Noah Scalin
artist
founder/creative director
Another Limited Rebellion
creator of
Skull-A-Day Project
author of
Unstuck: 52 Ways To Get (and Keep) Your Creativity Flowing at Home, at Work, & in Your Studio
author of
365: A Daily Creativity Journal
author of
SKULLS
co-author of
The Design Activist's Handbook
creator of
League of Space Pirates
editor of
Another Limited Rebellion blog
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WORKS
2012
100 Painted Skulls
100 Painted Skulls
Ongoing project to paint 100 skulls on 4” x 4” wooden panels to celebrate year 5 of the Skull-A-Day project (June 2011 – June 2012).
Call Me Waldo
Call Me Waldo
Created as part of a commission for New York City’s Working Theater for the production Call Me Waldo. The show is a comedy about an electrician who channels the spirit of Ralph Waldo Emerson. This piece was made entirely out of used electrical outlets & switches.
2011
Dark Sisters
Dark Sisters
A commission for the Gotham Theater Company, Music-Theater Group, and Opera Company of Philadelphia’s co-production of the new opera Dark Sisters by Nico Muhly. The opera is inspired by the story of the sister wives of the FLDS (Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints) whose lives were media fodder in the wake of the highly publicized raid of their compound in 2008. The show focuses on the attempt of one sister to define herself and her relationship to her community. Inspired by the red clay landscape in which the show is set and the handmade clothing the women wear, I created this illustration out of dirt sprinkled on canvas. The woman is an amalgam of several images taken of the FLDS wives, with their unmistakable anachronistic hairdos, gazing back at the cameras that endlessly stalked them once they were away from their homes.
United Skull of America II - X Gallery Installation
United Skull of America II - X Gallery Installation
Commissioned for the outdoor X Gallery at Main Art, Richmond, Virginia. Varnished paper affixed to painted brick. March-April 2011
384. Mountain Retreat Skull
384. Mountain Retreat Skull
Commissioned by the owners of the Luminhaus mountain retreat. Made with found matter.
2010
Mütter’s Skull of Brains
Mütter’s Skull of Brains
Commissioned by the College of Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum for an upcoming publication. Made with 375 slices of real human brains encased in acrylic.
Viva Vaquita!
Viva Vaquita!
Created for the Endangered Species Print Project to be sold as a limited edition print (the quantity made is based on the number of these porpoises remaining alive).
Passion Play
Passion Play
Commissioned for the New York production of Sarah Ruhl’s Passion Play by Epic Theatre Ensemble. Made out of hundreds of real rose petals.
United Skull of America II
United Skull of America II
Laser cut wood installation of the updated United Skull of America featuring all 50 of the United States in correct proportion. 108 x 108 in ( 275 x 275 cm). Image from Chicago’s International Museum of Surgical Science.
2009
After Life - installation
After Life - installation
AFTER LIFE
“After Life” is a cabinet of curiosities, an archive of disparate objects that only hints at the experiences and stories behind their creation/discovery. The majority of what remains from the Skull-A-Day project is on display. Most of the original 365 skulls were purely ephemeral only recorded as a digital image. A few of the ones on display no longer reflect their original form as time has aged and transformed them into something other. In one case, the large pile of matches that made up #304 (Don’t Play with) Matches Skull is displayed merely as the burned void where it once sat, accompanied by a video record of its destruction.
After Life is also an opportunity to revisit a project that is both dead and yet still very alive. While I no longer make daily skulls, the images I created continue to mutate and grow. In some cases they have ended up in licensed products (books, t-shirts, cardboard puzzles, wallpaper, fabric) both legal and illegal, taking on the sheen of commercial production. In other cases I’ve partnered with skilled artisans to explode the skulls outward, no longer restricted by the one-day rule, taking commercial production into the world of art.
Bestia Urbanis
Bestia Urbanis
BESTIA URBANIS
I and several other artists were asked to create public art using existing newspaper boxes. There were no rules, other than the box needed to remain functional. Bestia Urbanis is approachable urban wildlife. It is art that is meant for interaction rather than just observation. It has soft fur that encourages petting and a face that is drawn in chalk and can be erased and replaced with supplies inside the box. The creature, much like the newspaper industry that it comes from, is endangered and possibly on its way to extinction.
2008
Skulls – selected images
Skulls – selected images
SKULLS
A series of large format prints of images from my year-long Skull-A-Day project. The large majority of the images that were made for the project were purely ephemeral, only existing as photographic evidence of the day’s work. Many were made from volatile materials or in locations where they could not be preserved. The symbol of the skull is continually recontextualized as it is made from a wide range of materials. Since it is a universally known icon an extremely wide audience can appreciate and interpret the work through their own societal lenses. Social commentary is inevitable as well and encouraged, though the point-of-view is not meant to be implicit. The project itself is a large scale meditation on death in the classical Memento Mori fashion, where the constant awareness of death leads to a better appreciation for life. The act of skull-making is ultimately a life affirming act of creation even as inevitable destruction draws nearer.
This Page Has Been Intentionally Left Blank
This Page Has Been Intentionally Left Blank
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
A grouping of framed pages from the backs of booklets provided by an insurance company, they all have the phrase “This page has been intentionally left blank” written on them. The irony of marking a page and stating it is blank, goes well with an industry that seems to penalize people for using their services. The grouping of attached thrift store frames is designed to evoke the wall of a grandparent’s house; with multiple family photos grouped together. Empty frames are a sign of loss, but what does it mean when people’s lives are empty by choice?
2007
Alone Again Or – ongoing series
Alone Again Or – ongoing series
ALONE AGAIN OR
An ongoing series of photographs documenting the experience of being alone (even when one is surrounded by people). The images are generally taken without the knowledge of the subjects, so the act of the photographer is that of a loner, someone viewing things from the sidelines, rather than a participant. The specific stories of the people involved are unknown and are only a speculation on the part of the viewer, a reflection of one’s internal feelings and memories of loneliness.
Sense of Place – ongoing series
Sense of Place – ongoing series
SENSE OF PLACE
An ongoing series of photographs about architectural spaces that are the result of the interaction of several disparate elements that have come together out of necessity for functional living experiences rather than a single coherent vision. The spaces are devoid of people, but speak loudly about the ones that are meant to be there.
2005
Safe
Safe
SAFE
A miniature room that implies a vastly larger space inside than can actually exist. A solitary figure waits at their window forever afraid to leave the safety of their home. In context, the title is a play on the guidelines given by the US government for creating safe home environments in the wake of September 11th. Rather than giving people comfort, they created a sense of unease and an unrealistic fear of invisible enemies hiding around every corner.
2004
Plant The Piece/Swords Into Plowshares – with Christopher Humes
Flesh
Flesh
FLESH
After a flood destroyed the contents of my basement I documented many of the items that had been transformed by the water that submerged them. These fleshy pictures are of an unused roll of pink fiberglass insulation. The water has completely undermined the function of the insulation, and the resulting forms, which take on biological quality, are less than enticing, especially since the material is dangerous when handled improperly.
2003
Fortunate
Fortunate
FORTUNATE
Large hand-painted reproductions of actual fortune cookie fortunes that I had collected over the course of several years. These were not every fortune received, but only the ones that seemed to resonate at the moment they were delivered with the bill. The little notes would be found periodically in my wallet and came to be seen as a set of reminders of a life I wanted to live and an appreciation for my life so far. Creation of the banners was a tedious process that forced me to focus on the meaning of the words as I carefully traced and painted each letter. The installation was a temple-like environment where people wandered through a maze of banners tilting their heads to read, their faces mostly blocked from one another.
2002
Detritus
Detritus
DETRITUS
Enlargements from a strip of film found on the street. The images from a stag movie, that were meant for mere titillation, have become model studies in light and shadow. The marks and scratches from being trampled underfoot, seem more like something created by an artist’s hand, a commentary on the treatment of women’s bodies by both men and time.
EXHIBITIONS
2012
Skull Appreciation Day (co-curator invitational) – Mütter Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Hollow Thoughts (invitational) – Gallery Nucleus, Los Angeles, CA
All is Vanity (solo show) – Clippi Headren, Richmond, VA
Catch 22 (invitational) – 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
2011
Objects (solo exhibition) – Krause Gallery, New York, NY
Cabinet of Curiosities (solo exhibition) – Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ
Skull Appreciation Day (co-curator of invitational exhibition ) – Gallery 5, Richmond, VA
Affordable Art Fair – represented by Krause Gallery, New York, NY
Endangered Species Print Project (group exhibition) – The Gallery of the Common Experience, San Marcos, TX
A Live Animal (group exhibition) – Root Division, San Francisco, CA
SCOPE Art Fair – represented by Krause Gallery, New York, NY
United Skull of America II (installation) – Main Art X Gallery, Richmond, VA
2010
Small Works (group show) – Krause Gallery, New York, NY
Small Wonder (invitational) – 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
Skull (invitational) – Parlor Gallery, Asbury Park, NJ
Let There Be Light (invitational) – PVCC, Charlottesville, VA
Limited Reading Required (invitational) – Main Art Gallery, Richmond, VA
Street Anatomy (group show) – International Museum of Surgical Sciences, Chicago, IL
Poe's Playground (invitational) – Piedmont Arts Association, Martinsville, VA
Luck of The Draw II (invitational) – Visual Arts Center, Richmond, VA
Wretched Glory (invitational) – Ghostprint Gallery, Richmond, VA
Skulls (solo exhibition) – The Frontier Project, Richmond, VA
Skulls (solo exhibition) – Cous Cous, Richmond, VA
Endangered Species Print Project (group exhibition) – Barbara&Barbara, Chicago, IL
2009
Small Wonder (invitational) – 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
Poster4Tomorrow (juried exhibition) – www.Poster4Tomorrow.org, 23 International Galleries
What Can You Do With The City (curated exhibition) – Graham Foundation, Chicago, IL
Think Small 5 (invitational) – Artspace, Richmond, VA
Luck of The Draw (invitational) – Visual Arts Center, Richmond, VA
Goulash (group exhibition) – Gallery 5, Richmond, VA
Skull-A-Day (solo display) – Mütter Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Skull-A-Day (invitational based on Skull-A-Day project) – Sandusky Cultural Center, Sandusky, OH
Skulls (solo exhibition) – Chaos Gallery/Museum of Death, Hollywood, CA
After Life (solo exhibition) – Quirk Gallery, Richmond, VA
Poe's Playground (invitational) – Linden Row Inn (1708 Gallery satellite), Richmond, VA
Whodunnit (invitational) – Ghostprint Gallery, Richmond, VA
Unboxed (invitational) – Ghostprint Gallery, Richmond, VA
2008
Not So Silent Night (invitational) – 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
Art In A Box (invitational) – Art6, Richmond, VA
SKULLS (solo exhibition) – Chop Suey Tuey, Richmond, VA
What You Can Do With the City (curated exhibition) – Canadian Center for Architecture, Quebec, Canada
Other (invitational) – PVCC, Charlottesville, VA
Take Action! (juried exhibition) – Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg, Sweden
2007
Skull-A-Day [through June 2008] www.skulladay.com
Artivism 2 (juried exhibition) – McGuffy Art Center, Charlottesville, VA
Think Small 4 (invitational) – Artspace/Art 6, Richmond, VA
2006
Small Works: Silent Night (invitational) – 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
2005
Think Small 3 (invitational) – Artspace/Art 6, Richmond, VA
Small Works (invitational) – 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
2004
Swords Into Plowshares [with Christopher Humes] (solo exhibition) – Upcast Gallery, Richmond, VA
Swords Into Plowshares [with Christopher Humes] (solo exhibition) – Chop Suey, Richmond, VA
Art for Our Time (invitational) – Plant Zero, Richmond, VA
Silent Night (invitational) – 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
2003
Think Small 2 (invitational) – Artspace, Richmond, VA
Fortunate (solo installation) – Artspace small gallery, Richmond, VA
2002
Writings On The Wall (invitational) – Sarah D. November Gallery, JCC, Richmond, VA
Scalin 3 (group show) – Starch Modern Home, Richmond, VA
Paradise (solo show) – Harrison St. Coffee Shop, Richmond, VA
Mirror, Mirror – Sarah D. November Gallery, JCC, Richmond, VA
2001
Small Works/Art-O-Mat (invitational) – 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
Think Small! (invitational) – Artspace, Richmond, VA
What I did on My Summer Vacation – Sarah D. November Gallery, JCC, Richmond, VA
HONORS + AWARDS
2012
Invited Speaker, Design Ethos Conference, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
Invited Speaker, The New York Public Library Hand-Made Crafternoon, NYC
Guest, Fast Track Coaching with Dane Sanders, webcast
Invited Workshop Presenter, GE-Crotonville Ossining, NY
Invited Speaker, Banana Republic, NYC
Judge, Richmond Illustrators Club Fifth Jurried Show, Richmond, VA
Invited Speaker, South By South West Interactive, Austin, TX
Invited Panelist, The Writers Show, James River Writers, Richmond, VA
Invited Speaker, Federal Reserve Bank, Richmond, VA
Invited Speaker, SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia, NY
Invited Speaker, Edinboro University, Edinboro, PA
Invited Speaker, Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA
Keynote Speaker: CREATE 365 Teaching Artist Conference New Jersey Arts Education Collective Hamilton, NJ
2011
Guest: Etsy Online LabBrooklyn, NY
Invited Artist Kid Robot NYC
Invited Speaker Capitol One McLean, VA
Invited Workshop Presenter Schoolhouse Craft Seattle, WA
Invited Lecturer Wake Up With The Arts Scranton, PA
Guest Accidental Creative podcast
Invited Lecturer GAP San Francisco, CA
Invited Workshop Presenter Gel Conference NYC
Invited Speaker: Piedmont Virginia Community College, Charlottesville, VA
Invited Workshop Presenter Etsy Seller Symposium NYC
Invited Workshop Presenter GE Crotonville Ossining, NY
Invited Speaker: Virginia Festival of The Book, Charlottesville, VA
Invited Lecturer C3 Breakfast Club Richmond, VA
Judge National Art Scholarship Awards Richmond, VA
Guest: Creative Mojo with Mark Lipinski Online Radio Show
2010
Invited Workshop Presenter: 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
Invited Workshop Presenter: Interagency Visual Media Group Conference, Washington, DC
Guest: No Brains About ItMütter Museum web show
Invited Panelist: University of Richmond – Citizen Artist, Richmond, VA
Honored as 1 of 100 people on The Big Jewcy list 2010
Invited Workshop Presenter: Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, Richmond, VA
Invited Workshop Presenter: Gel Conference, NYC
Invited Speaker: Play/Prophet, Richmond, VA
Invited Speaker: Borough of Manhattan Community College, NYC
Invited Speaker: Germanna Community College, Fredericksburg, VA
Invited Speaker: Virginia Festival of The Book, Charlottesville, VA
Invited Speaker: Piedmont Virginia Community College, Charlottesville, VA
Winner: Designers Skulls, Skull of The Year 2009, Germany
2009
Guest: Studio 360 WNYC radio program
Guest: No Bones About It!Mütter Museum web show
Invited Lecturer: Intuit Experience Design Forum, San Francisco, CA
Invited Lecturer: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Invited Lecturer: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Teen Symposium, Richmond, VA
Keynote Speaker: Mütter Museum Day of The Dead event, Philadelphia, PA
Invited Lecturer: LGDA 100 Show, Louisville, KY
Invited Lecturer: Stuff Richmond Creative Reuse, Richmond, VA
Invited Lecturer: 1708 Gallery Talk 20, Richmond, VA
Guest: Virginia This Morning WTVR CBS 6, Richmond, VA
Skull-A-Day.com named Blogger "Blog of Note" May 1
Invited Lecturer: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts "Teen Symposium", Richmond, VA
Invited Lecturer: New York Public Library, New York, NY
Invited Speaker: GEL Conference, NYC
Skulls included in New York Public Library's Stuff For The Teen Age 2009 list
Invited Guest Editor: UTNE Reader Blog
Invited panelist: James River Writers "Writing Show", Richmond, VA
Juror: Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Richmond, VA
Invited Speaker: Free Range Studios, Washington, DC
Skulls awarded "Top Ten 2009 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers" by Young Adult Library Services Association
Featured on “Show Me Your Richmond” Current.com
Featured on “Mash-Up” InRich.com June 6 & October 28
2008
Invited Speaker: Play, Richmond, VA
Guest: Martha Stewart Show
Guest: Barnes & Noble's web show Tagged!
12th Annual Webby Awards winner People's Voice Award Personal Web Site category
Invited Speaker: St. John's University, Queens, NY
PUBLISHED WORK/ARTICLES
2012
The New York Times "Arts Beat: Behind The Poster" March 12/p>
The Moment by Larry Smith - Harper Perennial
Etsy "How Tuesday - Get (and Keep) Your Creativty Flowing" January 3
2011
Skull Style - Farameh Media
Book of Skulls - Laurence King Publishing, USA/Germany
FRESH Cutting Edge Illustrations - Magma Brand Design, Germany
Flow Magazing "Elke Dag Een Beetje" No. 5, Netherlands
How Magazine "The Accidental Promoter" Sept/Oct
Communication Arts "Resources" March/April
The Richmond Times Dispatch "Noah Scalin showing at Main Art X Gallery" March 24
Passport Magazine "Destinations: Richmond, Virginia" March
The New York Times: The Learning Network "100 Ways to Celebrate the 100th Day of School" January 28
Richmond.com"Just Do Something" January 26
Etsy"Make Something Every Day" January 7
2010
Style Weekly"One A Day" December 8
Richmond Magazine"Datebook" December
Columbia Chronicle"Art With A Porpoise" September 20
ChicagoNow.com"Art Talk Chicago – Monday Morning Quarterback Recap" September 6
The Telegraph, UK"The Week In Pictures" September 3
Wired.com"Underwire: Giant Skull is Made of This Slices of Brain" September 1
The New York Times"Visual Learning: The 'Passion Play' Poster" February 26
2009
Type Fontbat - BNN, Japan
Philadelphia City Paper"Playing Dead" October 29-November 5
Funcoast.com Magazine"365 Days of Skulls" October 28
Sandusky Register"Head Bones" October 23
Design Play - Victionary, Hong Kong
Richmond Times-Dispatch "Daily meditation on death becomes a celebration of creative life" July 5
LA Weekly: Style Council "Is That A Skull In Your Bread...?" May 26
Blogs: Mad About Design - Page One, Spain
Recharge Your Design Batteries - Rotovision
How “Daily Deadlines”, June
Richmond magazine “Poe’s Playground” June
Skirt Richmond “He’s So Original” January
2008
The New York Times "Why Blog? Reason No. 92: Book Deal" March 30
RVA “The Man In Skulls” Vol 4 Issue 8
Brick Weekly "Skulls For Social Change" Jan 24-30
Weird Tales “The Bazaar” Sept/Oct
Girls & Corpses “Doilies of Death” Winter
Penthouse “Skullduggery” November
Richmond Times-Dispatch “A Skull A Day Keeps The Web Community Intrigued” May 2
Style Weekly “Looking A Head” May 28
Style Weekly “Head Case” October 22
C-ville “And Now For Something Completely Different” May 27-June 2
Make “Kingdon of the Skull” November
TheNewYorker.com “Book Bench” July 30
2007
USAToday.com "Pop Candy: Skulls For All Seasons” August 22
Poetry Magazine (cover artist) December
Step Inside Design “Head Trip” December
FHM [Germany] November
Brick Weekly (cover artist) Oct 25-31, Richmond, VA
Make "Cabinet of Horrors" October
R Home “A New Way To Put A Flower In A Gun” December
Arena [Turkey] October
Brick Weekly “Bric-A-brac” July 12-18