Alan Michelson (b. 1953, Buffalo, NY), a Mohawk member of the Six Nations of the Grand River, is known for his socially engaged, site-specific public art projects and installations. His work integrates Indigenous perspectives with contemporary mediums, including sculpture, painting, and video. By excavating repressed histories, Michelson seeks to provoke dialogue around issues of colonialism, environmentalism, and cultural reclamation.
Michelson has presented solo exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City (2020); Woodland Cultural Centre, Branford, Ontario (2018); National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, New York City (2005); Art in General, New York City (1999); and Grey Art Gallery, NYU, New York City (1993). Notable group exhibitions and biennials include Citizenship: A Practice of Society, MCA Denver, CO (2020); Nature’s Nation: American Art and Environment, Princeton University Art Museum, NJ (2018, travelled to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR; and Peabody-Essex Museum, Salem, MA); Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 3, Museum of Art and Design, New York City (2012); Lives of the Hudson, Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College, NY (2009); Crossing the Line, Queens Museum of Art, New York City (2001); and SITEseeing: Travel and Tourism in Contemporary Art, Whitney Musuem of American Art, New York City (1991) as well as the 58th Venice Biennale, Italy (2019); the 5th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art (2013); and the 18th Biennale of Sydney (2012). He has created public art projects in Capitol Square, Richmond, VA; US Port of Entry, Messena, NY; and various locations in New York City. His work is held in the collections of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City. He lives and works in New York City.