Artist Statement
My art is a means for telling stories and solving problems. A long held fascination with mechanical movements, architecture and the mythology of Detroit lie at the heart of my kinetic sculptures and architectural games.
My works are interactive. They are intended to be handled, changed, manipulated and played. By turning a crank, stacking a block, pressing a button, drawing a sketch, or moving a game piece, the viewer is drawn in to engage the work and complete its purpose.
My work has a impulsive, hands-on feel which erases the traditional boundary between viewer and artwork. This aesthetic encourages the viewer to physically engage with the work and discover a deeper meaning. I love to observe the instant when someone realizes that the “toy” they are playing with has a subtext that they had not considered. In that instant, I invite them to see the world in a new way.
Short Biography
Andy Malone is known for his hand-crafted woodworks and games featuring kinetic movement and analog technologies with a thoughtful practice of viewer engagement. Visitors use Malone’s machines to create collaborative works of art as well as engage directly with seemingly playful pieces whose meanings reflect thought-provoking narratives. Viewer interaction completes the work.
Andy Malone’s mechanisms, board games and drawings have been celebrated in over 80 exhibitions since 1995, including two solo exhibitions in 2019 and 2021.
Andy currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for HATCH Art. Andy and his family live in the Detroit area.
CV and portfolio available upon request
Extended Biography
Andy Malone holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Detroit Mercy, and has worked in the exhibit and custom furniture industry for over 25 years. Andy's whimsical machines, games, playable sculptures and drawings have been shown in over eighty exhibitions since 1995, most notably in the Selecti show (2002) at Detroit Artist Market (chosen by Whitney curator Lawrence Rinder)
In 1999, Andy worked with the Detroit Collaborative Design Center to produce presentation drawings and animations for the Adams Butzel Recreation Center and the Saint Vincent DePaul Headquarters.
In 2004, Andy co-founded a design consultancy firm called Studio Architech whose clients include O2, Azimuth Consulting, Walsh Financial, and Woodbridge CDC.
From 2002 to 2007 Andy served as the Vice President of the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID) Board of Trustees. In addition to CAID board and committee work, Andy has produced graphics for postcards, signage, t-shirts, and even a billboard on Woodward. He created the official site plans for Dally in the Alley(1999) and the Woodbridge Street Festival (2005). He also designed theWoodward Corridor Gallery Map (2007) for thedetroiter.com and the gallery guide for the first annual Art Detroit Now (2008).
Andy was a juror for the Detroit Electronic Music Festival Public Art Exhibition (2002), Animate Object (2005) and Game Show Detroit (2006) at CAID. Andy also curated the Bravo! Bravo! Art Exhibition at the Detroit Opera House in 2004 and 2005.
Andy's whimsical machines, games, playable sculptures and drawings have been shown in over eighty exhibitions since 1995, most notably in the Selecti show (2002) at Detroit Artist Market (chosen by Whitney curator Lawrence Rinder)
Two of Andy's mini golf holes were displayed on the lawn of the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) as part of their grand re-opening gala in the summer/fall of 2007. Andy also had solo exhibitions of his work at the DIA in 2007 and 2010.
In 2008, Andy won best in show at Re:Action, a kinetic sculpture exhibition at Ann Marie Gardens in Solomons, Maryland.
In 2010, Andy was featured in Make Magazine (#23) and interviewed on American Black Journal. He won an Editor's Choice award at Maker Faire Detroit in 2010. He curated the Detroit Board Game Collective exhibition which also won an Editor's Choice award at the Faire.
Andy proudly served on the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture Alumni Council from 2007-2009
In 2012, Andy, along with the late Dr. Fred Goodman and Dr. Nick Sousanis, helped organize and curate, Game Show NYC, the follow-up to Game Show Detroit.
In 2014, Andy collaborated with students at the James and Grace Lee Boggs School on the Boggs Birdhouse installation in Lafayette Greens Community Garden and in 2015, Andy was honored to be featured in the Essay'd project, and will participate in Art Prize 7.
Andy has had two recent solo exhibitions: Play Room (2017, The Collective, Detroit) and Happy Accidents (2019, HATCH, Hamtramck). A third solo show is scheduled for summer of 2023.
In 2019, Andy’s work was featured in Open World Arcade at the Akron Art Museum.
Andy’s sculpture “Stand Off” was selected in a national competition for inclusion in Shall Make Shall Be: The Bill of Rights at Play, an exhibition of games inspired by the first ten amendments to the US constitution. To prepare for the exhibition, Andy was granted an artist residence at the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University in 2021. The Shall Make Shall Be exhibition debuted at Federal Hall in NYC in 2022, and will potentially evolve into a traveling exhibit.
Andy currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for HATCH Art.
Andy, and his family live in the Detroit area.
CV and portfolio available upon request