Artist Studio Visit with Tony May
Tony May, “T. House Maquette” , 1983
T. House, San Jose, CA
EVENT DETAILS:
Date Sat. June 18 , 1-3pm PST
Location Downtown San Jose, CA
Invitation Only for Circle Members* | Learn more about Circle Membership.
A benefit for NUMU Circle Members
San Jose artist, Tony May, has generously invited NUMU Circle Members to his home studio and garden. Tony's backyard is fascinating; guests will be able to explore three structures Tony crafted from found materials, including his famous "T. House." Tony's whimsical historic home is located in downtown San Jose and is filled with artistic treasures. We're excited to share his work with you, as in 2021, Tony was featured in two NUMU exhibitions: Tony May: Views From the T. House, and In The Artists Studio. So please be our guest and join us for an art filled afternoon learning about Tony May's work. Lite refreshments will be served.
*Please note: Wear comfortable shoes, we'll be exploring Tony’s custom crafted structures. Complete details will be sent to guests after RSVP is received. All guests are required to wear a mask while indoors and show proof of up to date vaccination.
Join or renew today to take advantage of this new series, along with other circle benefits. For questions regarding membership in the Curators' or Director's Circle email membership@numulosgatos.org. See you in the studios!
*Current NUMU Circle Members will receive an email invitation with all event details and a RSVP link
About Tony May
Working in a variety of media, Tony May's art has often taken the form of site-responsive installations and has a strong leaning toward the conceptual, the quasi-functional and the whimsical. He believes in the importance of craftsmanship and the hands-on involvement of the artist. Projects such as the building of the idiosyncratic structure "T. House" and subsequent production of a series of photo-realist paintings documenting selected aspects of that construction process, reveal much about his belief in the importance of work itself as well as in the reflection upon it. An earlier series of documentary paintings was entitled, "Home Improvements."
His art has been shown widely in California including shows at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Art Institute, 80 Langton Street, Capp Street Project, San Jose Museum of Art, and the deSaisset Museum. In 2010-11 a 40+year retrospective of his work entitled, "Tony May/Old Technology" was installed at the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA.) He has also exhibited in other parts of the United States, England, France, Japan and Thailand. In 1998 he completed a major public commission for the city of San Jose, which commemorates Agriculture in the Santa Clara Valley.
Tony May, Emeritus Professor of Art, taught at San Jose State University from1967 until 2005. He also taught for one year at the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan, for one term at Sheffield City Polytechnic in Sheffield, England and for one quarter at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara California. Born in Mineral Point, WI in 1942, he received his MFA degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he studied with Warrington Colescott, Steven French and Don Reitz. He has taught in both the Pictorial and Spatial Arts areas. Courses have included Color Theory, Drawing, 2 and 3 Dimensional Design, Painting, Sculpture, a variety of Graduate Seminars and a class focusing on group art activity, “Art in Community.” In Spring 2004, the Art In Community Class designed and completed installation of a public art project commissioned by the City of San Jose. The work is located in Bestor Street Art Park on South 5th Street adjacent to the School of Art and Design Foundry.
It was dedicated, along with the park in fall 2004. More recently, he and a different group of SJSU students completed a monumental-scale memorial artwork for another City of San Jose park. The piece entitled “El Paraguas del Padre Mateo" was dedicated in September 2008.
View his latest artwork.
Four Artists who first met at San Jose State, Circa 1974
On view June 1 - July 2. 2022
b. sakata garo gallery, Sacramento
Tony is showing some new work, with three longtime artist friends: Chris Daubert, Bob Jones, and Lonny Tomono.
Each year, NUMU offers a series of studio visits where we will be able to appreciate art together exclusively for Circle Members. We’re thrilled to welcome our circle members to the studio of artist Kiana Honarmand, one of the artists from NUMU’s 2023 exhibition (Un)familiar. This event will include our annual Director’s Circle artwork distribution!