Art Show Opening Reception for Robert Markey

ARTIST STATEMENT I have a vision of a peaceful world, a world based on justice, compassion and human dignity. As an artist my work comes from that vision and from the understanding of how different that vision is from reality. I attempt in my work to impact on an emotional level, to evoke laughter, tears or anger. It is the purpose of art, I believe, to confront, to challenge, to force the viewer to see and think about the world in a new and more profound way. It is my hope that experiencing my work will be one of perhaps many events that will influence people to envision and work for a more humane and just world. BIOGRAPHY Robert Markey is an artist who has worked in many media over the years including painting, sculpture, installation, video and mosaics. He has done public art projects in cities around the country including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston and Minneapolis. His first video was aired on PBS, and he received national media coverage for his public performance work on domestic violence. He has created mosaic murals in Brazil, Chile, Cambodia, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Israel and the U.S. For the past several years he has traveled to Asia and Brazil to work with disadvantaged kids to do mosaic murals. In Springfield he has been creating mosaics on public walls around the city including the mirror dancers in the tunnel on Dwight Street, the climbers and birds on Dwight Street and the motorcycles in Stearns Square. He currently works out of his studio in Ashfield, Massachusetts and teaches at the Springfield Museum School.