Micah Schippa lives in Chicago, IL and is working on his BFA at the School of the Art Institute.
Tell me a little bit about yourself and what you do. I download a lot of freeware.
When and where did your interest in art begin? I used to make facsimiles of sets from Star Trek TNG out of Legos when I was very young. I still play with Legos.
If you had to explain your work to a stranger, what would you say? I simply say I use computers to make art.
What materials do you use in your work and what is your process like? I will use anything if it is free. I just recently paid $18 for a jpeg, which was the weirdest thing I have ever done.
What projects are you working on right now? I am really excited about a show I am doing with André & Evan Lenox, Lauren Elder, Arend deGruyter-Helfer, and Brian Khek. I can only give you a URL.
What kinds of things are influencing your work right now? The autumn moon, Venus, software design, wikis, invisible things like radio, wireless and bluetooth signals.
How has your work developed within the past year? I am monochromaticizing.
What do you want a viewer to walk away with after seeing your work? A sense of “I could do that.”
How has living/working in Chicago affected your art practice? Chicago can feel very small. I have been reaching out to artists online to alleviate this isolated feeling.
What’s your favorite thing about the city? Chicago enjoys a highly diverse architectural ecosystem. The view from my window is great.
Any thoughts about Chicago’s art scene? Chicago desperately needs more galleries that are willing to forfeit their social/economic status for critical curatorial practices.
What is one the bigger challenges you and/or other artists are struggling with these days and how do you see it developing? I think the biggest challenging facing everyone in the world is connection. The more we connect and share the more we better ourselves. Sharing is caring.
What artists are you interested in right now? Moris, John Transue, Lauren Elder, Kari Altmann, Brian Khek, Lauren Anderson, Sam Davis, Jon Rafman, Parker Ito among so many others.
What was the last exhibition you saw that stuck out to you? I recently saw documentation of a project by AIDS-3D called Ideal Work (Creative Solutions) that was phenomenal.
What do you do when you’re not working on art? Cooking, talking, reading, browsing, sitting, watching, walking, running, etc.
Anything you’re really excited about right now? Have you ever had a fresh Dutch apple pie from Michigan? That’s it!
If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go and why? I would go to Greece for the food and the music.
Top 3 favorite or most visited websites: Turbosquid for 3D models, youtube for cute cat videos, Google Reader for all my updates.
If you hadn’t become an artist, what do you think you’d be doing? I think I would be a Librarian or Information Scientist.
Favorite music? Clara Rockmore, Sara Montiel, Nina Simone, Maria Callas, Cher, Enya.
What were you like in high school? Gay nerd?
Any current or upcoming shows we should know about? PaintFX (John Transue, Parker Ito, Jon Rafman, Tabor Robak, me) is having a show in Chicago, February 2011 and we will all be there.
What are your plans for the next year? Improve my social skills, finish Major Works, listen listen listen, watch Molly Shea win Work Of Art.