Ten Valiant Efforts
Michael May
Friday, December 2, 2011 - Friday, December 30, 2011
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Painter Michael May presents a new group of paintings in Ten Valiant Efforts. In this group of paintings May is depicting experiments developed by a fictional harmless lunatic. The picture plane is split into segments, each showing a different stage in the experiment. By moving from segment to segment the viewer is able to unpack the experiment piece by piece.
In order to learn how May's character, Samuel Hambone, thinks and functions he used the Enneagram Personality Test. According to the Enneagram, he is a “Type 5,” which means he has a great desire and capacity to assimilate information. He prefers to spend time alone researching his interests and increasing his knowledge. His basic need is to be capable and competent. However, he also has developed schizoid personality disorder, which means he has a heightened sense of self worth and can’t think clearly. Thus he has created a small world for himself, in which he is a successful researcher solving many of the world’s problems. May is interested in the way in which his character’s inherently good personality trait is negated by his mental illness. Each painting depicts the process of one of his experiments. They are developed based on idioms and common ideas like the idea that men don’t know anything about women or that cameras capture people’s spirits. In Samuel’s mind, he is curing the world by solving problems like these one at a time and imparting knowledge to those who will listen. Unfortunately, he doesn’t realize that each experiment is a failure and no one is listening.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Michael received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ball State University in 2003. Upon graduation he held a variety of jobs in a direct care capacity working with "at-risk" youth, adults with mental illnesses and preschoolers with special needs. During this time he continued to draw and paint, exhibiting works on a local and regional level. In 2008 Michael attended graduate school at Miami University where he received a teaching assistantship and was presented with the Graduate Student Achievement Award for outstanding achievement in research and creative activity. At Miami, Michael began combining his interest in mental health with his artistic endeavors creating a narrative body of work. Since graduating he has continued painting and drawing and has exhibited his work in multiple national and international shows. Michael is a recipient of the Ohio Arts Council's Individual Excellence Award which is given for his outstanding accomplishments in painting. He has previously taught at the Columbus College of Art & Design, where he was twice nominated for the Columbus College of Art & Design's Teaching Excellence Award. He also chaired the art department and managed the art gallery at Bethel University, in Mishawaka, Indiana. Currently, Michael is Assistant Professor of drawing and painting at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina.
