Biography

Brian Michael Reed is an internationally exhibited conceptual artist that was born in Charleston West Virginia on July 16, 1984. Brian received his undergraduate work in Painting and Art History at James Madison University and was awarded grants from the NEA, West Virginia division of culture, and private foundations to attended graduate classes at Yale University in the History of Art Department, the Center for Book Arts in New York City, Classes at the Arts Student’s League, and many other various continuing education opportunities. His works have been reviewed well in the NYTimes, Washington Post, Shanghai Daily, Charleston Gazette-Mail, along with numerous magazines and other publications across his career.

Brian maintains a vigorous schedule of artist residencies, guest speaking, exhibitions and studio art production full time. Reed continues to empower and interpret people’s thoughts, feelings, and everyday events through his art. Conceptually, Reed, through his works of art, advocates “universal commonalities”, experiences that people in world cultures share to foster global understanding and unity. Brian currently works between his New York City, Shanghai China, and Ivydale West Virginia Studios.

Artist Statement

The inspirations for many of my works originate from my love of the natural world. The stories in each collection of works contain a cross cultural self-portrait, chronicling my curiosities to understand history, myth and the symbolisms that cultures create to understand and express themselves. As a boy my wanderlust was constrained to the woods and creeks of my family’s farm in Clay County West Virginia and the images in my National Geographic collection. Maturing, I have made my dreams manifest by creating exhibitions based on experiences from living in different regions of the world and recording thoughts and observations from my daily life.