Associate Professor of Art
Printmaking & Drawing Emphasis, Georgia State University, Atlanta
BA degree from San Francisco State University, California in 1978
MA degree from Humboldt State University, Arcata, California in 1980
MFA degree from Montana State University, Bozeman in 1983
Matthew Sugarman grew up in and around Santa Rosa, California. Santa Rosa is located in a unique nexus, fairly equal distance from the Napa Valley (wine country), the costal beaches around Bodga Bay and the city of San Francisco. Majestic aspects of nature found in this unique location also include the giant redwoods of Armstrong Grove, and the diverse habitat of Point Reyes National Park. At the age of 15 Mr. Sugarman spent a year abroad with his family headquartering in Uppsala, Sweden and traveling throughout Europe. The inclusion of both renaissance imagery and of diverse aspects of nature within his later artwork may be traced back to aspects of these cultural and environmental influences.
Mr. Sugarman began his career as a West Coast artist. Mr. Sugarman received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Cinematography from San Francisco State University; a Master of Arts Degree in Drawing and Printmaking from Humboldt State University, California and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Printmaking from Montana State University, Bozeman (1983). In 1984 Mr. Sugarman served as a Master Printer at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts and Humanities, Idaho. From 1985 through 1987 he was on the faculty of Anchorage Community College while acting as Director of the Printmaking Department for the Visual Arts Center of Alaska. His background also includes teaching Papermaking at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1995, and teaching Monoprinting courses at the City College of San Francisco in 1998. From 1987 until 1997 he served as an Associate Professor (Art) at the University of Northern Iowa. Beginning in the Fall of 1998 Mr. Sugarman accepted a position heading the printmaking area at Georgia State University where he continues to serve as an Associate Professor.
In addition to having presented more than twenty solo art exhibitions, Mr. Sugarman has received over two dozen awards for his work in printmaking and drawing. These include a purchase award in the Los Angeles Printmaking Society’s twelfth National Exhibition, a second place among 2,068 entries in the Greater Midwest International, and acceptance into the highly competitive Third, Fourth and Fifth ROC International Biennial Print Exhibitions, Taiwan. Also notable is his inclusion in the art collection of The Beijing Natural Culture Center, China.
He is best known for his works in printmaking and drawing that addresses contemporary political and ecological concerns utilizing Renaissance and Proto-Renaissance imagery. His most recent artwork stresses the use of 2D printmaking and mixed media techniques in the creation of artworks that evoke the visual environment of interior mental space. Within a nebulous two-dimensional space those works present softly layered imagery that seems to exist in a state of flux between dissolution and emergence. Mr. Sugarman’s current work often utilizes both narrative and symbolism to present allegorical content concerning science and nature in conflict as well as to explore universal aspects of human nature. While printmaking is often an important technical element in his artwork, most of his works are one of a kind mixed media pieces.
Other Places to View Matthew's work:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewsugarman/
Title: Fairbanks Top
Media: Pastel
Size: 60” x 42”