Brad McCombs

EDUCATION

Carnegie Mellon University, MFA 2002
Washington University in St. Louis, BFA 1997

SELECTED COLLABORATIONS & COMMISSIONS

2021 Wave, Art Commissions for Hubbard, Cincinnati, Ohio

2021 Keys, Art Commission for Hubbard Key Conference Room, Cincinnati, Ohio

2019 LightStreams (collaboration) - Cincinnati BLINK 2019, Cincinnati, Ohio Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts Professors Brad McCombs, Hans Schellhas and Amy Gillingham's collaborative artwork was featured at the Cincinnati BLINK 2019 Art & Light Festival with a unique concert entitled “LightStreams” at Smale Riverfront Park. Participants were able to experience the dynamic effects of movement and color of illuminated suspended canoes while the NKU Philharmonic Orchestra performed music by Smetana, Miguel Roig-Francolí, and John Botter. BLINK was the largest crowd-generator the Cincinnati region has ever seen with an estimated crowd of 1.5 million people.

2017 Strategic Depaving Project (collaboration), Newport, Kentucky Part of a research collaboration that includes faculty from biology, communications, history and nursing, the Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement and CINSAM. The goal of the project is to engage students, faculty, staff and members of the Newport community to co-produce small-scale greening interventions. The research has received an NKU Emerging Research Initiative Grant and the Water Research Consortium Challenge Grant with from Confluence, a water technology cluster looking to establish the region as a global leader in sustainable, environmental technology innovation. https://www.nku.edu/news/2018/january/180128StrategicDepaving.html

2016 Creation du Monde, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati, Ohio 2014 Driftwood Horses, Northern Kentucky Convention Center Lobby; Covington, Kentucky

2011 Light-Lines, large-scale interactive installation/performance/public art project for the Grand Opening of Griffin Hall, Co-director with Regan Brown, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Ohio Commissioned by the College of Informatics, Dean’s Office, Northern Kentucky University

2001 Hydrological Legends, Salmon in the City, Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington
 Selected artist by the Seattle Arts Commission Panel. Salmon in the City was an exhibition of temporary public artworks commissioned through combined Percent for Art Funding from Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle City Light Administered by the Seattle Arts Commission, City of Seattle.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2013 Oráculo, Seed Space, Nashville, Tennessee
Curated by Rachel Bubis

2009 Orbits, Carnegie Center for Art & History, New Albany, Indiana
Curated by Karen Gillenwater

2007 A.O. PLANTS, Hanover College, Hanover, Indiana
Curated by Leticia Bajuyo

2006 Installation and Kinetic Works, Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, Michigan Curated by UICA

2005 Transpositional Adaptations – SPACELab, Spaces Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio
Curated by Spaces 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2022 FE:22 Faculty Exhibition, Northern Kentucky University Art Gallery

2017 FE:17 Faculty Exhibition, Northern Kentucky University Art Gallery

2015 To Shallow for Diving, Weston Art Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio
Curated by Carolyn Speranza and Christopher Hoeting

2014 FE:14 Faculty Exhibition, Northern Kentucky University Art Gallery

2014 Installation Nation, Indianapolis Art Center’s ArtsPark, Indianapolis, Indiana
Curated by Primary Colours

2012 FE:12 Faculty Exhibition, Northern Kentucky University Art Gallery

2011 This Is A Recording, Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, Arizona

2011 Go Ahead… TOUCH ME, Manifest, Cincinnati, Ohio

2011 WWNJD: What Would Nam June Do?, Museum Gallery-Gallery Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio Community TV Garden, Curated by MGGM

2011 FE:11 Faculty Exhibition, Northern Kentucky University Art Gallery

2011 Natural|Unnatural, Fuse Factory at the Shot Tower Gallery, Columbus, Ohio

2010 Let's talk about Love, baby, Oakland University Art Gallery, Rochester, MI
Collaborative Artist Book Project, Curated by Chido Johnson

2010 FE:10 Faculty Exhibition, Northern Kentucky University Art Gallery

2009 Reel Visions: Spotlight on Kentucky Filmmakers, Kentucky Educational Television,
 Airing September 2009 through 2012
. This series showcases short films from Kentucky filmmakers. Brad McCombs is featured in the first episode which premiered September 9th, 2009. A 2009 KET production. [cc]

2009 Faculty Exhibition, Northern Kentucky University Art Gallery

2009 Out of the Box - From the Inside Out, Main Street Yoga/Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio November 10,

2008 & Florida Gulf Coast University Library Gallery, Fort Myers FL. March 19, 2009 Traveling
Curated by Paige Wideman

2008 Circuitastrophe, Semantics Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio

2008 Faculty Exhibition, Northern Kentucky University Art Gallery

2007 Land Matters, Birke Gallery at Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia. September 20 - October 20 Jennifer Boggess, Cynthia Camlin, Brad McCombs, Robin McClintock and Adrian Hatfield.

2007 Autumedia, part of the 20/20 art festival, Cincinnati, Ohio

2007 Exhibition 280, Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, West Virginia (catalogue)

2006 International Arts Festival Chania 2006, Chania, Greece
Curated by the Omma Center of Contemporary Art. (catalogue)

2006 Minimal Maximum, Gallery Project, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Curated by Beili Liu, Jennifer Locke, and Graceann Warn

2005 Autumedia 2005, The Mockbee, Cincinnati, Ohio
Curated by Andy Marko.

2005 Faculty Exhibition – Ohio University Southern Art Gallery, Ironton, Ohio

2005 Post-Postcard Show – The LAB, San Francisco, California

2004 55th Annual Faculty Exhibition, Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery, Bowling Green, Ohio

2004 Installations + Performances, Biennial exhibition, The Carnegie, Covington, Kentucky Curated by Bill Seitz, gallery director.

2003 Bowling Green State University Faculty Exhibition, Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery, Bowling Green, Ohio

2002 Happen-Stance, Regina Miller Gouger Gallery, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

2002 Trans-Appalachian Tractor Pull, Bradford Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

2001 Quiet Storm, Cycling Histories, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Part of International Sculpture Conference held in Pittsburgh.

2000 Just In Time, Rosebud, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1998 Dispersion & Sight, Ngau, Fiji Islands

1997 Residue, Cité Internationale des Arts Salle Paris, France

1997 Setting at the Viaduct, North St. Louis, Missouri

1997 Dimensionables, Bixby Gallery; St. Louis, Missouri

AWARDS

2006 Excellence in Education Award, Ohio Magazine recognizes outstanding teachers at colleges and universities throughout the state of Ohio.

2001 Bombay Sapphire Award, Second Grand Prize, Worldstudio Foundation, New York, NY

1997 Milliken Travel Scholarship, Washington University

1996 Juried Show Competition, Washington University, Sculpture Award

1996 Julia Mary and Charlotte Secor Award, Washington University

PUBLIC LECTURES

2009 Ecological Art, Carnegie Center for Art & History, New Albany, Indiana

2008 Circuitastrophe Symposium, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
 Panel Discussion with Ken Rinaldo and Amy Youngs

2007 Hanover College, Hanover, Indiana
Artist Talk and Closing Reception

2007 Land Matters, Birke Gallery at Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia 
Jennifer Boggess, Cynthia Camlin, Brad McCombs, Robin McClintock and Adrian Hatfield.
Gallery talk that related artwork with the Land Matters exhibition theme from environmental issues to the sublime in nature.

EXHIBITIONS CURATED

2001 Sculpture Now, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Co-Curator of the Sculpture Now Exhibition.

2001 Sculpture International Conference. Actively curated regional and east coast artists to reflect the current trends and prospectives of new and emerging artists in sculpture and interactive media.

1997 Counter Perception: The Shaping of our Culture, Steinberg Gallery of Art, Gallery Group, Washington University in St. Louis
Collaborated with director to curate an exhibition of contemporary artists from the collection at Steinberg Gallery of Art. Included works by Helen & Newton Harrison, Tim Rollins and K.O.S.

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS

2013-Present Associate Professor, Schiff Professor of Art, School of the Arts, Northern Kentucky University

2020-Present Program Head, Art and Design Program, School of the Arts, Northern Kentucky University

2018-2020 Program Head, Music Program, School of the Arts, Northern Kentucky University

2015-2016 Program Head, Visual Arts Program, School of the Arts, Northern Kentucky University

2014-2015 Assistant Chair, Visual Arts Department, Northern Kentucky University

2007-2013 Assistant Professor, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky (Joint appointment with the Department of Visual Arts and Media Informatics)

2005-2007 Assistant Professor, Ohio University - Southern Campus, Ironton, Ohio

2004-2005 Visiting Assistant Professor, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio

2002-2004 Instructor, First Year Program, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio

1999-2002 Carnegie Mellon University, Graduate Assistant, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania