Are you looking for some new contemporary artists to teach your students about? On the Facebook Art Teachers group, members suggested LOTS of contemporary artists that they teach their students. These are now all compiled into ONE HUGE LIST on Google Docs! I added websites and short descriptions to most of the artists so it is easier to use. Thanks to all the teachers who collaborated to share their ideas and add artists. This huge list has about 130 artists on it and the list is growing. Do you have any favorite contemporary artists that should be on the list?
*** Important: Do not use the list “as is” with students. I have not thoroughly investigated every image on the websites and cannot guarantee they are all age appropriate. Some of them may be not be suitable for children. If you are a student, please get parental permission and guidance while using the internet. ***
All of the artists can be introduced to children, but the content definitely needs to be previewed and selected by the teacher.
That being said, there are so many wonderful, amazing artists on this list. Here are some of my favorites.
1. Chor Boogie: spray paint artist in California
2. Betsy Bowen: woodblock prints
3. Riley Bramblitt: this artist is BLIND! remarkable!
4. Justin BUA: commercial artist influenced by urban street life
5. Jon Burgerman: fun doodled illustrations
6. Romero Britto: modern Pop art
7. Bruce Gray: mobiles and colorful sculptures
8. James Gurney: author and illustrator of Dinotopia
9. Timothy Horn: California landscape painting
10. Karin Jurick: I love her paintings of museum patrons looking at masterpieces.
11. Wolf Kahn: realism and color field painting
12. Michel Keck: vintage industrial assemblages, colorful abstracts, colorful animal paintings.. wide range!
13. Yayoi Kusama: polka dots!!
14. Teesha Moore: visual art journalist
15. Olek: yarn bomber
16. Jesse Reno: I’ve loved this artist’s raw paintings for a long time now!
17. Aurora Robson: installations and really cool junk mail collages
18. Sandy Skoglund: she makes awesome surreal installations and photographs them
19. Crystal Wagner: really cool, colorful installations, sculptures, “tangled” drawings & prints
20. Jason deCaires Taylor: underwater sculptures!
21. Justin Vining: gorgeous paintings of rural landscapes (some are realistic and others are topsy-turvy whimsical landscapes)
There are so many amazing contemporary artists working right now! My goal for this year is to teach my students about more contemporary artists. I don’t think I do that enough now.
Take a look at the HUGE LIST OF ARTISTS and then let me know if you have any more you’d like to see on the list.
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This is awesome Marcia. Thanks so much for putting in all this work, I will definitely be using this resource
You’re welcome! Thanks for writing. I’m glad the list will help you 🙂
Thanks for a great list! I like to introduce my middle school students to contemporary artists along with the great ones from the past so that they can see how art can be relevant in today’s world. Check out Bing Davis, an African American artist and arts educator living in my home town of Dayton, Ohio. His personal story is inspiring and his work, especially the Ancestral Spirit Dance series, is stunning.
Thanks Charmaine. I added Bing Davis to the list! 🙂 Have a good year!
I love your blog! This is my first year teaching k-8 art and your blog is SO helpful!! Go Art Teachers 🙂
Thanks Brittany, I’m glad my blog is useful for you! Have a good first year!
I recommend Kahinde Wiley and Cindy Sherman
Thanks, they are on the list now!
THANK YOU for this amazing, amazing list! Can’t wait to research some new contemporary artists to add to the arts integration arsenal! Also, I recommend Brazilian contemporary artist Helio Oiticica. Brilliant artist who died very young. Love his geometric works to use in conjunction with artful arrays and multiplication 🙂
Thanks for your suggestion! I added it now. I’m glad you enjoy the list. 🙂
Thanks for including me on this list! I used to be an elementary art teacher myself and could have benefitted from a resource like this. If I can ever be of help to your classroom or anyone else’s please just let me know.
Happy Creating!
justin
Best. List. Ever.
Thanks so much for putting this together.
Great list. Will reference often. Ted Harrison? He just passed away, sadly.
Sorry it took so long, I must have missed your comment. I just added him. Thanks!
I was just looking for works of contemporary artists for my Modern mARTch lessons. This post is a blessing. Thank you 🙂
Will you put Ed Mell on your list? He is a southwest art painter. He has a modern take on the southwest. http://www.medicinemangallery.com/bio/edmell.lasso
Thanks! I just added him. 🙂
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I didn’t see Mariam Pare on your list. She’s an amazing mouth painter in the Chicago area. http://www.mariampare.com/#!gallery/c1pm
Alright, I’m adding a few artists that my students LOVE. I do something called ‘Artist Friday’. At the beginning of class we look at slides/videos of an artist they haven’t heard of and discuss their work. No grading. Just to help build our repertoire of artists and art styles 😉 Carne Griffiths (paints with tea and ink), Chris Uminga (great graphic artworks of pop culture icons), Josh Keyes (interesting comments on the environment- realistic work), Audrey Kawasaki (AMAZING paintings on wood- truly stunning… not great for younger classes), Nanami Cowdroy (Ink drawings), Ron Mueck (hyper-realistic sculptures), Samantha French (paintings of the light reflecting in the water while swimming) AND The Little People Project – Slinkachu. You don’t have Mark Ryden or Camille Rose Garcia either!
Hope that helps! (PS. Art history major with a focus on contemporary ;))
Thanks for all your suggestions! I’ve been swamped and haven’t been able to update until now. I’ve added them and will add links to websites later. Thanks!
This is amazing! Thank you so much !
Just thought of someone I didn’t see on the list…Mel Chin
Keith Haring? I. M. Pei?
Carrie Mae Weems? Has she already been added?
Thanks for the additional suggestions! I added two of them. I am only including living artists at this point. Thanks!
Thank you so much for such a wonderful resource! It has been one of my goals to add more contemporary artists to my repertoire. I would suggest Sandra Silberzweig.
Thank you for this list! I would add Bekah Ash.
Florian Maier-Aichen…German, digitally alters photographs, featured in “fantasy” on Art 21
Shirin Neshat…also a photographer who focuses on woman especially the contrast between Islam and the West.
I would suggest Jérémie Iordanoff, an abstract painter.
http://iordanoff.com
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Sandra Silberzweig
https://www.instagram.com/silberzweig.art/
Michael Velliqutte – paper sculpture. Amazing pieces of work. Used to inspire 3D cultural masks. http://www.velliquette.com/
Julie- art teacher Australia!
Great list! I’d add Nate Williams (very witty illustrations), Michael Albert (“Cerealism”), and Reggie Laurent (incredibly detailed shape and pattern).
this is amazing thanks for sharing article