Ryan Murray

Born 1983, Pittsburgh, PA

Lives and works in Chicago, IL

 

EDUCATION

2009           MFA Candidate, University of Illinois at Chicago

2005           BFA with University and College Honors, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

 

EXPERIENCE

2008           Instructor, Chicago Filmmakers Digital Moviemaking Summer Youth Camp, Chicago IL

                  Instructor, Chicago Filmmakers Animation Summer Youth Camp, Chicago, IL

2006-07       Teaching Artist, with Faison Arts Academy through Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, Pittsburgh, PA

Teaching Artist, Digital Arts Studio, Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, Pittsburgh, PA

2006           Graphic Facilitator, Engage Pittsburgh, The Sprout Fund, Pittsburgh, PA

SAT Preparatory Course Instructor, Kaplan Inc., Pittsburgh, PA

2005           SAT Preparatory Course Instructor, Carnegie Mellon CMARC Summer Academy for Math and Science, Thomson Peterson’s, Pittsburgh, PA

2002           Production Assistant, Educator Awards Profile, Milken Family Foundation

1999-2004   Theatrical Set Designer, South Park Children’s Theatre, South Park, PA

 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2008           Somber and Bright, group show, The Cliff Dwellers, Chicago, IL

Formfit, group show, Great Space, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL

2007           FLUX 15, group show, Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh, PA

                  Encyclopedia Destructica Volume: Bumba Issue the Fourth Release Party, group show, the Brillobox, Pittsburgh, PA

                  Questy Quest, with students Ben Pyles and Andrew Soffietti, collaborative project show, post-performance exhibit, MCG @ 800 Penn Avenue Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA

2006           Tomb of the Spy Magicians, group show, Spinning Plate Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA

                  Staff and Student Exhibition, group show, Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, Pittsburgh, PA

100% Centennial, with Tricycle Bicycle Cycle, group show, Regina Miller Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA

2005           Conquered Mind, Awakened Spirit: The Visionary Path, online show, Caladan Gallery, www.caladangallery.com

                  Spectacular, Spectacular!, group show, Regina Miller Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA

2004           Educated Guess?, group show, Future Tenant, Pittsburgh, PA

                  Video Mystery Theatre, group show, the Eye, Pittsburgh, PA

                  Ryan Murray and Kelly Schmal, the Frame Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA

                  An Evening of Live Video Performances, group show, Skibo Gymnasium, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

                  Transmissions from the Stupid, with Luke Meeken and Andrew Negrey, the Frame Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA

                  softWORKS, group show, Future Tenant, Pittsburgh, PA

                  Residue, group show, Future Tenant, Pittsburgh, PA

 

PERFORMANCES, CONCERTS, AND EVENTS

2007           Questy Quest, with students Ben Pyles and Andrew Soffietti, collaborative, publicly interactive performance and video, MCG @ 800 Penn Avenue Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA

2006           Spy Magician Invocation, with Chris Kardambikis (Encyclopedia Destructica) and Curt Gettman (Unicorn Mountain), Spinning Plate Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA, October 22

Tricycle Bicycle Cycle, Garfield Artworks, Pittsburgh, PA, May 5

Tricycle Bicycle Cycle, Grounds for Change, Meadville, PA, April 13

Tricycle Bicycle Cycle, Penn State Behrend Campus, Erie, PA, April 7

                  Tricycle Bicycle Cycle, 10th Anniversary Celebration, Artists Image Resource, Pittsburgh, PA, March 31, 2006

Tricycle Bicycle Cycle, Garfield Artworks, Pittsburgh, PA, March 18

                  Tricycle Bicycle Cycle, P.D.’s Pub, Pittsburgh, PA, February 22

2005           Tricycle Bicycle Cycle, Grounds for Change, Meadville, PA, December 3

                  Art Parade, organized with Kelly Schmal, Carnegie Mellon University, April 29

2004           Chupacabra Pep Rally, Video Mystery Theatre, the Eye, Pittsburgh, PA, December 11

                  The AstroWerewolves and the Quest for the Moon, An Evening of Live Video Performances, Skibo Gymnasium, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, October 22

                  Redeeming Blue Boy: the Despair and the Ascension, with Jacob Ciocci (Paper Rad), Transmissions From the Stupid, the Frame Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA, May 14

Redeeming Blue Boy: the Discovery of Alternative Methods of Inquiry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, March 19

                  SICBO, Residue, Future Tenant, Pittsburgh, PA, February 29

2003           The 33-Petaled Rose: The Pilgrimage, throughout downtown Pittsburgh, PA, November 20

The 33-Petaled Rose: Trinary Vibrational Channeling Ritual, Ellis Gallery, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, September 22

 

PRESS

2006           “Art, music, comics can be found on Unicorn Mountain”, by Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Weekend Magazine, October 19.

                  Pop Candy, “Five Things I Found This Weekend”, by Whitney Matheson, USA Today, http://blogs.usatoday.com/popcandy/2006/10/five_things_i_f.html.

The Hedonist Masses, podcast featuring and discussing Tricycle Bicycle Cycle, the Netherlands, http://www.podfeed.nl/hedonist-masses, January.

                  The Berry and Uli Show, video podcast featuring Tricycle Bicycle Cycle, the Netherlands, www.ans-online.nl, January.

2005           Mammoth Press, review of the album “Tricycle Bicycle Cycle’s First Manatee Hugging Party”, by Ian Signore, http://mammothpress.com/index.php?area=readreview&pid=647, December

                  majorbounce/minormelancholy, radio program and streaming mp3, BSR 88.1, Providence, RI, http://bsrlive.com/archives/playlist.php?p=3378, December 9.

                  “You see with your eyes, hands, and ears”, description of the limited edition CD “Tricycle Bicycle Cycle’s First Manatee Hugging Party”, by Ian Signore, http://www.lovehasnologic.com/empme/2005/12/13/you-see-with-your-eyes-hands-and-ears/, December.

                  75 minutes, podcast featuring and discussing Tricycle Bicycle Cycle, New York, NY, www.75minutes.com, December.

 

SELECTED BOOKS, SELF-PUBLISHED WRITINGS, AND SOUND RECORDINGS

2007           Encyclopedia Destructica Volume Bumba: Issue the Fourth,  DVD/Book collection of Pittsburgh Video Artists’ work, writings, and drawings, “Bathrobe Druid Relearns the Lost Art of Sanctifying Sites” video, Cover Design, 3 color silkscreen on bookcloth,  Encyclopedia Destructica.

2006           Wolfman’s Got Nards: A Compedium of New American Monsters, “Groogle”, Encyclopedia Destructica and Unicorn Mountain.

2005           “Sweet Baby Ray”, MLN, limited edition CD’s, Self-Published.

                  “Tricycle Bicycle Cycle’s First Manatee Hugging Party”, Tricycle Bicycle Cycle, limited edition CD’s in hand-sewn, silkscreened fabrics, packaged with toys and handwritten tracklists, Self-Published.

                  Tricycle Bicycle Cycle, website, http://www.tricyclebicyclecycle.org, Self-Published.

2003           “Christmas Album”, MLN, limited edition CD’s, Self-Published.

                  “Trinary Vibrational Transmission Channeling Music”, The 33-Petaled Rose, limited edition CD’s, distributed to passers by during a pilgrimage performance through Pittsburgh, PA, Self-Published.

                  “Trinary Vibrational Channeling Ceremony”, The 33-Petaled Rose, limited edition pamphlets, distributed to passers by during a pilgrimage performance through Pittsburgh, PA, Self-Published.

“Mankind’s Secret History”, The 33-Petaled Rose, limited edition tract, distributed to passers by during a pilgrimage performance through Pittsburgh, PA.  Self-Published.

“Alien Races Who Have Impacted Humanity”, The 33-Petaled Rose, limited edition pamphlets, distributed to passers by during a pilgrimage performance through Pittsburgh, PA, Self-Published.

                  The 33-Petaled Rose, website, http://www.33petaledflowerofsirius.org, Self-Published.

 

EXTENDED PROJECTS, SERIES, AND GROUPS

2007           Questy Quest, collaborative group that created characters, video, and a publicly interactive performance dealing with the tropes and aesthetics of Role Playing Video Games.  Formed as part of a “Mentors and Makers” project through the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, it involved the collaboration of independent study students Ben Pyles and Andrew Soffietti with their teacher, Ryan Murray.

2006           Tricycle Bicycle Cycle, art collaborative and rock band that created music, videos, performances, concerts, intimate, limited edition objects, and zines dealing with psychedelia, joy, and childhood nostalgia. Included Ryan Murray, Chris Caldwell, Sean Hannan, Bob Hartung, Kate Ickes, Ryan Meek, Mike Stanish.

2005           Deviant Epistemic Methods and Eschatological Concerns, painting series, concerned with ideas about unaccepted research methods and notions of the end of the world.  Funded in part by a grant from Carnegie Mellon University Undergraduate Research Initiative.

2004           Redeeming Blue Boy, performance/video/installation series, concerned with the retelling of the story of a pop-culture character in reference to ideas about valid and invalid methods of inquiry, psychedelia, and revelation.  Funded in part by a grant from Carnegie Mellon University Undergraduate Research Initiative.

2003           The 33-Petaled Flower of Sirius, collaborative performance series in which a group of researchers telepathically and performatively contacted extraterrestrials, and created rituals, videos, objects, zines, and websites utilizing information provided by the aliens.  Included Ryan Murray, Luke Meeken, and Andrew Negrey, www.33petaledflowerofsirius.org.

1999-2007   MLN, experimental music group, concerned with creating simple yet unusual music, poetry, and sound pieces in improvisational, single-take situations, includes Ryan Murray, Dan Murray, James Vertullo, and members of Tricycle Bicycle Cycle.

 

HONORS AND AWARDS

2007           Larsen Fellowship, University of Illinois at Chicago

2005           University Honors, Carnegie Mellon University

                  College Honors, Carnegie Mellon University School of Art

Samuel Rosenberg Senior Art Award, Carnegie Mellon University School of Art

Small Undergraduate Research Grant, “Deviant Epistemic Methods and Eschatological Concerns”, Undergraduate Research Initiative, Carnegie Mellon University

2004           Award for Artistic Excellence, Meeting of the Minds, Undergraduate Research Symposium, Carnegie Mellon University

Small Undergraduate Research Grant, “Redeeming Blue Boy”, Undergraduate Research Initiative, Carnegie Mellon University

2003           John L. Porter Sophomore Art Award, Carnegie Mellon University School of Art.

2003           Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars

2001-2004   School of Art Honors List, all semesters

                  College of Fine Arts Dean’s List, all semesters

2001-2005   Andrew Carnegie Scholarship, Carnegie Mellon University

2001           Valedictorian, South Park High School, South Park, PA