John Schlesinger Biography
Born in Kansas, Schlesinger is a veteran photographer turned sculptor and installation artist living in Philadelphia. Awards include a CFEVA fellowship, Rome Prize, Tiffany Award, Bush Fellowship, Siskind Fellowships and two NEA’s. His work has been reviewed in periodicals including; Art in America, Village Voice, Aperture, Bomb, Art News, and New York Times.
Schlesinger’s output can be found at institutions including Walker Art Center, San Francisco MOMA, Houston Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Art, the Hamburg Kunsthalle, Art Institute of Chicago, Brooklyn Museum, and MOMA.
In the last four years Schlesinger has completed over 8 installations including solo installations at CFEVA, Lola 38, Rockville Arts Center, Cherry Street Pier and Artloft in Berlin. Schlesinger collaborated with Tra Bouscaren from 2013 until 2022 as half of the team Dear Volunteers
In 2023 he had solo installations in Philadelphia and Berlin. He is currently collaborating with Taji Ra’oof Nahl on Frankensteinway, a prepared grand piano and installation space creating a nexus for musicians to collaborate and perform.
Teaching includes: Rice University, Drexel University, SUNY: RCC and the School of Visual Arts at graduate and undergraduate levels. Residencies include MacDowell (5), VCCA (2), Blue Mountain Center (4), and Yaddo.