Alex Schweder

Alex Schweder received a Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute in 1993 and a Master of Architecture from Princeton University in 1998. He has recently exhibited at Howard House (Seattle), the American Academy (Rome, Italy), Parsons School of Design (NYC), and the Tollbooth Gallery (Tacoma). Alex has received the Rome Prize, a 4Culture Special Projects Award, a Pollack-Krasner Foundation award, an Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs City Artists Grant, an Artist Trust GAP Award, and was an artist in residence at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, among others.

In 2007, Alex was included in the 8th Northwest Biennial exhibition curated and organized by the Tacoma Art Musuem and exhibited at Suyama Space (Seattle). Alex is currently represented by Howard House.

Alex received 2004 GAP Award funding to purchase a digital projector and associated wiring for use in a piece that will be part of an upcoming solo show, Lovesick Buildings, at Howard House Gallery in Seattle. For this piece in particular, he has been filming food with the help of gastroenterologist Jim Wagonfeld’s endoscopes. The resulting DVD footage will be projected on a large sculpture of polyester resin with two digital projectors. The piece and the entire show will examine the relationship between bodies and buildings. “Lovesick Buildings conflates architecture and food as a means of exploring the complicated and dissolving emotions of love.”

Alex also received a 2001 GAP Award.

As part of his Fellowship’s Meet the Artist requirements, Alex gave a presentation entitled “Medical Technology and Artistic Intent” to the staff at Digestive Health Services in Tacoma. He showed slides of his work, which employs medical technology in its production; the audience of 27 was able to see their daily practices in new light. His 2004 work Jealous Poché was of particular interest because the endoscope used to film the Jell-O in this work came from Digestive Health Services. Many questions from the audience related to where the ideas for art come from, what other ways artists use ordinary tools that are not thought of as traditional devices in the production of art, and how long it takes to make a work of art.