Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Goss.
Hi Scott, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m originally from Cleveland, which is where I still live. In high school I mostly just made it by, getting good enough grades to not get in trouble, but never really applying myself. It wasn’t until I took a trip to Europe right after high school that I first interacted with contemporary installation art and found the career I really wanted to pursue and apply myself to. This new focus directed me to the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA), where I graduated from in 2006.
After college, I pursued the life of an independent artist, finding ways to survive off what little I could earn from my art. I assisted a few more established artists in the production of their work, and managed a few other side jobs. When money and time allowed, I always found myself in the studio. I was always afraid of taking too much time off from my art career, fearful that if I did, I’d lose the momentum I’d had so far. I slowly built up a small group of collectors who supported my work and endeavors as an artist, until I realized I was looking for something more in my art.
This led me to graduate school at Kent State University (KSU), where I was able to further pursue concepts and explorations in my work that I was previously unable to do in college or post-college. I was encouraged to look beyond what I was familiar with, to take more chances with my work, and to learn more about art and art history as a foundation for my work. This encouragement by the faculty at KSU gave me broader skill sets in art and design that was unforeseen when I first began applying to graduate school.
Also in grad school at KSU, I was given the opportunity to teach college-level art courses. Previous to this, I always considered myself shy and a little quiet. But put me in a classroom and I open up and become more expressive. Teaching art was easy for me and the faculty at KSU allowed me opportunities to bring new ideas into the classroom and find ways to enhance the curriculum within the school.
My career in teaching did not end in 2014 when I received my MFA from KSU. My love for teaching was born at Kent, but I now find myself growing up as a professor at my alma mater, the Cleveland Institute of Art. It is here that I find myself teaching first year students in the Foundation Department. I teach a variety of classes including design and digital art, where I provide the same groundwork for success as an artist I received as a student at CIA. Some of my biggest joys as a Foundation student at CIA was being encouraged to explore new materials and ideas, which I now am happy to say I have the opportunity to provide to my students.
In addition to teaching, I have a full-time active and successful studio in Midtown Cleveland and have found a lot of fulfillment in my post-graduate art career. Recent successes include a series of public art installations, including a current one for a fire station in Lakewood, Ohio. In addition to public art, I have found success in the gallery world, with the recent debut of a new body of sculptural works at the Sculpture Center in Cleveland.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No road is always smooth.
The biggest hurdle I faced was right after graduate school. I came out of school with the goal of continuing my art career while teaching college art courses. But what I did not learn in grad school was how difficult it would be to jump start this new career path. With a family at home, I felt the pressure to work and provide, but did not want to lose sight of my art career. I was without a studio and barely made new work, which left me fearful I would lose a grip on my art. Plus, being an adjunct professor at a college is a painfully unfair venture. Underpaid and with limited opportunities to teach, I struggled to provide for my family the way I wanted to.
It wasn’t until a little nudge came from my parents to not give up on my art and some financial backing from my family that put me back in the studio and within a year I landed my first public art commission. More since then have come my way and now I feel my studio is on stable ground. In addition to my studio, my teaching career got a bump in 2018 when I was offered a Lectureship at CIA, where I now find myself as the Assistant Chair of the Foundation Department.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My original art pursuits coming out of CIA were in glass. At CIA I learned glassblowing, sculpting, fusing, and casting. My work in glass though always took on a more painterly approach. I am interested in images and the application of images onto glass. This includes glass painting, screen printing, etching, and sandblasting. This work has always leaned more architectural in design, mostly as an influence from my father who was a well-established architect for many schools and universities in northeast Ohio. My current glass work is more abstract than earlier bodies, as I find ways to incorporate patterning from old building within my designs.
The work I created out of graduate school is completely different from my glasswork. In grad school, I was encourage to tackle new ideas and materials, which led me to creating experiential installations that are designed around user experience. I design spaces and sculptures that encourage viewer participation and interaction. These include computer programmed sensors that activate switches, turning on motors or TVs.
The work is playful and whimsical in nature, allowing me to portray my curious side to the world.
What’s next?
Where what once felt bleak, I now see my future as bright. I find myself continuing to pursue the next big project for my studio. I would love the opportunity to have a larger studio, with assistants that could help in the design and creation of my work. This was a career opportunity allotted to me out of college and being able to pay it forward to recent college graduates seems like an important step in my continual pursuit of art and education.
Pricing:
- Fused glass work range $300-4000
- Sculptural work is for sale, range $500-10,000
- Commission work varies, range $2500-100,000
Contact Info:
- Email: scott@scottgoss.com
- Website: www.scottgoss.com
- Instagram: @scottgossstudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scgossart
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/scott_goss
Image Credits
Cleveland Institute of Art
Jacob Koestler
Scott Goss
