Arthur Ganson

Artist-in-Residence

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Self-described as a cross between a mechanical engineer and a choreographer, Ganson creates contraptions composed of a range of materials from delicate wire to welded steel and concrete. Most are viewer-activated or driven by electric motors. All are driven by a wry sense of humor or a probing philosophical concept. "When making a sculpture," Ganson says, "It's always a challenge to say enough but not say too much, to coax with some kind of recognizable bait, then leave the viewer to draw his or her own conclusions and thereby find personal meaning."

A longtime resident of the Boston area, Ganson has explored kinetic sculpture for twenty years. His colorful career includes sculpture racing with the World Sculpture Racing Society in the 80s. He is also the creator of the popular foam construction toy, Toobers and Zots. Ganson has held residencies in science museums, collaborated with the Studebaker Movement Theatre, and been featured in one-man shows at MIT Museum, Harvard's Carpenter Center, the DeCordova Museum, and the Ricco/Maresca Gallery in New York. Ganson's artist-in-residency at MIT is sponsored by the MIT Office of the Arts in collaboration with curricular departments and MIT Museum.

Further Information: Lemelson-MIT Inventor of the Week, July 1998. You can almost hear the gears inside his head from Smithsonian Magazine, January 1996. SUBTLE MECHANISMS from The Atlantic, August 1998. Arthur Ganson and His Elegant Mischief Machines from Sculpture Magazine, October 1998. Dynamic Geometry and the Sculptures of Arthur Ganson from the Education Development Center, Inc.