THOMAS pfannerstill
Tom Pfannerstill was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1951. He earned is bachelor’s degree in 1975 from Western Kentucky University. Pfannerstill has been a full-time studio artist since 1986. He has been awarded prestigious fellowships, including one from The Kentucky Arts Council in 2001. Pfannerstill’s work has been exhibited throughout the United States since 1990, and is part of collections at notable establishments including the Flint Institute of Arts in Michigan, Bellarmine College in Kentucky, and the Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences in Indiana. Pfannerstill currently lives and works in Kentucky.
RESUME
Education
BFS (Cum Laude), 1975 Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Professional and Related Activities
Full-Time Studio Artist, since 1986.
Artist Fellowship, Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship awarded by The Kentucky Arts Council, 2001.
The Grasses Project, A collaboration between artists from Louisville Kentucky, Ireland and Northern Ireland, Belfast, N. Ireland, 2002 - 2005.
Kunst in der Stadt, One of three artists chosen to represent Louisville at an international arts festival in Mainz, Germany, sponsored by Sister Cities International, 1999.
Heads Up Kentucky, Sculpted prototype, and produced an award-winning final version for an educational awareness and fund raiser , sponsored by Kentucky Psychological Association, 2005
Member of Exhibitions Committee, Louisville Visual Art Association, 1997 to 2003.
Member of Exhibitions Committee, Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, 1996 to 1998.
VIPS, Board of Directors of Visually Impaired Preschool Services, 2001 to 2008.
Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, served as visiting artist/ workshop leader at a series of hands-on workshops, Feb. – Mar, 2000.
Blackacre Nature Preserve, led a series of workshops for students from all parts of Jefferson County, Kentucky, June, 2000.
Member of Louisville Visual Art Association, 1978 to present.
Member of J. B. Speed Museum, 1980 to present. Participated in focus group regarding future planning, 1997.
RFB&D, Served as a volunteer reader/monitor for Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic, 1998-2000.
Member of Louisville Area Grain and Extract Research Society, 1997 to 2004.
Juror for numerous professional and student art exhibitions.
Selected Collections
Actorʼs Theater, Louisville, KY
Bellarmine College, Louisville, KY
Mr. Richard Bram and Ms. Monika Machon, New York, NY
Brown-Forman Corporation, Louisville, KY.
Capital Holding Corporation, Louisville, KY.
Citizens Bank, Glasgow, KY
Commonwealth Life Insurance, Louisville, KY.
ESPN Zone, Baltimore MD
Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences, Evansville, IN.
Flint Institute of Arts, Flint MI.
Gildaʼs Club, Louisville, KY
Gradyʼs Restaurants, Atlanta, GA. Birmingham, AL. Charlotte, NC. Chattanooga, TN. Dallas, TX.
Knoxville, TN. Little Rock, AR. and Memphis. TN.
J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, Inc., Louisville, KY.
The Jacobs Collection, Georgetown College, Georgetown, KY
Dr. and Mrs. John Huff, Nashville, TN.
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Louisville, KY.
Miller-Valentine Group, Cincinnati, and Dayton, OH.
Makerʼs Mark, Louisville, KY Offices and the Distillery, Loretto, KY
NKC Hospitals, Louisville, KY.
The City of Sharonville, OH.
Stouffers Hotel and Convention Center, Nashville, TN.
TransFinancial Corporation, Louisville, KY.
Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green. KY.
Mr. And Mrs. Marty Weinberg, Louisville, KY.
Shows and Exhibitions
2016
Trash Talk, Solo Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Artists Select 2016, Group Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery Nashville, TN
2014
Photorealism: The Everyday Illuminated, Solo Exhibition, Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California
2011
Small Packages, Group Exhxbition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
LoCAL.streets, Group Exhibition, Curated by Daniel Pfalzgraf, Muhammed Ali Center, Louisvile, KY
Pop and After, Group Exhibit, Beth Urdang Gallery, Boston, MA
A Night at the Circus, Permanent Installation, Painted Wall with Attached Objects, Kosair Childrensʼ Hospital, Louisville KY
Paper Poets, Group Collage Exhibit, Jewish Community Center, Louisville, KY
2010
Blue Wall with Random Thoughts, Permanent Installation, Painted Wall with Attached Objects, Norton-Kosair
Childrenʼs Medical Center East, Louisville, KY
Thomas Pfannerstill: From the Street, Trifecta Gallery, Las Vegas NV
New Work, Galerie Hertz, Louisville KY
2010 SIGN/AGE, Armand Bartos Fine Art, New York, NY
Trompe Lʼoeil, Christy Zurkuhlen Gallery, Louisville, KY
2009
Small Packages, Group Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Solo Exhibit, Gallery at 916, Bowling Green, KY
Collectorsʼ Roadshow, Indiana University Southeast, New Albany, IN
From Washington to Warhol: America Redefined, Cheekwood Art Center, Nashville, TN
In Plane Sight: AnExhibition of Wall Sculpture, Group Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Infinite Riches in a Small Room, Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY
DinnerWorks, One of eight artists invited to create a place setting for centennial year of Louisville Visual Art Association, exhibited during DinnerWorks annual fundraiser, LVAA, Louisville KY
2008
The Grand Illusion: Realistic and Abstract Illusions in Contemporary Art, Louis K. Meisel Gallery, New York, NY
Made To Deceive: The Art of Trompe Lʼoeil, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, KY
Summer Exhibition, Perlow-Stevens Gallery, Columbia, MO
2007
From the Street, Solo Exhibition, O.K.Harris Works of Art, New York, NY
Trash Talk, Solo Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Uncommon Wealth, Traveling Group Exhibition Organized by Kentucky Arts Council, Owensboro Museum of Fine
Arts, Owensboro Ky, Actorʼs Theater Gallery, Louisville, KY, and other venues
From the Street, Solo Ehxibit, Trifecta Gallery, Las Vegas NV
Recordar, Revivir, y Regocijarse Con, Day of the Dead Festival, Gloria Singletary Gallery at The Living Arts And Science Center, Lexington, KY
2006
minuMENTAL: Artists Working in Small Formats, Trifecta Gallery, Las Vegas NV
Solo Exhibition, Gallery Hertz, Inaugural exhibit in their new 3rd street location, Louisville, KY
Uncommon Wealth, Group exhibition organized by the Kentucky Arts Council, Loudon House Gallery, Lexington, KY
2005
Allegorical Amalgamations, Group Exhibition, Reed Whipple Cultural Center , Las Vegas, NV
Blue, Solo Exhibition of Recent Paintings, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY
Small Packages, Group Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Samplings, Solo Exhibition, Georgetown College, Georgetown, KY
Al Smith Fellowship Artists Exhibition, Actorʼs Theater Gallery, Louisville, KY
Selected Works from the Fellowship Exhibition, Kentucky Artisan Center, Berea, KY
The Weave Suite Revisited: A Fiber Collaboration, (with C.J. Pressma) Zephyr Gallery, Louisville KY, and Yeiser Art Center,Paducah KY
Forces of Nature, Invitational Exhibition, Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, Lousiville, KY
2004
Seeing is Believing: American Trompe lʼoeil, New Britian Museum of American Art, New Britian, CT
As I See Myself: Autobiographical Art, Kentucky Museum of Arts + Design, Louisville, KY
Irish Art Now Exchange, Ardgillian Castle, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, Ireland
An Exploration Of Polymer Clay, Kentucky Museum of Arts + Design, Louisville, KY
2003
REAL Illusions: Contemporary Art From Nashville Collections, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN
Subject: Object, Group Exhibit, OK Harris Works of Art, New York, NY
Here and There: Exploring Regionalism, Group Exhibit, Contemporary Arts Collective, Las Vegas, NV
Aggregations, Solo Exhibition, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY
Food, Glorious Food, Group Exhibit, Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY
Miniature Masterpieces, Group Exhibit, Bernheim Arboretum, Bardstown KY
Yum, Group Exhibit, Contemporary Arts Collective, Las Vegas NV
Just Desserts, Group Exhibit, Jerald Melberg Gallery, Charlotte, NC
Art Bound: A National Invitational Exhibit of and About Books, Chapman Friedman Gallery, Louisville, KY
2002
Links That Connect Us, Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Star Spangled Colour, Group Exhibition, Trace Contemporary Gallery, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Solo Exhibit, O.K.Harris Works of Art, New York, NY
Photorealism: The Liff Collection, Naples Museum of Art, Naples, FL
Faces, Group Exhibit, Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY
Material Issues Revisited: Painting, Sculpture and Construction, Group Exhibition, O.K.Harris Works of Art, New York, NY
Play> Endeavors in Art and Media, Invitational Exhibition in Conjunction with The Humana Festival of New American Plays, Actorʼs Theater, Louisville, KY
DessertWorks, Invitational Group Exhibit, Indiana University Southeast, New Albany, IN
Artistʼs Sketches, Group Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
2001
Showcase 25 Revisited, Group Exhibit, Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY
Small Packages, Group Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
In Balance, Group Invitational Exhibit, Actorʼs Theater, Louisville, KY
Heads, Three Person Show (with Wayne Ferguson and Shayne Hull), The Carnegie Center, Covington, KY
Virtual Reality, Two Person Exhibit (with Sylvia Hyman), Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Breakfastworks, An Exhibit in Conjunction with the Annual Dinnerworks Show, Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY
Fashion-Art-Design, Group Exhibition Curated by Melissa Wilson, Louisville, KY
2000
Solo Show, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY
The 20th Anniversary Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Lots of Small Works, Competitive Exhibition, Artspace, Fort Wayne, IN
By Invitation, Five Person Exhibition, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
Small Packages, Group Show, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
1999
Portraits: Self and Otherwise, Group Exhibition, Sandler-Hudson Gallery, Atlanta, GA
15 Years on Main Street, Invitational Exhibition, Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, Louisville, KY
Reconstructing the Log Cabin, Oregon Museum, Springfield OR
Small Works, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
1998
Kentucky Quilts: Roots and Wings, Kentucky Folk Art Center, Morehead, KY (travelling through 2000)
The Theater of Self-Invention: Self-Portraiture in Contemporary Art, J. B. Speed Museum, Louisville, KY
Small Works, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville TN
The 22nd Annual Humana Festival of New American Plays Invitational Exhibition, Actorʼs Theater, Louisville, KY
Bridges, Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, Louisville, KY
Birdy II, Group Invitational, Indiana University Southeast, New Albany, IN
Filling the Void: The Art of Casting, Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY
1997
Heads, Solo Show, Inaugural Exhibition in the New Galerie Hertz Location, Louisville, KY
Small Packages, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Bats, Bowls and Balls, Clara M. Eagle Gallery, Murray State University, Murray, KY
Choice Cuts, Group Exhibit, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
1996
Ivan Karp: The Face of Contemporary Art, Centre College, Danville, KY.
The Fine Art of Fine Wine, Loundon House, Lexington, KY.
Solo Exhibit, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN.
The Alumni Show, Floyd County Museum, New Albany, IN.
“Pop” Goes the Icon, Southern Artists use the Symbols of America, Lennox Square Artswalk, in conjunction with the Olympic Games, Atlanta, GA.
New Work, Group Show, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY.
1995
Solo Exhibit, O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, NY.
Three Person Exhibit, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY.
Big Kites, Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, Louisville, KY.
River Place Festival, Competitive Exhibit, Greenville. KY.
The Art of Tea, Images-Freidman Gallery, Louisville, KY.
Good Dog, Invitational Exhibit, Liberty Gallery, Louisville, KY.
Gone Fishing, Invitational Exhibit, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY.
Group Exhibit, Cudahy Gallery, Richmond, VA.
Trompe LʼOeil, Masters of Illusion, Spruill Arts Center, Atlanta, GA.
Holidazzle, Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, Louisville, KY.
Small Packages, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville. TN.
1994
Solo Exhibit, O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, NY.
Louisville Paper Invitational, Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY and Mainz, Germany.
Double-Take: Contemporary Illusionism, Curatorsʼ Forum, Hans and Walter Bechtler Gallery, Charlotte, NC.
Pandoraʼs Box: 100 Boxes by 100 Artists, Hand Workshop, Richmond, VA.
Whatʼs for Dinner, Group Exhibition, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, NC.
1993
Solo Exhibit, O.K.Harris Works of Art, New York, NY
Solo Show, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY
New Blood: A National Competition, Clara M. Eagle Gallery, Murray State University, Murray KY.
Contemporary Traditions, Kentucky Museum, Bowling Green, KY.
Group Exhibit, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY.
1992
Solo Exhibit, O.K.Harris Works of Art, New York, NY.
From the Street, Solo Exhibit, Sandler-Hudson Gallery, Atlanta, GA
X-Change, An Exhibit organized by the South Carolina Arts Council and the Kentucky Department of the Arts, South Carolina State Museum, Columbia, SC.
Quilt Conceptions: Designs in Other Media, An Exhibit in Conjunction with “Louisville Celebrates the American Quilt,” Sponsored by the Kentucky Quilt Project, Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, Louisville, KY
Group Exhibit, David Klein Gallery, Birmingham, MI.
1991
Solo Exhibit, Gallery Hertz, Louisville, KY.
Two-Person Exhibit, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN.
Two-Person Exhibit, Headley-Whitney Museum, Lexington, KY
Circus, Circus, Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, Louisville, KY.
Gallery Artists, Group Exhibit, Swearingen Gallery, Louisville, KY.
1990
Urban Visions, Two-Man Show, Bellarmine College, Louisville KY, and Dittmar Gallery, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Tables, Invitational Exhibition, Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, Louisville, KY.
Mixed-Media and Other Art Forms, Group Exhibit, Lexington, KY.
Anniversary Show, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN.
Time… Pieces, A Travelling Exhibition, Sponsored by and First Exhibited at the Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, Louisville, KY.
ARTIST STATEMENT
“My works are carefully crafted, carved and painted, trompe l’oeil depictions of everyday common objects. On the back of each piece is a description of where and when I found this ‘gift from the street’ and so, they provide a record that mirrors my movements through time and space.”
“In the most obvious sense these pieces speak to issues of commercialism and consumerism. The objects reflect state-of-the-art-graphics; one can almost sense the well-planned and psychologically tested schemes to sell the products. They are a testament to the effectiveness of that marketing, after all, someone made the decision to purchase the product before consuming it and discarding the packaging. What happens next, though, is of greatest interest to me. These pieces are carried away and undergo a unique series of events that lead to their individuation.”
“Each of these objects was at one time a near-perfect clone of millions of others of it’s type. It was designed and manufactured to exacting standards. By the time I find it, it has become a tiny study of opposing forces. Mechanical geometric precision is altered by organic twists, bends and folds. The inherent rationality is overlaid with elements of chance. The sparkling clean surfaces are smudged and marked by everyday dirt, grit and grime. No two objects have exactly the same journey , so no two are marked in exactly the same way. Each wears a record of its own particular history, has become unique. It is this difference, this particular story of this particular object that I attempt to capture.”
“These works record harsh realities and the effects of exposure to natural elements over the course of time, time being a major consideration. The notation of where and when I found each piece reinforces this time element. There is also a missing time element, an implied narrative about how the object travelled from where it originated to where I happened upon it. These objects have a life span so to speak (if not an actual one, at least metaphoric one), from their production through their usefulness to their ultimate disposal. As such, I see them as ‘memento mori’, reminders of mortality and the corresponding corollary ‘carpe diem’. They are subtle reminders of the temporal nature of all things.”
“I choose my subjects for a wide variety of reasons, but often because of their sheer commonality. I like the fact that viewers know and recognize these images– they are some of the most famous, heavily promoted brands. Even so, the packaging is constantly changing, companies are continually making subtle and sometimes not so subtle modifications. Altering layout and design, modernizing age-old characters and typefaces, adding graphics to reflect a temporary promotion or a movie or product tie-in, changing proportions and portion sizes (drink cups are the best example of that, growing to phenomenally large sizes, of late), using new materials like plastics and mylars– all these changes keep the things on the street in a constant state of flux– and provide an ever-changing array of new potential subject matter.”
“As time inevitably marches on and everything, trash included, continues to change, my little pieces ‘from the street’ will become increasingly ‘of a time.’ As the popularity of products ebb and flow and certain products disappear altogether as wants, needs and lifestyles change, they will become increasingly esoteric. They are handmade objects in a postindustrial culture, so already they are a bit anachronistic. They are markers of a time, though, and as such will become a tiny part of the fossil record, a small archeological artifact. They will be a small, hold-in your-hand object- a solid, 3-D reminder of the past– an idea I find strangely comforting in a world that is increasingly electronic and virtual.”
– Tom Pfannerstill