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Michael Leavitt (artist)
Encyclopedia
Mike Leavitt is a visual artist based in Seattle, WA U.S.A., described as "the best caricature sculptor in the city" (Charles Krafft, Garage Magazine). The "über-allround-cool-creator" is most widely known for his "Art Army" series of hand-made action figures depicting visual artists, musicians, and entertainers. Under the production name Intuition Kitchen Productions http://intuitionkitchenproductions.com, Leavitt is a "jack-of-all-trades" responsible for a wide variety of conceptual art projects and performance artworks. From a disinterest in convention, Leavitt proclaims, "I’d be afraid not to try other mediums."
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Leavitt was influenced by the wood-craft and engineering of Native American, Scandinavian, and industrial manufacturing in the region. His parents practiced education, graphic design, and environmentalism by trade, formulating Leavitt's early interests in both art and sociology. As a child he taught himself to build miniature hydroplanes in balsa wood. "My mom had some drawing skills, she started as a graphic designer at Boeing," Leavitt says, "I would have her draw my action figures, and I would watch her draw." Though Leavitt is not considered a "self-taught" artist, his art training was unconventional. He attended one year at The Pratt Institute
in New York in 1996-97, took sculpture courses at the University of Washington
in 1998-99, and completed a self-designed Bachelor of Arts at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA in 2001. "Leavitt began crafting a motley variety of apartment friendly, popcult-themed art after dropping out of Pratt to avoid working for whoever passes for 'The Man' in the art world." (Thrillist.com) From 1998 to 2004, Leavitt executed a diverse series of conceptual art pieces. "Grandpa's Forest" (1998), "Infinite System" (1998) and "Epiphany" (1998) were large, room-sized installations involving physical audience participation. "Push Button Performer" (2001–2004), "Velcro Clothes" (1999), and "Interactive Puppetry" (2000–2001) were cabaret-style, amateur performances using audience confrontation in public settings. The "Piano Massager" (2001) and "Improv Station" (2001) were designed as interactive objects, with both manual and motorized moving parts. Between 1998 and 2004, Leavitt's studio gradually became a gallery known as The Intuition Kitchen ArtShop in Seattle. If not outdoors or in public, it was at this location that Leavitt arranged the production and promotion of his interactive, conceptual, and performance art. The 'ArtShop' slowly evolved from an exhibition space to a self-produced retail gallery for Leavitt to sell his "product". Originally an installation-type setting related to Claes Oldenburg
's "The Store" (1961), the space became more akin to concept of Keith Haring
's "PopShop" (1988–2005). Leavitt's 'ArtShop' hosted his first hand-made action figures, sold the majority of his trading cards, and occasionally dealt other examples of his paintings, prints, and small sculpture. This informal venture continued intermittently until the 'ArtShop' closed, and Leavitt began to show his work in retail galleries in 2004. Since then, Leavitt has continued non-commercial side projects, including plans for large scale public works, and political and community activism.
Three small, wheeled housing units were built for Seattle-area tent cities. The first two units, made from salvaged pallet wood, served these tent cities for 3 years, beginning at the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle. "As the homeless faced the threat of street sweeps during WTO, Leavitt's creations were used as a 'honeymoon sweet' (sic) for one couple, and as a headquarters for the Seattle Housing and Resource Effort (SHARE). Log cabins for the homeless? It is an odd invention indeed. But it may also be a solutions of sorts for homelessness in Seattle."(Real Change)
The third unit was built in 2001, using vinyl siding scraps salvaged from construction debris. This shelter dismantled completely, with the roof, walls, and floor separating into large, flat, transportable sections. Though designed for domestic dwelling, the units were most often been used for secure storage and nighttime security posts in the Tent Cities.
"ArtCards", 2001-2003
Leavitt hand-painted small portraits of famous and lesser-known artists, re-printed in the likes of traditional baseball trading cards.http://intuitionkitchenproductions.com/gallery/artcards "I had so many ideas- too many ideas- the opposite of writer's block" says Leavitt, "I started doing trading cards of work I had already done, ideas for things I hadn't built, and famous people... my influences, who inspired me." "ArtCard" subjects were drawn from varied genre, similar to his successive "Art Army" action figures, with icons such as Vincent Van Gogh
, David Byrne
, Bob Ross
, Frida Kahlo
, Jackson Pollock
, Laurie Anderson
, Björk
, and Michael Jackson
. As described by Leavitt, the trading cards were the direct pre-cursor to the 'action figures': "the trading cards... were like singular figures in action. Why not 3-D? Why not an action figure, a toy?" In 4 complete sets of 45 cards each, Leavitt also developed sub-sets such as the "Future Stars" and "Concept Only" cards, representing unknown artists personally familiar to Leavitt and his un-executed ideas for large-scale works, respectively. Printed in limited editions and packaged in wrappers with bubble gum, "Art Cards" were sold personally by Leavitt and exhibited as art objects. Leavitt said, "It's a way I created to compare people and what they do across all kinds of different areas." "Many mass-produced trading cards are based on original pieces that are shrunken down to fit the space. 'I take great pride that that is the size I drew them,' Leavitt says. 'It's one of the challenges I like- it's like a game, to create art that small and make it work.'" (The Artist's Magazine)
"Media Heroes", 2008
Seattle-based independent media advocacy group Reclaim the Media collaborated with Leavitt to produce a set of "Media Heroes" trading cards. Included are Leavitt's drawings of individuals and organizations such as Bill Moyers
, Democracy Now!
, Children's Television Workshop, and Frederick Douglass
. Though essentially an illustration side-project for Leavitt, the cards have become a useful fund-raising and educational tool for the mission purposes of Reclaim the Media.
"Star Wars Galaxy 4 Sketch Cards", 2009-10
In a growing trend pioneered by the Topps
Trading Cards company, artists' are being hired to produce quick drawings on 'sketch cards'. These are then sealed in retail packages of the trading cards, often coveted and dealt intensely by collectors after finding the rare original artwork cards as random inserts. Leavitt was one of several "familiar names" invited by fellow artist Sucklord, of 'Work of Art
' fame, to contribute original drawings for Topps' 2009-10 Star Wars Galaxy sketch card sub-sets.
Though accurately described as action figures, the "Art Army" series is more commonly considered fine art. "These are art toys with a capital 'A'." (Jason Atomic, PIMP Magazine) Leavitt is "interested mainly in the figure as sculpture, and less as a pure platform." (Dot Dot Dash, Die Gestalten Verlag) Since they are not made in plastic or reproduced in multiples, and are only available commercially through fine art galleries, the "toy" definition only describes the figures' engineering. Leavitt says, " 'action figures' are OURS, (they are) particular to the early '80's boom in mainstream toy business that predated the anti-social video game boom' and I like the connotations of the words 'action' and 'figure'- movement and motion, and figurative realism." The articulating, polymer clay, small-scale (3 to 12 inches, 7 to 24 cm tall) figures are assembled with elastic cord, have removable parts and internal armatures, and display in hand-made blister packages, glass domes, and custom diorama-style backgrounds. Leavitt also carves the articulating action figures in wood, both at the small action figure scale and in a large scale (up to 3 feet, 100 cm tall).
"More of a good-natured joke than a stern commentary on the commodification of art" (David Stoesz, Seattle Weekly), the biographic series depict artists in an array of genres. Leavitt "perceives the potential for his figures to act as bridges between pop culture and art history." (Dot Dot Dash, Die Gestalten Verlag) From over 230 figures since 2002, subjects include Vincent Van Gogh
, Andy Warhol
, Frida Kahlo
, Jackson Pollock
, Laurie Anderson
, Björk
, Tupac Shakur
, Michael Jackson
, Stevie Wonder
, Billie Holiday
, Johnny Cash
, and Ralph Nader
. "The tributes to Leavitt's heroes will do nothing more than put a big dopy grin on your face." (Seattle Magazine) The series also depicts artists in the "low brow" and urban contemporary art movements, including Big Daddy Roth, Robert Williams
, Mark Ryden
, Shag
, Gary Baseman
, Tim Biskup
, Lori Earley
, Sas Christian, Audrey Kawasaki
, Friends With You
, Fafi
, Barry McGee
, Ron English, Shepard Fairey
, and Banksy
.
"When it comes to art icons, Michael Leavitt has a deep set of beliefs about who deserves a reserved parking space in the annals of history." (Juxtapoz Magazine) Many of the action figures take on non-human form, as the likeness of the artist is shaped with trademark visual elements in their work. Leavitt has said, "I wanted to pay respect to people's work I love, and give them a little taste of their own medicine." The "enemy" of the "Art Army", "The Man", includes action figure versions of Martha Stewart
, Britney Spears
, Darth Bush, and the John Tesh
, Michael Bolton
, Kenny G
"3-Headed Monster". "The project is clearly aligned against the forces of imperialism and cultural suckiness, but Leavitt makes his points with a light touch, being too high-spirited and incorrigibly silly to get bogged down in another dreary leftist critique." (David Stoesz, Seattle Weekly) "Leavitt succeeds in art’s most important function — to not only help us recognize and articulate our values, but participate in a dialog that validates them as well. At its best, art connects our best selves with each other, and he has done that... I’m grateful to artists who address the subject of 'What is it about fighting and glorifying fighting and power, anyway?' in a way that gets our minds thinking and lips moving." (Polymer Clay Daily)
An "Art Army" story is developed in a short set of movies with the articulating figures filmed in stop-motion-animated sequences. Leavitt custom-tailors his action figures as private commissions for vanity pieces and action figure enthusiasts. The figures are also formulated as memorials included in Seattle artist Greg Lundgren's "deathcare boutique".
Small landscapes are painted onto copper 1-cent pennies "in the style of landscapes hanging in a 1970s suburban rec room" (Regina Hackett, Seattle P-I). In the painted scene, Leavitt attempts to re-create the exact location where the penny was found in public. An impressionist-like technique results from the brushwork, as no magnification is used to execute the miniature paintings.
"Sometimes what makes a painting so interesting is not the finished piece, but the painstaking steps the artist went through to bring it to life. Such is the case with Mike Leavitt's G-Train penny." (TimeOut New York)
"Mike Leavitt is a singularly talented Seattle artist. He makes all kinds of art, from action figures to reproductions of iconic shoes. Mike has lovingly recreated them down to the exact detail. But there is one significant difference. Although you would never know it to look at the photo, these shoes are made with cardboard. Mike Leavitt is the inventor of the cardboard shoe... a bit of a trickster, and certainly curious."(CBC Radio)
"If only there were a way to retain a pristine version of the shoe, and save the planet from excess shoe box waste. Enter Mike Leavitt and his recycled-cardboard kicks."(Paste Magazine) In Leavitt's ongoing series of cardboard shoes and 'Hip Hopjects', to-scale editions of cultural ephemera are made with recycled materials. "Though best known for his cardboard sneakers, the rest of artist Mike Leavitt’s work is just as jaw-dropping" (blog.UrbanOutfitters.com). Items such as a "ghetto blaster", baseball hat, and soccer ball have been rendered in actual scale and size with reconstituted cardboard and brown paper bag. "Give him some recycled cardboard, paper bag, along with some glue and acrylic paint, and artist Mike Leavitt could create just about anything" (JoshSpear.com)
The series of vintage shoes includes Puma
, Adidas
, lady's pumps, and Nike
high tops; "an abundance of painstakingly detailed classic kick replicas". (Hi Fructose) "Leavitt works his creative magic on a number of classic silhouettes, including the Air Jordan
1, Air Jordan 4, Vans
Slip-On, and Converse Chuck Taylor. Michael does an incredible job of recreating the colors and logos of these classics."(NiceKicks.com) "These shoes are genius." (Hellocraft.com) The shoes are "to not carry of course, but to admire as an art object." (nu.nl/lifestyle) "By creating cardboard sculptures of some of the most popular models in footwear he is essentially riding the commercial train and exercising his meticulous craft of making these wearable cardboard replicas... the demographic that would buy these may not usually buy a piece of art but they would buy this and call it Art." (Cyanatrendland.com)
Leavitt says, "I might dabble in satire of other essentials in a bad economy: eye glasses, winter coats, food items… but shoes are so intimately linked to our visual culture. They’re a necessity that we still get to have fun buying and wearing. I’ve always believed that fine art, high quality craft, and meaningful objects can be affordable. Galleries, museums and artists can find plenty of room for a different, affordable, more commercially sustainable kind of art-for-art’s-sake… that fits in both the museum and living room." (Seattlemet.com) Leavitt continues, "it's ironic to use a cheap disposable material like cardboard. Cheap, disposable material makes an expensive product, oddly resembling the manufacturing of boutique footwear. The simple image of the cardboard shoe speaks humorously and clearly on consumerism." (Suite101.com)
From late 2006 to the U.S. Election Day in 2008, Leavitt completed works in homage to Barack Obama. Among them were several portraits of Obama using rocks, marshmallow peeps, hand-made pillows, and spray-paint stencils. A large surrealist painting was Leavitt's take on Obama's "grassroots" campaign: leading a large crowd, supposedly grown from blades of grass, is Obama loosely blended into the mass of people. His culminating work for Obama was an action figure in the style of "Art Army", depicting Obama in a Keanu Reeves
/"Matrix
" style robe, with a large wood cross and tentacles made of American stars and stripes. The satire was designed to counter-act negative stereotypes of Obama, a function of timing in the late days of the Presidential campaign.
depicted as art objects, functional tea pots, and the British nostalgia collectibles known as Toby mugs. "They’re teapots, which is clever if not representative of each character pouring malevolence into the culture that surrounds them."(Jailbreak Collective)
On using the Kim Jong Il tea pot, one humorist conjectures, "when drinking tea from this miserable looking device, you have to avert your eyes and be eternally grateful for such a delicious brew. If you don’t, you might ‘go missing’." (Mof Gimmers)
"Leavitt hasn't always worked to solved social problems, though his artwork has always had a social angle. His interest in the individual's relationship with his or her environmental space... has long been the basis for his art."(Real Change) "It is difficult to define what exactly Leavitt does. His extreme boredom for 'normal' art has resulted in a number of nonpareil projects displayed around the world."(Suite101.com)
"The bravest move in art's to rebel against classical training to follow a low-culture muse- as with Marcel Duchamp's urinal... Turning a bold 'screw it' into sweet art for you, Mike Leavitt" (Thrillist.com)
"Artist Michael Leavitt continues his assault on the wider art world in the nerdiest way possible... there is no secret to the artist's fervor." (The Huffington Post)
"The cake toppers are playful with a message."(The Desert Sun)
"Mike Leavitt has a raw talent for capturing prominent artists, musicians and entertainers in their elements and characterizing them into brilliant sculptures." (KidRobot)
"The hardest working man in the art world, Leavitt alters the everyday objects among us with his blazing technical skill and wit."(CapativeWildWoman.com) "From my interactions with Mike, I know the artist to have 'the opposite of writer’s block' and to be constantly producing work and improving his craft." (Jeremy Brautman) Leavitt says, "I’m kind of conceptual art, but I’m not that heady."(Port Townsend Leader) "Leavitt is a unique breed of artist. His work and execution (in both concept and finished product) are too impressive and relevant not to be considered on par with some of the most popular contemporary visual artists working today."(Jailbreak Collective)
"His versatility as almost a modern day renaissance man" causes Leavitt's subject matter to range between politics, anthropology, and modern commerce. Leavitt describes artistic marketing as if he's "been turning green from a poor man's obsession with making more money... turning into a rat scrounging underground, fighting off other scavengers for any little scraps of business." Leavitt resolves, "Art tends to cut across normal political lines. The subject matter may lean a little left, but the business runs hard down the right. People successful with art have a firm handle on socio-economics, and artists have always enormously influenced culture, from the Renaissance to Hip Hop."
Actress Geena Davis
Nike CEO/President Mark Parker
Hollywood movie producer Charles B Wessler
New York artist KAWS
New York artist Ron English
Los Angeles collector Long Gone John
San Francisco-based artist Sam Flores
Background
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
in New York in 1996-97, took sculpture courses at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in 1998-99, and completed a self-designed Bachelor of Arts at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA in 2001. "Leavitt began crafting a motley variety of apartment friendly, popcult-themed art after dropping out of Pratt to avoid working for whoever passes for 'The Man' in the art world." (Thrillist.com) From 1998 to 2004, Leavitt executed a diverse series of conceptual art pieces. "Grandpa's Forest" (1998), "Infinite System" (1998) and "Epiphany" (1998) were large, room-sized installations involving physical audience participation. "Push Button Performer" (2001–2004), "Velcro Clothes" (1999), and "Interactive Puppetry" (2000–2001) were cabaret-style, amateur performances using audience confrontation in public settings. The "Piano Massager" (2001) and "Improv Station" (2001) were designed as interactive objects, with both manual and motorized moving parts. Between 1998 and 2004, Leavitt's studio gradually became a gallery known as The Intuition Kitchen ArtShop in Seattle. If not outdoors or in public, it was at this location that Leavitt arranged the production and promotion of his interactive, conceptual, and performance art. The 'ArtShop' slowly evolved from an exhibition space to a self-produced retail gallery for Leavitt to sell his "product". Originally an installation-type setting related to Claes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg is a Swedish sculptor, best known for his public art installations typically featuring very large replicas of everyday objects...
's "The Store" (1961), the space became more akin to concept of Keith Haring
Keith Haring
Keith Haring was an artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s.-Early life:...
's "PopShop" (1988–2005). Leavitt's 'ArtShop' hosted his first hand-made action figures, sold the majority of his trading cards, and occasionally dealt other examples of his paintings, prints, and small sculpture. This informal venture continued intermittently until the 'ArtShop' closed, and Leavitt began to show his work in retail galleries in 2004. Since then, Leavitt has continued non-commercial side projects, including plans for large scale public works, and political and community activism.
1999-2008 "Portable Homeless Shelters"
The third unit was built in 2001, using vinyl siding scraps salvaged from construction debris. This shelter dismantled completely, with the roof, walls, and floor separating into large, flat, transportable sections. Though designed for domestic dwelling, the units were most often been used for secure storage and nighttime security posts in the Tent Cities.
2001-2010 Trading Cards
Leavitt hand-painted small portraits of famous and lesser-known artists, re-printed in the likes of traditional baseball trading cards.http://intuitionkitchenproductions.com/gallery/artcards "I had so many ideas- too many ideas- the opposite of writer's block" says Leavitt, "I started doing trading cards of work I had already done, ideas for things I hadn't built, and famous people... my influences, who inspired me." "ArtCard" subjects were drawn from varied genre, similar to his successive "Art Army" action figures, with icons such as Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
, David Byrne
David Byrne (musician)
David Byrne is a musician and artist, best known as a founding member and principal songwriter of the American new wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography,...
, Bob Ross
Bob Ross
Robert Norman "Bob" Ross was an American painter, art instructor, and television host. He is best known as the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, a television program that ran for 12 years on PBS stations in the United States.-Personal life:Ross was born in Daytona Beach, Florida, and...
, Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo de Rivera was a Mexican painter, born in Coyoacán, and perhaps best known for her self-portraits....
, Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock
Paul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
, Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson
Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...
, Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, and Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. As described by Leavitt, the trading cards were the direct pre-cursor to the 'action figures': "the trading cards... were like singular figures in action. Why not 3-D? Why not an action figure, a toy?" In 4 complete sets of 45 cards each, Leavitt also developed sub-sets such as the "Future Stars" and "Concept Only" cards, representing unknown artists personally familiar to Leavitt and his un-executed ideas for large-scale works, respectively. Printed in limited editions and packaged in wrappers with bubble gum, "Art Cards" were sold personally by Leavitt and exhibited as art objects. Leavitt said, "It's a way I created to compare people and what they do across all kinds of different areas." "Many mass-produced trading cards are based on original pieces that are shrunken down to fit the space. 'I take great pride that that is the size I drew them,' Leavitt says. 'It's one of the challenges I like- it's like a game, to create art that small and make it work.'" (The Artist's Magazine)
"Media Heroes", 2008
Seattle-based independent media advocacy group Reclaim the Media collaborated with Leavitt to produce a set of "Media Heroes" trading cards. Included are Leavitt's drawings of individuals and organizations such as Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers is an American journalist and public commentator. He served as White House Press Secretary in the United States President Lyndon B. Johnson Administration from 1965 to 1967. He worked as a news commentator on television for ten years. Moyers has had an extensive involvement with public...
, Democracy Now!
Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
, Children's Television Workshop, and Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
. Though essentially an illustration side-project for Leavitt, the cards have become a useful fund-raising and educational tool for the mission purposes of Reclaim the Media.
"Star Wars Galaxy 4 Sketch Cards", 2009-10
In a growing trend pioneered by the Topps
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...
Trading Cards company, artists' are being hired to produce quick drawings on 'sketch cards'. These are then sealed in retail packages of the trading cards, often coveted and dealt intensely by collectors after finding the rare original artwork cards as random inserts. Leavitt was one of several "familiar names" invited by fellow artist Sucklord, of 'Work of Art
Work of art
A work of art, artwork, art piece, or art object is an aesthetic item or artistic creation.The term "a work of art" can apply to:*an example of fine art, such as a painting or sculpture*a fine work of architecture or landscape design...
' fame, to contribute original drawings for Topps' 2009-10 Star Wars Galaxy sketch card sub-sets.
2002- Action Figures & "The Art Army"
"More of a good-natured joke than a stern commentary on the commodification of art" (David Stoesz, Seattle Weekly), the biographic series depict artists in an array of genres. Leavitt "perceives the potential for his figures to act as bridges between pop culture and art history." (Dot Dot Dash, Die Gestalten Verlag) From over 230 figures since 2002, subjects include Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
, Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
, Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo de Rivera was a Mexican painter, born in Coyoacán, and perhaps best known for her self-portraits....
, Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock
Paul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
, Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson
Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...
, Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, and Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
. "The tributes to Leavitt's heroes will do nothing more than put a big dopy grin on your face." (Seattle Magazine) The series also depicts artists in the "low brow" and urban contemporary art movements, including Big Daddy Roth, Robert Williams
Robert Williams (artist)
Robert Williams is an American painter, cartoonist, and founder of Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine.Williams was part of the Zap Collective, along with other underground cartoonists such as Robert Crumb and Gilbert Shelton...
, Mark Ryden
Mark Ryden
-Early life:Ryden is the son of Barbara and Keith Ryden, born in Medford, Oregon but raised in Southern California. He has two sisters and two brothers, one a fellow artist named Keyth Ryden....
, Shag
Shag
Shag may refer to:*Collegiate shag, a swing dance that originated in the 1920s *Carolina shag, a swing dance that originated in South Carolina in the 1940s*St...
, Gary Baseman
Gary Baseman
Gary Baseman is a contemporary artist who works in various creative fields, including illustration, fine art, toy design, and animation. He is the creator of the Emmy-winning ABC/Disney cartoon series, Teacher’s Pet, and the artistic designer of Cranium, a popular board game...
, Tim Biskup
Tim Biskup
Tim Biskup is an American artist generally considered to be a part of the group that has been dubbed "lowbrow" or pop surrealism...
, Lori Earley
Lori Earley
Lori Earley is an American pop surrealist artist who specializes in painting portraits of women.-Life and work: Lori Earley was born in Rye, New York. She studied oil painting at the School of Visual Arts in New York where she received an Illustration BFA in 1995. Her work has appeared in several...
, Sas Christian, Audrey Kawasaki
Audrey Kawasaki
Audrey Kawasaki is a Los Angeles-based painter, known for her distinctive, erotically charged portrayals of young, adolescent women...
, Friends With You
Friends With You
FriendsWithYou is a commercial art collective based in Miami, Florida, founded by Sam Borkson and Arturo Sandoval in 2002, that creates designer toys, particularly plush and wood toys, as well as art installations, playgrounds, published works, performance art, animation and multimedia...
, Fafi
Fafi
Fafi or fa-fi , also known as mo-china, is a form of betting played mainly by black South Africa women, particularly those living in South African Townships, and is believed to have originated with South Africa's Chinese community....
, Barry McGee
Barry McGee
Barry McGee is a painter and graffiti artist. He is also known by monikers such as Ray Fong, Lydia Fong, Bernon Vernon, P.Kin, Ray Virgil, Twist and further variations of Twist, such as Twister, Twisty, Twisto and others.-Life and career:McGee graduated from El Camino High School in South...
, Ron English, Shepard Fairey
Shepard Fairey
Frank Shepard Fairey is an American contemporary graphic designer, and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene. He first became known for his "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign, in which he appropriated images from the comedic supermarket tabloid Weekly World News. His...
, and Banksy
Banksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...
.
"When it comes to art icons, Michael Leavitt has a deep set of beliefs about who deserves a reserved parking space in the annals of history." (Juxtapoz Magazine) Many of the action figures take on non-human form, as the likeness of the artist is shaped with trademark visual elements in their work. Leavitt has said, "I wanted to pay respect to people's work I love, and give them a little taste of their own medicine." The "enemy" of the "Art Army", "The Man", includes action figure versions of Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...
, Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, Darth Bush, and the John Tesh
John Tesh
John Frank Tesh is an American pianist and composer of pop music, as well as a radio host and television presenter. His 10-year-old 'Intelligence for Your Life Radio Show' reaches 14.2 Million listeners/week, and is syndicated by Teshmedia on 400 stations in US, Canada, and the UK...
, Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
, Kenny G
Kenny G
Kenneth Bruce Gorelick , better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American, adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986...
"3-Headed Monster". "The project is clearly aligned against the forces of imperialism and cultural suckiness, but Leavitt makes his points with a light touch, being too high-spirited and incorrigibly silly to get bogged down in another dreary leftist critique." (David Stoesz, Seattle Weekly) "Leavitt succeeds in art’s most important function — to not only help us recognize and articulate our values, but participate in a dialog that validates them as well. At its best, art connects our best selves with each other, and he has done that... I’m grateful to artists who address the subject of 'What is it about fighting and glorifying fighting and power, anyway?' in a way that gets our minds thinking and lips moving." (Polymer Clay Daily)
An "Art Army" story is developed in a short set of movies with the articulating figures filmed in stop-motion-animated sequences. Leavitt custom-tailors his action figures as private commissions for vanity pieces and action figure enthusiasts. The figures are also formulated as memorials included in Seattle artist Greg Lundgren's "deathcare boutique".
2004- "Penny Places"
"Sometimes what makes a painting so interesting is not the finished piece, but the painstaking steps the artist went through to bring it to life. Such is the case with Mike Leavitt's G-Train penny." (TimeOut New York)
2006- Cardboard Shoes & "Hip Hopjects"
"If only there were a way to retain a pristine version of the shoe, and save the planet from excess shoe box waste. Enter Mike Leavitt and his recycled-cardboard kicks."(Paste Magazine) In Leavitt's ongoing series of cardboard shoes and 'Hip Hopjects', to-scale editions of cultural ephemera are made with recycled materials. "Though best known for his cardboard sneakers, the rest of artist Mike Leavitt’s work is just as jaw-dropping" (blog.UrbanOutfitters.com). Items such as a "ghetto blaster", baseball hat, and soccer ball have been rendered in actual scale and size with reconstituted cardboard and brown paper bag. "Give him some recycled cardboard, paper bag, along with some glue and acrylic paint, and artist Mike Leavitt could create just about anything" (JoshSpear.com)
The series of vintage shoes includes Puma
PUMA AG
Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...
, Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
, lady's pumps, and Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
high tops; "an abundance of painstakingly detailed classic kick replicas". (Hi Fructose) "Leavitt works his creative magic on a number of classic silhouettes, including the Air Jordan
Air Jordan
Air Jordan, also known simply as Jordans, are a brand of shoes and athletic apparel produced by Nike originally designed for and endorsed by NBA Hall of Famer and Six Time NBA Champion Michael Jordan. The Air Jordan line is now sold by the Jordan Brand subsidiary of Nike...
1, Air Jordan 4, Vans
Vans
Vans is an American based manufacturer of sneakers, skateboarding shoes, BMX shoes, snowboarding boots and other shoe types.- History :On March 16, 1966, at 704 E. Broadway, in Anaheim, California, brothers Paul Van Doren, James Van Doren, and three other partners opened up their first store...
Slip-On, and Converse Chuck Taylor. Michael does an incredible job of recreating the colors and logos of these classics."(NiceKicks.com) "These shoes are genius." (Hellocraft.com) The shoes are "to not carry of course, but to admire as an art object." (nu.nl/lifestyle) "By creating cardboard sculptures of some of the most popular models in footwear he is essentially riding the commercial train and exercising his meticulous craft of making these wearable cardboard replicas... the demographic that would buy these may not usually buy a piece of art but they would buy this and call it Art." (Cyanatrendland.com)
Leavitt says, "I might dabble in satire of other essentials in a bad economy: eye glasses, winter coats, food items… but shoes are so intimately linked to our visual culture. They’re a necessity that we still get to have fun buying and wearing. I’ve always believed that fine art, high quality craft, and meaningful objects can be affordable. Galleries, museums and artists can find plenty of room for a different, affordable, more commercially sustainable kind of art-for-art’s-sake… that fits in both the museum and living room." (Seattlemet.com) Leavitt continues, "it's ironic to use a cheap disposable material like cardboard. Cheap, disposable material makes an expensive product, oddly resembling the manufacturing of boutique footwear. The simple image of the cardboard shoe speaks humorously and clearly on consumerism." (Suite101.com)
2006- Wedding Cake Toppers
Leavitt is also hired for his small-scale figurative work to make personalized wedding cake toppers that uniquely depict the bride and groom. "(Leavitt's) custom work is just a little bit different than most. He makes action figures, and what is more action packed than a wedding? With a few simple design modifications, Mike turned his action figure style into one of a kind cake toppers." (Handcrafted.com) Showing famous celebrity couples of modern history and same-sex marriage in gallery exhibitions, Leavitt's cake toppers are "a look at love in the spotlight." (The Desert Sun)2006-2008 Barack Obama's Campaign
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
/"Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
" style robe, with a large wood cross and tentacles made of American stars and stripes. The satire was designed to counter-act negative stereotypes of Obama, a function of timing in the late days of the Presidential campaign.
2007- Charles Krafft Collaborations
In a series entitled "Pitchfork Pals"http://www.intuitionkitchenproductions.com/gallery/krafftcollabs/, Leavitt collaborates with the esteemed Seattle artist and iconoclast Charles Krafft. Leavitt sculpts busts of controversial icons for the project. Charles Krafft is responsible for producing the "Pitchfork Pals" limited edition pottery by hand. Krafft is a prolific ceramicist widely known for his non-traditional, kitsch-like objects. Included in the series are figures such as Kim Jong Il and Charles MansonCharles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
depicted as art objects, functional tea pots, and the British nostalgia collectibles known as Toby mugs. "They’re teapots, which is clever if not representative of each character pouring malevolence into the culture that surrounds them."(Jailbreak Collective)
On using the Kim Jong Il tea pot, one humorist conjectures, "when drinking tea from this miserable looking device, you have to avert your eyes and be eternally grateful for such a delicious brew. If you don’t, you might ‘go missing’." (Mof Gimmers)
Critical Definitions & Subject Matter
"... there is hope, there are a few braves who can help us try to understand this every day reality, Michael Leavitt is one of those. His ability to create and re-create unique pieces of work has helped modern art to be less caothic, less elitist, and more afordable for the common people. Leavitt art is extremely fun, action driven, colorful and very dynamic. You feel you are in the game, it’s easy to become part of the experience." (Atrocidades.net)"Leavitt hasn't always worked to solved social problems, though his artwork has always had a social angle. His interest in the individual's relationship with his or her environmental space... has long been the basis for his art."(Real Change) "It is difficult to define what exactly Leavitt does. His extreme boredom for 'normal' art has resulted in a number of nonpareil projects displayed around the world."(Suite101.com)
"The bravest move in art's to rebel against classical training to follow a low-culture muse- as with Marcel Duchamp's urinal... Turning a bold 'screw it' into sweet art for you, Mike Leavitt" (Thrillist.com)
"Artist Michael Leavitt continues his assault on the wider art world in the nerdiest way possible... there is no secret to the artist's fervor." (The Huffington Post)
"The cake toppers are playful with a message."(The Desert Sun)
"Mike Leavitt has a raw talent for capturing prominent artists, musicians and entertainers in their elements and characterizing them into brilliant sculptures." (KidRobot)
"The hardest working man in the art world, Leavitt alters the everyday objects among us with his blazing technical skill and wit."(CapativeWildWoman.com) "From my interactions with Mike, I know the artist to have 'the opposite of writer’s block' and to be constantly producing work and improving his craft." (Jeremy Brautman) Leavitt says, "I’m kind of conceptual art, but I’m not that heady."(Port Townsend Leader) "Leavitt is a unique breed of artist. His work and execution (in both concept and finished product) are too impressive and relevant not to be considered on par with some of the most popular contemporary visual artists working today."(Jailbreak Collective)
"His versatility as almost a modern day renaissance man" causes Leavitt's subject matter to range between politics, anthropology, and modern commerce. Leavitt describes artistic marketing as if he's "been turning green from a poor man's obsession with making more money... turning into a rat scrounging underground, fighting off other scavengers for any little scraps of business." Leavitt resolves, "Art tends to cut across normal political lines. The subject matter may lean a little left, but the business runs hard down the right. People successful with art have a firm handle on socio-economics, and artists have always enormously influenced culture, from the Renaissance to Hip Hop."
Private Collections
Musician Eddie VedderEddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...
Actress Geena Davis
Geena Davis
Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis is an American actress, film producer, writer, former fashion model, and a women's Olympics archery team semi-finalist...
Nike CEO/President Mark Parker
Mark Parker
Mark Parker is Nike, Inc.'s third CEO, after William Perez resigned in January 2006 citing differences with his predecessor as CEO, Phil Knight....
Hollywood movie producer Charles B Wessler
Charles B Wessler
Charles B. Wessler is an American film producer best known for his collaborations with the Farrelly brothers.-Career:Charles Wessler was born in Los Angeles, California, to Richard Wessler and Ruth Wessler. Growing up he lived in Encino, London and Beverly Hills...
New York artist KAWS
KAWS (artist)
Brian Donnelly , professionally known as KAWS, is a New York-based artist and designer of limited edition toys and clothing. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.-Biography:...
New York artist Ron English
Los Angeles collector Long Gone John
Long Gone John
Long Gone John is an American entrepreneur who is best known for his record label Sympathy for the Record Industry and his vinyl toy company Necessaries Toy Foundation. He lived in Long Beach, California for 30 years, but relocated to Olympia, Washington in 2007.-History:Long Gone John was born...
San Francisco-based artist Sam Flores
Sam Flores
Sam Flores is an American painter. He has displayed in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Japan and throughout Europe.-References:...