William Downs (artist)
William Downs is a contemporary artist who focuses mainly on painting, drawing and printmaking.
Born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, William lives and works in New York City. He studied at the Atlanta College of Art and Design where he received his BFA in Painting and Printmaking in 1996. He received his MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in 2003.
He has had exhibitions in the United States and abroad including the Nexus Biennial at the Nexus Contemporary Art Center in Atlanta, GA; Century Gallery in London, England; and Hammonds House Gallery in Atlanta, GA. He has had solo exhibitions at the Chattahoochee Valley Art Museum in La Grange, Georgia and at Mission Space in Baltimore, MD.
William also teaches drawing at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland.
Selected solo exhibitions
- 2011 at ease, Parker Jones Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
- 2009 a world I never made, Slag Gallery, New York, NY
- 2008 fly away fly away, Artspace, New Haven, CT
- 2003 Drawings, Tevis County Gallery, Westminster, MD
- 2002 Drawings 2001–2002, Mission Space, Baltimore, MD
- 1999 Broken Ladders, Chattahoochee Valley Art Museum, La Grange, GA
- 1998 Drawings, ASIS Alternative Space, Atlanta, GA
- 1998 Hands and Feet, Gallery 307, Decatur, GA
- 1997 Broken Ladders, Georgia South Western University, Fine Arts Center Gallery Americus, GA
- 1994 Etchings and Monoprints, The Equitable Building, Atlanta, GA
- 1993 Etchings, Yin and Yang Gallery, Atlanta, GA
Selected group exhibitions
- 2014 NEXUS, SEXUS, PLEXUS, Dashboard Co-op, Atlanta, GA
- 2014 Kaleidoscope Eyes, MacDonough Gallery, Albertus Magus College, New Haven, CT
- 2013 On Paper, curated by Ayana Moore, Fieldwork Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
- 2013 Precious, Porthole Gallery, London, UK
- 2012 Everything All at Once, Antenna Gallery, New Orleans, LA
- 2011 Crossing Lines, two-person exhibition with Brooke Pickett, The Front, New Orleans, LA
- 2011 PICK TWO, curated by Timothy Young, Artspace, New Haven, CT
- 2010 Painting Comes Alive, ARTJAIL Gallery, New York, NY
- 2009 Another Shade of Grey, Grey Art Gallery, New York University, New York, NY
- 2009 Wakaime Art Studio Exhibition, Anjo, Aichi, Japan
- 2009 State of Consciousness, curated by Damien Montalieu, Collective Gallery, New York, NY
- 2008 Transformer, curated by Derrick Adams, The Gateway Gallery, Baltimore, MD
- 2008 Inseparability, Five Ten Studio, Oakland, CA
- 2008 Untitled (On Paper), Moti Hasson Gallery, New York, NY[1]
- 2007 Reparations, curated by Keith Miller, Stony Brook University, SAC Gallery, Stony Brook, NY
- 2007 If It Ain’t Broke, Gallery 138 (in conjunction with Stony Brook University), New York, NY[2]
- 2006 Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day, curated by Shinique Smith, The Proposition, New York, NY[3]
Commissions
- Fiber Webb Company, Fountain, SC
- Bob Carrington, Realtor, Atlanta, GA
- Sonia David Web Design Company, Atlanta, GA
Selected teaching
- Georgia State University, Drawing & Painting (2012-present)
- Tulane University, Drawing I & II (2011-2012)
- The Cooper Union School of Art, Foundation Drawing I & II (2010-2011)
- Parsons The New School for Design, Drawing III (2010-2011)
- Maryland Institute College of Art, Foundation Drawing I & II (2003–2010)
- NAACP ACT-SO, drawing juror (2005–2010)
- School 33, Drawing and Painting, Baltimore, MD (2002)
- Atlanta College of Art, Foundation Drawing I & II (1998–1999)
- Continuing Studies, Atlanta College of Art, “ How to See Drawing” (1999)
Selected publications
- Cotter, Christina. "Exquisite Corpses Abound in William Downs & Brooke Pickett's Collaboration," ArtsAtl, April 27, 2012
- Holte, Michael Ned. "'ACP': Parker Jones," Artforum, March, 2011
- Bowers, Jessica. “17th National Drawing and Print Competitive Exhibition,” Baltimore City Paper, April 12, 2006
- Tanguy, Sarah. "Baltimore 'Model Home' Artscape," Sculpture Magazine, Vol. 23 No. 6, July/August 2004
- Bowers, Jessica. “Drawing No Conclusions,” Baltimore City Paper, August 6, 2003
Art Projects in Magazines/Journals
- Friends of Friends for Friends, July 2005
- Link, 2004
- Baltimore Magazine, Summer 2004
- Chela Magazine, Summer 2004
- Peek review, 2001–02
- Animal Stories Magazine, Drawings, 1998
- Freeform, cover, May 1996