John T Unger Artist's Portfolio

Welcome to the John T Unger Portfolio Blog

Hi There! This is the little intro where I mention that there's a lot more art here than you see on the front page. You can access different areas of the site by selecting from the drop down menu above or the Art by Category menu on your left.

I'm currently best know as an artist and designer, but I also get a fair amount of press these days for my ideas on business, marketing, technology and more. Relaxing makes me tense, so I tend to put in a lot of hours on diverse projects.

On the way to a successful art career I've been a poet and writer, a tech geek, a print and web designer, illustrator, industrial designer, musician, teacher, actor, set designer and even a paid guru once. Now and then I still get to play some of those roles.

It's all the same thing in the end— I wake up most days thinking about how I want to change, fix or improve some aspect of the world. And after a couple cups of coffee I get started on it. My speciality is impossibility remediation: if it can't be done, I'm on it.

Much of my work is done on a commission basis— If you see something in the portfolio that is almost, or kinda sorta what you're looking for, drop me a line. Chances are I can make exactly what you're looking for. I view custom work as an exciting collaborative process. For you, it's an opportunity to participate directly in the creation of a work of art. For me it's a chance to explore new ideas or techniques that may not otherwise have presented themselves.

Contact John T Unger

• How To Contact John T Unger
• Call Me
• Email Me
• Send Me Files
• Visit The Studio

I love to hear from people and do my best to respond as quickly as possible. Due to the large number of demands on my attention, I've developed some guidelines that will make it easier for me to respond to you in a timely fashion. Please do read them:

1. Phone: I prefer to answer most initial questions by phone. My mobile number and skype handle are published under the "Call Me" tab. If you have a quick question, or an idea that requires conversation back and forth, the phone is definitely your best bet.

   If you'd like me to call you, provide a phone number (or Skype handle if outside the US) via email and let me know the best time to call and what you wish to discuss.

2. Email:  For anything that involves scheduling or has details you want me to remember please use email. This includes: inquiries about wholesale, projects or commissions, requests for interviews or speaking engagements, etc.

   You must provide a valid email address if you desire a reply to a message sent through my contact form ( I have no way to contact you unless you provide that info).

3. Comments: Every page on my site has a comment form which allows you to add your thoughts on the page, publicly. This is the best way to provide feedback that does not require a personal response. In many cases, if you have a question, you probably aren't the only one… so having the answer in a public space is useful. The comment form asks for your email address only so that I can respond in needed.

   Your email address will never be published on the blog and will not be sold, abused, or added to lists.

4. Format: Be as clear as possible about what you need. If you are working with a specific deadline or budget, please include that information in your initial query. I am typically booked about two months in advance at this time. I can sometimes make adjustments to the schedule, depending on the project.

Community Harmony Through Song & Play: Three Mosaics for Manly Career Academy High School

The Mosaics: Music | History | Peace in the Park

Contents: Credits | The Design Process | Creating the mosaics | The Youth Artists

Credits

Lead Artist: John Unger
Assistant Artist: Caswell James
Mentor: Nina Smoot-Cain

With Youth Artists: Sheena Barlow, DeJuan Birge, Katheris Ellis, Ashley Harvey, Kenyetta Howard, Ernest Johnson, Deanna McElroy, Tiana Solid, Andrew Section

Artist John Unger, assisted by Caswell James and mentored by Nina Smoot-Cain, worked with a team of nine community youths to design and produce three mosaic panels totaling 66 square feet. The mosaics, installed on three walls of the cafeteria at Manly Career Academy High School, brighten what had previously been a sterile, institutional space and create an air of festivity and cultural celebration.

The project was sponsored by Chicago Public Art Group with support from Gallery 37 and the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development.

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The Design Process

The design of the panels was the result of several weeks of intense collaboration between Unger, James and the youths. Because North Lawndale is a predominantly African-American neighborhood, the school administration had requested that we focus on African and African-American culture and experience.

We began the design process with an overview of what mosaics are and how they are made. We showed slides of public art mosaic and mural projects from the CPAG archives, discussing both subject matter and technique. In the first week, the youths completed a small practice mosaic to demonstrate the process and introduce them to the skills they would need. We talked about and demonstrated both the potentials of mosaic and it’s limitations.

At the same time, we began a broad investigation of African and diaspora art forms, including folk and outsider art, Haitian art, and the Harlem Renaissance. A special focus was put on collaborations that involved multiple art forms and crossed cultural boundaries—a perfect example of this is found in a photograph by Robert Mappelthorpe of Grace Jones wearing a costume designed and painted by Keith Haring for a dance choreographed by Bill T. Jones. This particular image allowed us to discuss quite a few different elements of working in the arts: collaboration, where artists get their sources, how artists combine the cultural or historical with personal style and vision, and authenticity of cultural representation.

We screened the movie Basquiat, and discussed his art and the youths' feelings about his life and environment. We examined the infatuation with graffiti in the 1980's art world which propelled Basquiat, Haring and others to the status of art stars. Although this was a risky topic in a city which has banned the sale of spray paint within city limits, it provided us with ways to really connect the process of making art to daily life and the culture at hand. We asked questions such as "what is the difference between tagging and murals?" and examined ways in which non-permission art can affect a community in either positive or negative ways. This provided an excellent way to frame the concept of creating a permanent message which might influence the community for decades or even centuries…the goal was to inspire the youths to really dig deeply into themselves and discover the messages they felt were most important to communicate to future residents of their neighborhood.

Another artist we focused on strongly was Jacob Lawrence. The simplicity of his forms and lines made him an excellent example of how to convey complex ideas using simple design elements. Aaron Douglas also provided an example of imagery that was incredibly powerful and meaningful while simple in form and palette. The youths were particularly drawn to the linocuts of John Muafangejo, a South African artist whose narrative imagery we used to explain how to tell a story with pictures. The youths were encouraged to think about sequence, pattern and repetition as elements of narrative, and we illustrated these ideas with the work of Muafangejo, Lawrence and narrative conventions used in comic books. Another great resource for design was the children’s book section of the library which provided us with many stories based on African folk tales and examples of clear, powerful images communicating through bold and immediate imagery.

Throughout the second, third and fourth week, we approached the project design from many angles. The youths drew pictures, wrote narratives, discussed ideas, made collage images using construction paper, traced images that appealed to them from books and completed a second practice mosaic. For many of the drawings and collages, we left the subject matter open to see what would arise from the youths spontaneously. They were encouraged to experiment, sketch, and improvise without worrying about whether a particular drawing would find its way into the final design. The youths were also given subject assignments, including images of the community, masks, instruments and musicians, dancers, patterns, and symbols. Probably the most successful imagery was generated in the cut paper collages. This was a process Nina Smoot-Cain suggested. It works well because it bypasses the fear of drawing which can often paralyze students with worry over whether they will be able to express themselves or "do it good enough." The collage process also seems to generate very fresh, spontaneous imagery through simple lines and bright colors.

For the second practice mosaic we assigned the topic of masks, which we hoped to incorporate in the final design. As the design process moved forward, it became obvious that the masks would not be incorporated into any of the three panels, yet they were so good that James and Unger talked with the youths about the possibility of installing them in the community as a non-permission mural. One reason we considered this was because it would allow the youths to participate in the installation process which was the only aspect of the project with which they would not get hands-on experience.

Far more importantly, the process of deliberating a non-permission piece openly and putting it to a vote was the moment when the students became most involved with the project, taking on a deep sense of personal responsibility and examining their feelings, motives and ideas about the message and function of art. Rather than telling them what art is, or why we were doing a mural in the first place, we were able to put them in control of the project at this point and give them a sense of ownership. As expected, the students chose not to install the work as a non-permission mural. The process of fully examining the possible risks and benefits marked a turning point after which they seemed to particpate much more seriously and thoughtfully in the assigned project.

Of course, it should be noted quite strenuously that CPAG would not have endorsed a non-permission piece, the idea and responsibility for such an action would have rested solely with Unger and James. If the youths had voted to install the piece, would we have done it? Absolutely. Ideally we would have worked with the Alderman to select a location and get permission first, though. What was important was getting the youths to understand the real issues of community and public art by making them examine the question from all angles, even, or especially, those which are grey areas.

We talked a great deal about what kind of message we wanted to give to the community and what we would want to say in a piece that would speak for many years to come. The overwhelming messages were about building community and ending violence. As we worked with these themes it became clear that many of the images created to express an end of violence had a great deal of ambiguity which was rather unsettling—the youths drew many pictures of crowds standing next to a pile of guns, meant to suggest laying weapons aside. But when asked how we knew whether the picture was one of disarmament or a picture of revolutionaries gearing up for battle it became clear that the pictures could easily represent either case. This provided a great deal of discussion about how to clearly communicate an idea, as well as a lot of examination of our feelings about violence. Eventually it was decided to communicate ideas of nonviolence and community-building through positive examples rather than prohibitive or proscriptive imagery. We chose to show members of the community playing together and playing music together as signs of positive values and peaceful behavior.

The final designs were produced digitally. A large number of the 1000's of drawings, tracings and collages produced were scanned, converted to line art and then combined and manipulated to achieve a whole. Although we did not use drawings from every single youth in the project, we stressed to them that their ideas had all contributed to the overall design and that the actual creation of the mosaic would be done by everyone.

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Creating the mosaics

The mosaics were laid out during the fifth and sixth week of the project. The images were printed out to scale and projected onto a roll of paper, then sketched out by hand. These drawings were then taped down on plywood sheets with metal frames created by taping down metal drywall corners. The tiles were broken or cut and laid out on the plywood over the drawings. Because the designs were quite intricate in places, the directions and grout lines of the pieces were very important. As the work progressed and the youths became more skilled in placing the tile, they also became more skilled in seeing the tile, and became more critical of their own work. At first, it was necessary to redo much of the work, but as we progressed, they really came together as a group to insure that the work looked professional. As sections were completed, they were taped down with contact paper to minimize the risk of accidents. The tesserae in more detailed areas are almost all hand cut, worked in small squares like smalti, while the backgrounds and larger areas of color are mostly done in cracked tile.

After the mosaics were finished and the project ended, it was decided to replace the background colors on two of the three panels in order to provide better contrast. This was done by Unger at his studio with help from James and Elke Claus. The installation was done by Unger, with help from Chris Silva in constructing the frames and help from James with grouting. Julio Berlin assisted with transportation of the panels and installation at the site.

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The Youth Artists

All the youths on the project worked very diligently to create a great piece. Although only two of the youths attended Manly, all of them were from the neighborhood and felt a great deal of pride in creating a work that would stand out in the community for years to come. In general, there was a high degree of camaraderie. The youths were extremely trustworthy and were self-motivated as long as they had a direction or goal. The only difficulties we experienced was overcoming a reticence to draw in some youths. The youths remained focused and patient through the entire project and created truly superior work.

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John T. Unger Artist's Statement + Bio

About the Art:

My creative mandate is "sustainable design with an edge." Just because we're good doesn't mean we have to be boring, right? I think there's a place for rock n' roll to dance with environmental responsibility in a house shakin' way. If green products are to compete in the market, they need to be sexy, sleek and chic— cooler than new.

Surprise and beauty are a good start, but I expect more and so should you. As an artist and designer, I am intensely committed to sustainable design practices and materials in the following ways:

I work primarily with recycled or re-used materials. This is the best way I know to minimize my impact on natural resources, climate and the environment. In addition, I feel that creative re-use has the potential to spark new ways of looking at the world… if one thing can be turned into another, what else can we change? Successful recycled art and design encourages creativity in others— it's alchemical, magical, subversive, and transformative by nature. I feel that only be a good thing.

I design for permanence. Most of my objects will last generations with little or no maintenance. I try to create objects that will never go out of style by drawing from primal metaphor and classical elements of design that speak to what it means to be human and alive.

I design for functionality. My work is intended to be useful as well as beautiful. I enjoy the practical aspect of art and feel that engineering is as critical as ingenuity in the creation of solid works of art. Where possible, I design for easy disassembly for shipping or later re-use of materials.

About John T. Unger:

I like to joke that I'm the world's most well-educated self-taught artist — I've learned pretty much everything I know by doing it. The best way to get my attention is to tell me that something "can't be done." I'm a bit of a specialist in the field of impossibility remediation. I work in a lot of different styles using a wide variety of materials. I find that each new medium informs all which have come before… music influences my sculpture, poetry was the root of my early mixed media work, etc.

I've been making art professionally for a over a decade, and have made a full-time living as an artist ever since the dot-com crash put the kibosh  on financing my art habit through freelance graphic design. I decided the art would have to support itself, me and the cat and it's worked out pretty darn well. In some ways, the best thing that ever happened to me was when the bubble burst.

Before that, I worked as a print and web designer, illustrator, industrial designer, musician, teacher, actor, and set designer. I began my arts career as a poet and writer, performing in venues as intimate as Stone Circle and as large as the Reverend Mudd Poetry Tent at Lollapalooza. Although poetry was a rotten way to pay the bills, it was a great way to live. It turns out that the chops I developed as a writer come in really handy now that I use blogs as the main venue for selling my work.

My work has been featured in books such as Mosaic Art and Style: Designs for Living Environments, by JoAnn Locktov, The Artful Home, and Sextablos: Works on Metal. Magazines and newspapers which have featured my work include: Wave Magazine, Variety, Bizarre Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Northern Home Magazine, Northeastern University Magazine, The Cream City Review, New City, and The Chicago Reader.

Museums and galleries have included my sculpture and installations in national and international exhibitions. Significant collections and commissions include public art mosaic murals for Manley Career Academy High School, Chicago; Alden State Bank, Lakeview Baseball Club, Northeastern University, Designhaus Pllc, Architects, and The Cleveland Clinic Foundation and private residences. For details, please refer to my curriculum vitae.

Curriculum Vitae for John Unger

revised: 1.17.2006 Curriculum Vitae for John Unger QuickLinks: Education | Grants + Awards | Public Art | Solo Shows    Annual + Touring Exhibits | Selected Group Shows | Commissions    Collections | Bibliography | Publications | Visiting Artist Lectures    Curation | Career Related Experience | Professional Affiliations
(Top)	Education
	Blacksmithing Apprenticeship, Lliam Burke, Traverse City, MI, 1990-91 Naropa Institute Summer Writing Intensive, 1987 Graduated Writing Program, Interlochen Arts Academy, 1985
(Top)	Grants + Awards
2001	Community Arts Assistance Program Grant, Department of Cultural Affairs, Chicago, IL
2000	Community Arts Assistance Program Grant, Department of Cultural Affairs, Chicago, IL Installation and Lecture Honorarium, Excellence in Fine Arts Visiting Artist Series, EIU College of Arts and Humanities, Charleston, IL
1999	Community Arts Assistance Program Grant, Department of Cultural Affairs, Chicago, IL
(Top)	Public Art
2005	Great Northern Hunt for Bearable Art, Life size Mosaic bear sculpture created for Outdoor Art Project organized by The American Red Cross of Northern Lower Michigan.
2004	Commemorative Mosaic Arts Sculpture, Consultant/Advisor on mosaic project for Presque Isle District Library.
2002	Community Harmony Through Song + Play, Lead Artist for Three Mosaics for Manley career Academy Highschool CPAG: Chicago Public Art Group, Chicago, IL
(Top)	Selected Solo Shows + Exhibits
2004	Dancing About Architecture Solo show of sculpture + functional art. Designhaus, Rochester, MI.
2002	The Love Mural Assemblage/mixed-media. Gallery Six Four Five, Chicago, IL. Collaboration with: Rob Moriarty, Juan Chavez, Chris Silva and others.
2001	The Mighty Dragon Boat Redux The improved fire-breathing dragon boat burns down the Chicago River again— 40-feet long, more fire and a larger crew. Collaboration with Neil Verplank, Erik Neuman and others.
2000	Embracing Darkness: Ritual Winter Spectacle Burning of a sixteen-foot winter spirit sculpture on Montrose Beach, Chicago, IL. Collaboration with Crea Starfire and Kevin Burrows. The Mighty Dragon Boat Built and sailed a 30-foot, fire-breathing dragon boat on the Chicago River with a crew of twelve. Collaboration with Neil Verplank. Radio Ancestrale Site-specific installation commissioned by The Tarble Arts Center, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL
1998	Sea-Plane to the Other Side Six month installation on sidewalk of a 7' x 5' x 9' whirligig of Ghede, the Haitian lwa of death and regeneration playing Carribean steel drum while piloting a coffin shaped sea-plane. 1900 S. Halsted, Chicago, IL. Cabinet of Curiosities Rainbo Club, Chicago, IL
(Top)	Annual + Touring Exhibits
	The Dirty Show 2006 Tangent Gallery + Hastings Street Ballroom, Detroit, MI. Art In the Garden, 2003–2004, Pine Hill Nursery, Kewadin, MI 29th-32nd Pilsen East Artists’ Open House 1999–2002 Artist's Studio, Chicago, IL Deus Ex Machina I + II 2002 Peter Jones Gallery, Chicago, IL 2001 Rubber Monkey Shadow Puppet Theater Company, Chicago, IL Sextablos 1999–2001, The Augen Gallery, Portland, OR;Barrister Gallery, New Orleans, LA; RedBud Gallery, Houston,TX; Hyde Park Arts Center, Hyde Park, IL; Juror: Michael Hernandez de Luna, Bad Press Books Collect-O-Rama 1999–2001 Intuit: The Center for Intuitive + Outsider Art Chicago, IL Around the Coyote 1999–2001, David Leonardis Gallery, Chicago, IL 1998, Oh Boy!, Chicago, IL The Ever So Secret Order of the Lampreys 1999 P.E.A.C.E. Gallery, Chicago, IL; Rainbo Club, Chicago, IL; Café Sol, Chicago, IL From the Hurt to the Healed...Objects for God 1998–1999 Oh Boy!, Chicago, IL
(Top)	Selected Group Shows + Exhibits
2005	Invitational Vessels, all media Jordan River Arts Council, East Jordan, MI The Alden Art Fair 2005 Depot Park, Alden, MI. The Dirty Show Tangent Gallery + Hastings Street Ballroom, Detroit, MI.
2004	Creating Spaces With Art Jordan River Arts Council, East Jordan, MI Malleable Metals Jordan River Arts Council, East Jordan, MI Annual Invitational Art Exhibition Jordan River Arts Council, East Jordan, MI D’Art for Art Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petosky, MI Interlochen Wine, Food + Fine Arts Festival Frog Pond Village, Interlochen, MI Elvis Puppy Fleur Fine Art, Chicago, IL
2003	Fall Gift Show Frederik Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids, MI Leelanau Furniture Show 2003 Grand Traverse Heritage Center, Traverse City, MI
2001	The Body Shop Drive Thru Studios, Chicago, IL Outsiders Outside Judith Racht Gallery, Harbert, MI Vodou Visionaries Intuit: The Center for Intuitive + Outsider Art Chicago, IL Curator: Marilyn Houlberg, Professor of Art, SAIC
2000	3 1/2 Months of Sundays Hyde Park Arts Center, Hyde Park, IL
1999	Creative Inspiration: The Arts of Haitian Vodoun Musee d'Art Haitien du College Saint Pierre, Port-au-Prince, Haiti Curator: Marilyn Houlberg, Professor of Art, SAIC Howl: Exhibition and Performance Hyde Park Arts Center, Hyde Park, IL, Hyde Park, IL 18 Artists: An Instant Art Collection David Leonardis Gallery, Chicago, IL Fourth Whirl, Whirligigs + Weather Vanes Fourth World Artisans, Chicago, IL
1998	Dia de los Muertos Jaqueline Ross Gallery, Chicago, IL Curator: Oscar Romero 20th Century Artifacts Fourth World Artisans, Chicago, IL
1997	Artifacts Hardware Café, Chicago, IL
1996	Fetish Art The Green Room, Ypsilanti, MI
1995	Beauty Culture (by Trained Professionals) Hei-wa Co-op, Ann Arbor, MI
(Top)	Commissions
2005	Human Anatomy Chart Mosaic Tommy Jenkins, Evanston, IL Solar System Mosaics for Bath Britt Shawver, Evanston, IL Mosaic Sign Aden State Bank, Alden, MI
2004	Selected Artist, Corporate Art Program University of Chicago Children's Hospital, Chicago, IL 4 Window Grates Elise Jones, Chicago, IL Cycling salamander Sculpture Cycling Salamander, Charlevoix, MI 2 Mosaic Panels: Joe Tinker + Frank Chance Portraits Lakeview Baseball Club, Chicago, IL Mermaid Mosaic Christy MacLear, Fleur Fine Art, Chicago, IL Mosaic Floor Christina Adams, Traverse City, MI Steel Garden Sculpture Jeff Monseau, Cleveland, OH Garden Screen Diane and Steve Bodell, Grand Rapids, MI
2003	Frank Lloyd Wright Fences Dick + Diana Milock, Torch Lake, MI Acrobat Table Mary Blanchard, Torch Lake, MI Erzulie, Glass Mosaic Table Laurie Beasley, Ridge Art GalleryOak Park, IL Hast Olsen Fence Howard Hast + JoAnn Olsen, Evanston, IL Four Dancer Chairs Mary Blanchard, Torch Lake, MI Steel Sign Frankie Machine Community Garden, Chicago, IL Steamship Propellor Table Mary Kay McDuffie, Torch Lake, MI
2002	El Corazon Mosaic Table Casa Loca, Chicago, IL Small Fireplace Door Eb McDuffie, Torch Lake, MI Peter the Crow Mosaic Table Jeff + Trina Ott, Sparta, MI The Days of the Dolphins, 4 Mosaics Northeastern University Magazine, Boston, MA Rainbow Trout Mosaic Jeff + Trina Ott, Sparta, MI Acrobat Fence Mary Kay McDuffie, Torch Lake, MI Slate Wall Mosaic Shirley Myers, Bridgman, MI City Gates Lakeview Baseball Club, Chicago, IL
2002	Community Harmony Through Song + Play, Three Mosaics for Manley career Academy Highschool CPAG: Chicago Public Art Group, Chicago, IL Steel Restaurant Displays Joe DiCarlo, Caffé Baci, Chicago, IL
2001	Devil Girl Windvane Marilyn Houlberg, Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL Steel Restaurant Displays Joe DiCarlo, Caffé Baci, Chicago, IL
1999	Steel Window Grate Café Jumping Bean, Chicago, IL Ballad of the Dragon, Mosaic Table Neil Verplank, Dovetail Design, Chicago, IL
(Top)	Collections
	Alden State Bank, Alden, MI Kathleen Glynn + Michael Moore, Torch Lake, MI Designhaus Pllc, Architects, Rochester, MI The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH Lakeview Baseball Club, Chicago, IL Northeastern University, Boston, MA
(Top)	Bibliography
	“Artist enlists Picasso in fight against war,” The Orlando Sentinel, Orlando, FL , January 14, 2006, “Picasso painting becomes anti-Iraq war symbol,” Naples Daily News, Naples, FL , January 13, 2006 “Picasso painting becomes anti-Iraq war symbol,” The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, AZ , January 12, 2006 “Gift Rapt: A green gift-giving guide for all the folks on your holiday list,” Grist Magazine, November 22, 2005 Radio Interview, Spin 103.8, Dublin, Ireland, November 7, 2005. "BadAss Paddles." On Q Live. Q Television Network. QTN, Burbank, CA. December 5th, December 26th, 2005. “What's under the Bizarre tree,” Bizarre Magazine, No. 106, January, 2006, 26 “Great bowls o' fire,” Wednesday Journal, Oak Park, IL, September 7, 2005, Section one, 20. “Mood, warmth… and a little poetry,” Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL, August 14, 2005, Section four, 3. “Malleable Metals opens Saturday in East Jordan,” Petoskey News Review, Petoskey, MI, September 14, 2004, Section one, 7. Malleable Metals Exhibit Catalog, Jordan River Arts Council, East Jordan, MI, 2004, 1, 17 Mosaic Art + Style: Designs for Living Environments, JoAnn Locktov, Rockport Publishers, March, 2005 The Artful Home, Edition 2, Guild Sourcebooks, April 1, 2004 Patty LaNoue Stearns, “Have a Seat,” Northern Home Magazine, Vol. 9, No. 1, January-February, 2004, 9 "The Days of the Dolphins," 4 marble mosaics, Northeastern University Magazine, Vol. 28, No. 2, 2002, 14, 17, 21-22 6 page pictorial spread, The Cream City Review, Vol. 24, No. 1, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, 30-35, 134 “Pilsen On Display,” New City, Artbreak, Chicago, IL, September 28, 2000, 25. “On Exhibit: A Secret Society Shows Itself,” Chicago Reader, Chicago, IL, March 3, 2000, Section One, 38. Cover Feature, Charleston Times-Courier, Spotlight Arts and Entertainment, Charleston, IL, February 12-18, 2000, 1. “Artist John Unger to Talk About Graveyard Sculpture Installation,” Charleston Times-Courier, Charleston, IL, February 12, 2000, C9. Sextablos: Works on Metal, Luna Press, 1715 S. Laflin, Chicago, IL, 1999, 15
(Top)	Publications
	“Copyright or Wrong,” Chicago Reader, Chicago, IL, February 11, 2005, Section One, 3. "Sold My Soul for Rock 'N Roll",Sextablos: Works on Metal, Luna Press, 1715 S. Laflin, Chicago, IL, 1999, 15
(Top)	Visiting Artist Lectures + Demonstrations
2005	Bottlecap Mosaic Demonstration, Bellaire Harvest Festival, Bellaire, MI
2004	Cut Metal Luminary Demonstration, Jordan River Arts Council, East Jordan, MI Making Mobiles Workshop, Jordan River Arts Council, East Jordan, MI
2000	The Tarble Arts Center, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL
1998	DePaul University, Chicago, IL, Department of Religious Studies
(Top)	Curation
2004	Malleable Metals Jordan River Arts Council, East Jordan, MI
(Top)	Career Related Experience
1992- 2001	Freelance Graphic Designer Separate resumé available.
2002	Fabrication Assistant Torch Tip Ironworks, Eastport, MI
2001	Lead Artist, Manly Career Academy High School Mosaic Project Chicago Public Art Group, Chicago, IL With Caswell James, Assisting Artist. Led a team of 10 kids from various schools in the North Lawndale area of Chicago, designing and and building 3 mosaics, 23 square feet each for Manly Career Academy High School, 2935 W. Polk St.. Design/Build Consultant Lemonade Parade Redmoon Theater, Chicago, IL With Jim Lasko, Artistic Director & Jesse Bullock, builder, co-designed parade spectacle and built maquette for Puppetropolis, Chicago and Evanston 4th of July Parade.
2000	Volunteer Set Builder, Costumer, Performer Redmoon Theater, Chicago, IL Winter Pageant, Redmoon Theater, Chicago, IL
1999	Mosaic Artist Studio E, Evan Glassman, Chicago, IL Chief mosaicist/project coordinator for projects at Nine Restaurant in Chicago; and Bistro Banlieue in Lombard, IL. Mosaic Artist SkyLine Design, Chicago, IL Mosaicist on 1,800 square foot mosaic for DisneyQuest, Chicago. Also participated on DisneyQuest's entry to Cows on Parade, Virtual Cow in Reflective Moosaic. Design & Fabrication Assistant Kenneth Morrison Studio, Chicago, IL Design and fabrication of 26' art-metal fence. Assistant on cast concrete tables for Sushi Wabi, Chicago.
1990- 1994	Instructor, Arts Apprenticeship Program, Myaheyyun Day Treatment, Mancelona, MI Full session 1990-92, summer session 1994
(Top)	Professional Affiliations
	Board Member, Jordan River Arts Council, East Jordan, MI Board Member, Pathways Arts Council, Kalkaska, MI Ever So Secret Order of the Lampreys SAMA: Society of American Mosaic Artists

Commission or Purchase Art from John T Unger Studio

How to Commission Custom Work from John T Unger

A great deal of my work is done on a commission basis—people see my work and approach me to design and build a piece that meets their needs or desires. Some find me by word of mouth, some via the web and some by chance encounter with me or a piece of my art. Many of the people who commission art will come back again and again for new work.

I view custom work as an exciting collaborative process:
For you, it's an opportunity to participate directly in the creation of a work of art, or to have me create that thing that you can see so clearly but can't find anywhere. It's exciting for me because your input pushes me to explore new ideas or techniques that may not otherwise have presented themselves.

Custom design is a conversation:
I'm only happy if you're ecstatic when you see your new artwork. So the beginning of a commissioned work involves questions and dialog… If you want a fish sculpture, I'll ask you about the species, color, pose, size and so on. We'll talk about materials, cost and timeframe. If you know where you want the piece to go, I'll ask you to send me photos.

The design stage of a project is where I can be certain I understand what you want. It's also the time when I use my experience and expertise to make suggestions about the best ways to make it happen. Each project is different, and requires taking into account the uses, location and environment of a project, technical limitations of materials, and your tastes and budget. Sometimes the strongest elements of a piece of art are based on the constraints of the project.

Cost, schedule and process:
My shop rate is $50/hour, and my installation rate is $60/hour. I require a working deposit of 60%, with the balance due upon delivery, prior to installation or shipping. Deposit checks cover the cost of project development and materials and are not refundable if project is canceled before completion.

The commission process follows these stages:

1. Initial Consultation: We discuss your project and I give you a rough cost estimate.
2. Design: We refine the ideas discussed earlier after I've had an opportunity to research source art, materials and current market rates for materials. After this conversation, I will submit a drawing, fixed bid and contract for your project.
3. Project bid: Project bids are based on estimated time and materials and do not include installation or shipping charges. All bids are final. The cost of a project will not exceed the bid price unless changes are requested after contract is signed. Changes in materials or requirements must be submitted in writing and may affect timeframe and / or overall project budget.
4. Design Approval: If you approve the preliminary drawing, we move forward to a contract and deposit check. If requested, a second set of detailed shop drawings and elevations will be executed at standard shop rate.
5. Work Begins: Project inception begins upon the receipt of all of the following: a) a signed contract; b) the deposit check; and c) signed drawings.
6. Work Concludes: Delivery time varies based on the complexity of the project and my present working schedule, but is usually in the 4-10 week range.

To intiate a project, please Contact me with your questions or ideas.

How to Purchase Existing Work by John T Unger

If you are interested in purchasing work listed as available on the portfolio blog, please contact me by email or phone for pricing, etc. I am more than happy to sell directly, but please be aware that my contracts with galleries do not allow me to offer any discount for buying directly from the artist.

Most currently available work is posted at my Artbuzz blog and can be purchased using secure payment buttons via PayPal. If you are interested in a work which has already sold, sometimes it is possible to commission a similar work. A commissioned reproduction will differ from the original to some degree, and unlike custom work will be billed in full as a custom order.