhibition showcasing kinetic, mechanical and above all physically interactive works of art. Abroad, Schott has had the pleasure to work with Cabaret Mechanical Theatre based out of London and also showed work at the Museum of Mechanical Art and Design in Stratford upon Avon. He has also been a recipient of the prestigious LEAP award from the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh. He is currently represented by French & Michigan Gallery in San Antonio, Texas.
During Gary’s time at HCCC this fall, he will continue with his pursuits of exploring mechanical motion and making humorous and silly objects to interact with. He intends to create a small series of new one-of-a-kind works but also diversify his studio practice to include designs for limited editions in the future. He will be at HCCC from September 2015 through December 2015. To learn more about his work, please visit https://www.garyschott.com.
