2024 Winter Residency

The Winter Residency program is designed for artists based in the Greater Philadelphia region who work in the material of wood with a commitment to sustainable and creative approaches. The Winter Residency is a collaboration between the Museum and membership-based maker space NextFab and runs from January 2 to February 29, 2024. The Program culminates in a solo exhibition at NextFab (1800 N. American Street) that will be on view from March 14 through May 20, 2024. 

Adam Atkinson (he/they) is a Philadelphia-based metalsmith, curator, and educator. They received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Studio Practices from Boise State University in 2013 and a Master of Fine Arts in Metal Design from East Carolina University in 2019. Atkinson’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, Blowing Rock Museum of Art and History in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and Nagoya Zokei University in Japan.

Atkinson uses a variety of techniques and materials to explore different narratives in their artistic practice. In their The Orifice Series, they explored the link between the body and nature using metal and wood juxtapositions. Each piece draws upon organic, bodily imagery and fur textures overlaid on carved cherry wood; all carefully handcrafted using repousse, an ancient technique of forming sheet metal, woodcarving, and burning. Atkinson also interrogated the role traditional Ancient Roman busts played as historical markers for powerful figures in his Wood Bust Series. With these works, they questioned the legacies of the figures who have been memorialized through busts, what marks a great achievement in our society, and the role the form and function play in visualizing social structures.