Billy X Curmano

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Billy X Curmano

Billy X Curmano is an award winning artist/adventurer and former McKnight Foundation Interdisciplinary Art Fellow. He was trained as a painter and sculptor (If, of course, painters and sculptors can be trained).

His more traditional objects have been exhibited both here and abroad since a first solo show at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in 1970. Notably, some of his paintings represented the USA in the “III Vienna Graphikbiennale” (Austria). His works have also found their way to the Museum of Modern Art in New York and other prestigious collections.

Billy X. came to music through the back door using soundscapes in “live art” and is probably best known for edgy performances. His more eccentric pieces include a 3-day live burial, 2,000 plus mile Mississippi River Swim, 40-day Death Valley Desert Fast and a sojourn to the Arctic Circle on public transport. He’s won awards for performance and film as well as a solo CD. Billy X. has toured every way imaginable including 6,200 miles and 15 cities in 45 days on a Greyhound Bus and intrigued audiences from the Dalai Lama's World Festival of Sacred Music in Los Angeles to New York City's famed Franklin Furnace. He's been a "Pick of the Week" in the L.A. Weekly and on the City Pages "A List". Journalists have dubbed him the court jester of Southern Minnesota. He has been fortunate to study briefly with John Cage, Rachel Rosenthal, Babtundi Olatunji and Joseph Shabalala.[1]

Artists paint fantasies. We live ours. Join us.

Selected Exhibitions, Installations & Performances

  • 2005-Still touring internationally: and THE HISTORY OF DISAPPEARANCE Live Art from New York, Group Exhibition with Solo Performance, Baltic Contemporary Arts Center, Gateshead, Great Britain;
  • 2006: ARRESTING ARTISTS, Group Exhibition, Franklin Furnace, Brooklyn, NY;
  • 2005: LIVE ART: 66º 33’ NORTH, Solo Performance above the Arctic Circle, Lofoten Islands, Norway;
  • 2004: THE GREYHOUND TOUR, Solo Performance Tour, 21 performances, 15 cities, 6,293-miles, 45 days, USA;
  • 2002: THE FIRE BEARER, 3 day Performance with installation, Grounds For Sculpture and Johnson Atelier, Hamilton, NJ;
  • 2001: NATURAL HISTORIES, Four-Person Exhibition, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH;
  • 1999-2000: DEATH VALLEY DESERT CLASSIC, Solo Performance, 40 day juice and water fast, Death Valley, CA;
  • 1997-2000: THREE RIVERS INSTALLATION, Group Exhibition/Installation, Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN;
  • 1998: MUCK MINNOW THE GILL BOY, Solo Performance, Cleveland Performance Art Festival, Cleveland, OH and Intermedia Arts, Minneapolis, MN;
  • 1987-1997: SWIMMIN’ THE RIVER, Solo Performance, 2,367.4-mile Mississippi River swim, Source to Gulf, Mississippi River;
  • 1995-1997: OBJECTS COLLECTED & CREATED IN THE COURSE OF A SWIM, Solo Traveling Exhibition with Performances, Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, The Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA, Eastern Oregon State University, La Grande, OR, and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
  • 1995: VIDEO-EXPEDITION IN THE PERFORMANCE-WORLD, Group Video Exhibition, Artpool, Budapest and Newkapolcs Gallery, Kapolcs, Hungary;
  • 1992-1993: ADVENTURES WITH BILLY, Performance, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, Buffalo State, Buffalo, NY and others
  • 1993: ARTISTS CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT, Solo Performance and Group Exhibition, Forum Gallery, Jamestown, NY;
  • 1992 and 1993: INTERNATIONAL MINIPRINT EXHIBITION, Group Exhibition, Municipal Museum, Ourense, Spain,
  • 1992: FAX & SOUND ART, Group Exhibition, Artpool Art Research Center, Budapest, Hungary
  • 1990: HOMELESS HILTON: NY, NY, Performance, Franklin Furnace off site at New York City Hilton Hotel, New York City;
  • 1989: SWIMMIN’, PART III, Solo Performance, Ecofest, NYC Park & Recreation, New York City
  • 1988: SWIMMIN’, PART II: THE DROUGHT, Performance, Minneapolis Art Institute, Minneapolis, MN and Madison Civic Center, Madison, WI;
  • 1988: PERFORMANCE POD, Performance, Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland, OH and Franklin Furnace, New York City;
  • 1987: SWIMMIN’, PART I: MUTINY ON THE MISSISSIPPI, Performance/Installation, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI;
  • 1985-2006: MIDWESTERN INVITATIONALS, Group Exhibitions, Rourke Gallery, Moorhead, MN;
  • 1986: FRESH FRUIT FOR ROTTEN VEGETABLES, Group Exhibition, A & P Gallery, New York City
  • 1986: OPPRESSION/EXPRESSION, Group Exhibition, The Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA
  • 1986: 10TH ANNUAL SMALL WORKS EXHIBITION, Group Exhibition, New York University, New York City,
  • 1984: IN SYMPATHY, Performance/Installation, Film in the Cities, St. Paul, MN;
  • 1984: PUBLIC WORKS, Solo Performance and Group Exhibition, 10 on 8 and Cat Club, New York City
  • 1982: ORANGE COUNTY 16TH ANNUAL NATIONAL, Group Exhibition, Brea Civic Cultural Center, Brea, CA
  • 1981: IRRETRIEVABLE STATEMENTS, 7th Solo Exhibition with Performance, Krasl Art Center, St. Joseph, MI;
  • 1980 and 1981: ARTISTS’ BOOKS and MAIL ART EXHIBITION, Group Exhibitions, Metronom, Barcelona, Spain;
  • 1980: 23RD CHAUTAUQUA NATIONAL, Group Exhibition, Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY;
  • 1980: K’UN, Solo Performance/Installation, Musee d’Art Vivant Vehicule, Montreal, Canada;
  • 1977: III VIENNA GRAPHIKBIENNALE, Group Exhibition, Vienna Secession/Albertina Museum, Vienna, Austria;
  • 1976 - 1977: ART IN THE MAIL, Group Touring Exhibition organized by Manwatu Gallery, New Zealand;
  • 1975: 18TH NATIONAL SUN CARNIVAL, Group Exhibition, El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, TX;
  • 1975: TRIANGULATION, 3rd Solo Exhibition with Performance, Dean Gallery, Minneapolis, MN;
  • 1972: 8TH TYLER NATIONAL, Group Exhibition, Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, TX;
  • 1972: 57TH WI PAINTERS/SCULPTORS EXHIBITION, Group Exhibition, UWM and Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI;
  • 1972: #18; #19, 3 Person Exhibition with Performance, Kottler Galleries, New York City;
  • 1972: PAULA INSEL ANNUAL GROUP EXHIBITION, Group Exhibition, Paula Insel Galleries, New York City;
  • 1971: ARTISTS’ PROPOSALS FOR HUMAN ENVIRONMENT, Group Exhibition, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI;
  • 1971: GRAPHICS USA, Group Exhibition, Robert Paul Gallery, Chicago, IL;
  • 1970: PROGRESSION, 1st Solo Exhibition with Performance, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI.

Selected Bibliography

  • 2006: Art Journal, Spring;
  • 2006: College Art Association, New York City;
  • 2000: Abstracts;
  • 2000: College Art Association, New York City
  • 2003: Abstracts;
  • 2003: College Art Association, New York City;
  • 1994: New Art Examiner;
  • 1994: New Art Examiner, Chicago;
  • 1994: Artforms, (College Text) 5th Edition, Harper Collins, New York City;
  • 1993: New Observations, #95, New Observations, New York City;
  • 1992: Art Journal, Vol. 51 #2, College Art Association, New York City;
  • 1981-92: High Performance, Numbers 15, 17/18, 20, 21, 22, 38, 54 and 60, Astro Artz, Los Angeles;
  • 1990: Breakthrough, Vol. 11 #2-4, Global Education Associates, New York City;
  • 1988: The New York Art Review, 4th Edition, American References, Chicago;
  • 1986: Artists’ Books, 1st Edition, University at Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany;
  • 1985: International Artists’ Stamps, 1st Edition, Museum for Modern Art, Weddel, Germany;
  • 1983: How to Survive & Prosper as an Artist, 1st Edition, Holt, Rinehart, Winston, New York City;
  • 1982: Mail Art Book 1, 1st Edition, Japan Artists’ Union, Hyoga, Japan,;
  • 1980: International Catalog of Contemporary Art, 82-83, Rimeco Edizioni, Chiasso, Switzerland,
  • 1980: Mail Art Exhibition, 1st Edition, Metronom C.D.A.A., Barcelona, Spain;
  • 1977: 3. Wiener Graphikbiennale, Number 3, Wiener Secession, Vienna, Austria;
  • 1976: Artists’ Signatures/Symbols/Monograms, 1st Edition, George Prior Publishers, London, England;
  • 1972: Art News, Summer Edition, Art News, New York City;
  • PLUS: Who’s Who in Art; New York, Minnesota, Canadian and German Public Television; National Public Radio; CNN; Real TV; AP; UPI: Words by Wire; USA Today; San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post and others.

Selected Honors and Awards

  • 1997: McKnight Foundation Interdisciplinary Art Fellow;
  • 2006: Just Plain Folks Experimental Album Award;
  • 2002: Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film & Digital Media;

Mayoral Proclamations

  • Billy X. Curmano Day in St. Louis;
  • Cape Girardeau and New Orleans.

Honorary citizen

  • Greenville and Natchez, MS.

Selected Collections

  • Museum of Modern Art and Franklin Furnace, NYC;
  • Center for the Study of Political Graphics, Los Angeles;
  • Temple University, Philadelphia;
  • Milwaukee Art Museum; Plains Art Museum, ND;
  • Long Beach Art Museum, CA;
  • Stanley Marsh 3, Amarillo, TX;
  • Ourense Municipal Museum, Spain;
  • Artpool, Budapest, Hungary;
  • Count Panza, Varese, Italy and S.T Eriks, Stockholm, Sweden.

Selected Residences

  • Universities: Hawaii, Minnesota, North Carolina, California, Wisconsin, Illinois State, Eastern Oregon State and De Pauw.
  • Panelist for Mid America and College Art Association Conferences;
  • Minnesota State Arts Board’s Artists in Education Program;
  • Chichester Institute, England and S.T Eriks Gymnasium Stockholm.

External links

References

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