Sidewalk Sam
Encyclopedia
Sidewalk Sam is the pseudonym
of Robert Charles Guillemin (born 4 May 1939), a Boston
-based artist who resides in Newton, Massachusetts
. He is best recognized for his reproductions of European masterpieces, chalked or painted on the sidewalk. Following an accident in 1994 that left him paralyzed, Guillemin increased his focus on large participatory art projects for communities and businesses. His motto, on a stickie at the top of his computer, reads "Entertain, Inspire, Empower and Unite".
In 1994, Guillemin fell 30 feet from the roof of his home which paralyzed him from the chest down and made him into a wheelchair user. After his accident, Guillemin returned to street painting and continues to organize participatory art events in Boston and internationally.
, the University of Illinois
, and, finally, Boston University
, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 1962. While at Boston College, he also attended courses at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (a.k.a., Boston Museum School).
After graduation from Boston University, Guillemin traveled to Paris and attended courses at the École des Beaux-Arts
and the Académie de Grande Chaumière. Starting in 1965, Guillemin studied for his master’s degree in painting at Boston University, where Walter Tandy Murch
(1907–1967) was the chief graduate painting faculty. Guillemin received his MFA in 1967.
was his uncle, and he is the younger brother of M.I.T. mathematician Victor W. Guillemin, recipient in 2003 of the American Mathematical Society
's Leroy P. Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement. His brother-in-law is revolutionary historian Ray Raphael
.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Robert Charles Guillemin (born 4 May 1939), a Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
-based artist who resides in Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
. He is best recognized for his reproductions of European masterpieces, chalked or painted on the sidewalk. Following an accident in 1994 that left him paralyzed, Guillemin increased his focus on large participatory art projects for communities and businesses. His motto, on a stickie at the top of his computer, reads "Entertain, Inspire, Empower and Unite".
History
In the summer of 1973, Guillemin first took to the streets of Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts to draw famous artworks on crowded street corners where passersby filled a bucket with change. By the early 1980s, Guillemin found business sponsors for his street artworks and shifted to longer-lasting acrylic paints. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Guillemin also organized chalk-drawing festivals, open-air art exhibits, and public art events that engaged participants in the creation of large mosaics, murals, and banners. In 1990 and 1991, Guillemin organized the Boston Artists’ Summer Festival.In 1994, Guillemin fell 30 feet from the roof of his home which paralyzed him from the chest down and made him into a wheelchair user. After his accident, Guillemin returned to street painting and continues to organize participatory art events in Boston and internationally.
Education
As an undergraduate, Guillemin attended Boston CollegeBoston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
, the University of Illinois
University of Illinois system
The University of Illinois is a system of public universities in Illinois consisting of three campuses: Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, and Springfield. Across its three campuses, the University of Illinois enrolls about 70,000 students. It had an operating budget of $4.17 billion in 2007.-System:The...
, and, finally, Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 1962. While at Boston College, he also attended courses at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (a.k.a., Boston Museum School).
After graduation from Boston University, Guillemin traveled to Paris and attended courses at the École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
and the Académie de Grande Chaumière. Starting in 1965, Guillemin studied for his master’s degree in painting at Boston University, where Walter Tandy Murch
Walter Tandy Murch
Walter Tandy Murch was a painter whose still life paintings of machine parts, brick fragments, clocks, broken dolls, hovering light bulbs and glowing lemons are an unusual combination of realism and abstraction...
(1907–1967) was the chief graduate painting faculty. Guillemin received his MFA in 1967.
Solo exhibitions
- Structural Surfaces: April, 1971, the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis UniversityBrandeis UniversityBrandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
. - Quick Sketches: December, 1971, the Institute of Contemporary Art on Beacon Street in Boston.
Group exhibitions
- Flush with the Walls: June 15, 1971, Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Guillemin worked with a group of five artists (Kristin Johnson, Todd McKie, Martin MullMartin MullMartin Mull is an American actor who has starred in his own television sitcom and acted in prominent films. He is also a comedian, painter, and recording artist...
, David Raymond and Jo-Sandman) to stage a protest event/exhibition in a men's restroom located in the museum's lower level.
Family
Ernst GuilleminErnst Guillemin
Ernst Adolph Guillemin was an American electrical engineer and computer scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who spent his career extending the art and science of linear network analysis and synthesis.-Biography:Guillemin was born in 1898, in Milwaukee, and received his B.S. and...
was his uncle, and he is the younger brother of M.I.T. mathematician Victor W. Guillemin, recipient in 2003 of the American Mathematical Society
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards and prizes to mathematicians.The society is one of the...
's Leroy P. Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement. His brother-in-law is revolutionary historian Ray Raphael
Ray Raphael
Ray Raphael is an American historian and author of fourteen books. He is noted for his work on the American Revolution and the regional history of Northern California.-Books: The American Revolution and the Founding Era:...
.
Further reading
- The Improper Bostonian, 29 August–11 Sept 2007, p. 28
- Sayings for Sidewalk Sam, compiled and calligraphed by F.N. Wombat (e-bookE-bookAn electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
pending through Art Street Inc website) - TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, 4 Nov 1985, p. 70