photo: Brandon Nguyen

AUSTIN J PRATT

b. 1987
austinjpratt@gmail | @austinjpratt

EDUCATION
2018    MFA, Painting+Drawing. University of Tennessee. Knoxville, Tennessee.
2015    BFA, Painting. Museum Studies Minor. University of Nevada. Reno, Nevada.


SOLO & TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2022    Array Hum. Artist-in-Residence, Great Basin National Park. Lilley Museum of Art Front Door Gallery. University of Nevada.
2021    To Territory Tile. Depot Gallery. Sierra Arts Foundation. Sparks, NV.
2020    A Gate, Wild, Breathing. Weigand Gallery. Oats Park Art Center. Fallon, NV.
2019    Weeping Laughing Song. With Tom Wixo. Holland Project Gallery. Reno, NV.
2018    Some Openings: MFA Thesis Exhibition. Ewing Gallery. University of Tennessee.
2017    Not This, Not This. Channel to Channel. Nashville, TN.
2017     Laced. Sheppard Contemporary. University Galleries Museum. University of Nevada.
2016    Skip Tracer. Gallery 1010. Knoxville, TN.
2015    Departing. Holland Project Gallery. Reno, NV.
2015    Common Fate. Student Galleries South. University of Nevada, Reno.
2014    Sierra Arts Foundation “Galleries at Work”. Bank of America Lobby. 50 W. Liberty St. Reno, NV.
2014    Fugitive Material. McNamara Gallery. University of Nevada, Reno.
2014    Immanent Domain: A Great Basin Gothic. Student Galleries South. University of Nevada.
2013    Chromed. Student Galleries South. With Tom Drakulich. University of Nevada.
2012    SIGIL SCAPES. Holland Project Gallery. With Anthony Renda. Reno, NV.


SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023    Between Earth and Sky. Curated by Rossitza Todorova. Nevada Humanities. Las Vegas, NV.
2022    Small Works. Soft Times Gallery. San Francisco, CA.
2022    Holding Pattern. Curated by Nick Larsen. Holland Project Galleries. Reno, NV.
2021    Baitball Art Fair. With Window Mine Gallery. Palazzo San Giuseppe. Polignano a Mare, Italy.
2020    Blessing in Disguise. Saint Maison Gallery. Online Exhibition based in London/Tokyo.
2020    Collective Perspective. Garage Door Gallery. Sierra Nevada University. Lake Tahoe, NV.
2020    Valley of the Sun. Holland Project Galleries. Reno, NV.
2020    Connections. Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Reno, NV.
2020    The Jobe Collection: 15 Years. Channel to Channel Gallery. Nashville, TN.
2019    The Village and the Forest. Great Mother Gallery. Portland, ME.
2019    Welcome to Hell. Ironwood Gallery. Knoxville, TN.
2018    UTK MFA. Coagula Curatorial. Los Angeles, CA.
2017    Mall Walker. Curated by Ezra Tessler. Abandoned Foot Locker, Knoxville Center Mall, TN.
2017    Of Mouse and Man. Wedge Ceramics Gallery. Reno, NV.
2017    Orange. Unix Gallery. New York, NY.
2017    Nostos: A Homecoming. Great Mother Conference. Portland, ME.
2016    Skull: 4th Biennial Exhibition. Curated by Chris Bauder. Sahara West Gallery. Las Vegas, NV
2016    A Closed-Mouth Canticle, À Baratear. Curated by Rubens Ghenov. Clarice Lispector Festival.
             The Central Collective. Knoxville, TN.
2016    When Words Were Like Magic. Great Mother Conference. Portland, ME.
2016    Peach. The Growlery. San Francisco, CA.
2015    ALL IN: 2015 Invitational. Holland Project Gallery. Reno, NV.
2015    Hi. Downtown Gallery. Knoxville, TN.
2015    Plaza Promenade. Sandbox Studios. Los Angeles, CA.
2014    Artown 50 Years of NV Wild. Friends of Nevada Wilderness. Reno, NV.
2014    Bathed in Sunshine, Covered in Dust (with Dane Haman). Holland Project Gallery. Reno, NV.
2013    Casual Sex/Happy Hour. Sub-MISSION Gallery. San Francisco, CA.
2012    Dead Air/Forbidden Fruit. Arlene Francis Center. Santa Rosa, CA.
2011    Vile Love: A New Western Perversion. Holland Project Gallery. Reno, NV.
2009  Punk Dust. Sinclair Street Pop-Up Gallery. Reno, NV.


CURATORIAL PRACTICE
2023    Toward a Tangled Turn: Knots, Nets, Threads, & Loops. Sheppard Contemporary. UNR.
2022    Alkali Syllabi: UNR Art Department Faculty. Sheppard Contemporary. UNR.
2022    Nothing is Hidden: Advanced Drawing. McNamara Gallery. University of Nevada, Reno.
2022    Constellations: MFA Focused Studio Practice. Sierra Nevada University. Lake Tahoe, NV.
2018     The Speaking Eye: Drawing on Intermediacy. McNamara Gallery. University of Nevada, Reno.
2018    The Side-Eye: Visions of Periphery. SPRING/BREAK Art Fair. Curated by Alana-lynn Berglund, Austin Pratt, & Tom Wixo.
              4 Times Square. NYC, NY.
2017    Witness Hand: Introduction to Drawing. Gallery 1010. Knoxville, TN.
2014    Dada and the Anti-Art Aesthetic: Anti-Art Legacies & Dada Local. Student Galleries South. University of Nevada, Reno.
2011    Forage: A Roaming Gallery. Holland Project Gallery. Reno, NV.
2011    Vile Love: A New Western Perversion. Holland Project Gallery. Reno, NV.
2009  Punk Dust. Sinclair Street Pop-Up Gallery. Reno, NV.


ACADEMIC POSITIONS
2022-Present    Curator and Manager, University Galleries
University of Nevada, Reno.

2020-Present    Adjunct Faculty, MFA Program
MFA-Interdisciplinary Arts, UNR-Lake Tahoe. Incline Village, NV.
        Courses Taught:
          • Graduate Seminar: Context & Culture of Contemporary Theory (Fall 2022)
          • Focused Studio Practice: Special Topics (“Constellations: Assemblage and the Rhizome”) (Spring 2022)
          • MFA Midway Conversations (Fall 2021, Fall 2020)
          • MFA Studio Mentorship (Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022)

2018-Present    Adjunct Faculty
Department of Art, Art History, and Design, University of Nevada.
        Courses Taught:
          • Graduate Seminar: Art Theory and Criticism (Spring 2021)
          • Painting I (Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023)
          • Intermediate Painting (Spring 2022)
          • Advanced Painting (Spring 2022)
          • Interdisciplinary Drawing (Fall 2019)
          • Drawing I (Spring 2019 [x2], Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020 [x2], Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022)
          • Drawing II (Fall 2018, Spring 2020)
          • Intermediate Drawing (Spring 2021, Spring 2022)
          • Advanced Drawing (Spring 2022)
          • Gallery Practices (Spring 2023, Spring 2024)

2018-Present    Program Assistant
MFA-Interdisciplinary Arts Program. UNR-Lake Tahoe. Incline Village, NV.

2019    Class Instructor
E.L. Cord Museum School. The Nevada Museum of Art. Reno, Nevada.
        Courses Taught:
          • Drawing Fundamentals & Figure Drawing (April-May 2019)
          • Drawing Techniques: Line, Shape, & Form (February-March 2019)

2017-2018    Graduate Teaching Associate, Instructor of Record
School of Art, University of Tennessee.
        Courses Taught:
          • Foundations: Introduction to Studio Art I (Spring 2016, Fall 2016)
          • Foundations: Introduction to Studio Art II (Spring 2017, Spring 2018)

2017-2018 Graduate Teaching Assistant
School of Art, University of Tennessee.
Courses Assisted Taught:
          • Drawing I (Fall 2015, Fall 2017)
          • Painting I (Spring 2016)
          • Painting II (Spring 2016)
          • Painting III (Fall 2017)


SELECTED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2019-Present Painting Studio Lab Technician and Studio Assistant
Studio Assistant to Michael Sarich, Associate Professor and Area Head of Painting. University of Nevada.

2018-Present Exhibition Assistant to Chief Preparator, Freelance
Nevada Museum of Art. Reno, NV.

2018-Present Exhibition Assistant to Chief Preparator, Freelance
Stremmel Gallery. Reno, NV.

2016-2018 Gallery Director
Gallery 1010. University of Tennessee Galleries.

2016 Studio Assistant
Jered Sprecher, Professor and Area Head of Painting+Drawing. University of Tennessee.

2013-2015 Gallery Director & Public Art Coordinator
City of Reno Galleries and Permanent Collection.

2013-2015 Permanent Collections Assistant
School of Arts, University of Nevada.

2013-2015 Painting Studio Lab Technician and Studio Assistant
Studio Assistant to Michael Sarich, Associate Professor and Area of Painting. University of Nevada.

2007-2012 Production Supervisor/Screen Printer
Action Embroidery & Design. Reno, NV.

2006-2007 Camera Operator/Production Assistant
KTVN News Channel 2. Reno, NV.


PROFESSIONAL SERVICE EXPERIENCE
2024    Search Committee Member
School of the Arts Program Manager.
College of Liberal Arts, University of Nevada, Reno.

2022-Present    Chair
Visiting Artist, Scholars, and Exhibitions Committee.
Department of Art, Art History, & Design, University of Nevada, Reno.

2019-Present    MFA Thesis Committee Member
Angela Sanders, 2023. UNR, MFA-IA.
Sarah Bird, 2023. UNR, MFA-IA.
Allyson Darakjian, 2023. UNR, MFA-IA.
Elaine Hullihen, 2023. UNR, MFA-IA.
Sarah Logan, 2022. Sierra Nevada University, MFA-IA.

2018-Present    BFA Thesis Committee Member
Alfredo Virgen Plascencia, Painting and Drawing, 2025. University of Nevada.
Abbay Anderson, Painting and Drawing, 2025. University of Nevada.
Aiyana Graham, Painting and Drawing, 2024. University of Nevada.
Ashley Frost, Painting and Drawing, 2023. University of Nevada.
Ashley Brock, Painting and Drawing, 2023. University of Nevada.
Halli Dalebout, Painting and Drawing, 2022. University of Nevada.
Emily Kray, Painting and Drawing, 2020. University of Nevada.

2015-2018    Graduate Student Representative
School of Art Graduate Committee. University of Tennessee.

2015-2018    Committee Member
School of Art Graduate Student Steering Committee. University of Tennessee.

2015-2018    Founder/Co-President
Painting+Drawing Club. University of Tennessee.

2012-2013    High School Art Mentor
Strangers Project and Exhibition. Hug High School and Holland Project. Reno, NV.

2010-2015    Gallery Committee Member
Holland Project Galleries. Reno, NV.

2009    Trail Building Team-Member
Great Basin Institute. Central Nevada.


WORKSHOP INSTRUCTION & DEMONSTRATIONS
2024    A Painting is a Picture that is Also an Object: Supports and Surfaces Workshops I & II.
              Teen Open Studios. The Holland Project. Reno, Nevada.
2023   Gallery Practices Workshop. University of Nevada, Reno.
2019    High Desert Bauhaus 100: Life Drawing in Color.
             Teen Art Night. The Holland Project & Nevada Museum of Art. Reno, Nevada.
2018    A Painting is a Picture that is Also an Object: Supports and Surfaces Workshops I & II.
             Teen Open Studios. The Holland Project & Nevada Museum of Art. Reno, Nevada.


RESIDENCIES
2021    Great Basin National Park. 
2015    St. Mary’s Art Center. Virginia City, NV.


ARTIST LECTURES & PANEL DISCUSSIONS
2023    “Sculpture & Topology: Julian Hoeber and Chris Herald”. Panel Discussion. Moderated by Austin Pratt. October 12, 2023.
               University of Nevada, Reno.
2022    “Fred Reid: The Heart of the Matter”. Panel Discussion. Moderated by Austin Pratt.
               Oats Park Art Center. February 26, 2022. Fallon, NV.
2022    "Art and Science at Great Basin National Park". GPNP Foundation. Panel Discussion.
               Moderated by Dr. Kenji Hakuta. Panelists: Austin Pratt and Serena Wurmser. January 2022.
2021    “Covid Comix”. Panel Discussion with Ilya Arbatman. Moderated by Austin Pratt.
               Holland Project. November 28, 2021. Reno, NV.
2021    “Trembling Grass / Vibrating Grass”. Panel Discussion. Moderated by Austin Pratt.
               Panelists: Julia Schwadron-Marianelli, Michelle Lassaline, Nate Clark. Oats Park Art Center. August 14, 2021. Fallon, NV.
2020    “Valley of the Sun: A Virtual Salon”. Nevada Humanities. Panel Discussion. Moderated by Austin Pratt.
                Panelists: Alisha Funkhouser, Jeannette Martinez, and Jonathan Cummins. July 17, 2020. Reno, NV.
2020    “Austin Pratt and Ahren Hertel”. Panel Discussion. Moderated by Jared Stanley. Oats Park Art Center. February 1, 2020. Fallon, NV.
2019    “The Salon: The Poetry of a Song”. Panel Discussion. Moderated by Britt Curtis.
               Panelists: Austin Pratt, Watson Meyer, and Iain Watson. Nevada Humanities. July 19, 2019. Reno, NV.
2018    “Some Openings: Heightened Language for a Generative Studio Practice”. Artist Lecture. Art Writing Symposium.
               Art History & Visual Culture Studies Program. University of Nevada, Reno.
2017     Painting+Drawing Visiting Artist Lecture. University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.
2017.   MFA Artist Lecture. University of Tennessee. Knoxville, TN.

2015    BFA Artist Lecture. University of Nevada, Reno.


SELECTED GRANTS & AWARDS
2020   City of Reno Artist Grant. Sierra Arts Foundation.
2019    2020 Visual Arts Fellowship. Nevada Arts Council. State of Nevada.
2017    Terry Burnett Memorial Scholarship. School of Art. University of Tennessee.
2016    School of Art Summer Fellowship. University of Tennessee.
2016    Dorothy Dille and Orin B. Graff Materials Award. School of Art. University of Tennessee.
2015    Chancellor’s Fellowship. School of Art. University of Tennessee.
2015    Graduate Teaching Assistantship. School of Art. University of Tennessee.
2014    Educator Scholarship. Third Triennial Art + Environment Conference. Nevada Museum of Art.


PUBLICATIONS
2020    New American Paintings. No. 144, West Issue. Juried by Rebecca Matalon, Curator, Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston.
              Edited by Steven T. Zevitas. Open Studios Press: Boston.
2020    Valley of the Sun. Exhibition Catalog. Holland Project Galleries. 54 pages. August 2020.
2020    Austin J. Pratt: A Gate, Wild, Breathing. Exhibition Catalog. 64 pages. February 2020.
2019    Weeping Laughing Song: Collaborative Drawings by Austin Pratt & Tom Wixo.
              Exhibition Catalog. 48 pages. August 2019.
2016    Studio Visit Magazine. Vol. 33. “Austin J. Pratt.” Juried by Michael Lash. Edited by Steven T. Zevitas. Open Studios Press: Boston. 2016.
2012    Sympathy for the Detail: Northern Nevada Artists. Group Exhibition Catalog. 35 pages. NGTVSPC Ext 02.


SELECTED CITATIONS
2022    “Q+A: Austin Pratt”. Jaedyn Young. Double Scoop.
2021    “Goo-Smearing and Other Rituals”. Soft Power Radio with Ilya Arbatman. Interview. KWNK Radio.  
2020    “5Qs with Ahren Hertel and Austin Pratt”. Interview. Holland Project.
2020    "Matching Picture: Austin Pratt’s World was a Good Place to Question My Own”. Josie Glassberg. Double Scoop.                                                 
2019    “In Conversation: Austin Pratt & Tom Wixo”. Interview. KWNK Radio.  
2017    "New Home For Student-Run Gallery 1010". Amy Blakely. Tennessee Today. 16 October 2017.
2017    “Archive Deep Dive.” Josie Glassberg. Reno News & Review. 24 August 2017
2017    “The Focus: Austin Pratt.” Brian Jobe. Locate Arts. 12 January 2017
2016    Studio Visit Magazine. Vol. 33. “Austin J. Pratt.” Juried by Michael Lash. Edited by Steven T Zevitas.
              Open Studios Press: Boston. 2016. p. 161.
2015    The Brushfire Literary & Arts Journal: Spring 2015. Cover image and two-page spread. University of Nevada, Reno
2014    “100 percent, All In: A Fundraising Art Show”. Ashley Hennefer. Reno News & Review. 25 September 2014.
2014    “Austin Pratt, Image Maker: 15 Minutes”. Brad Bynum. Reno News & Review. 27 February 2014.
2014    “Spitting Image: Love on a Terror: 7””. Maximum Rocknroll #372. May 2014.
2014    “Spitting Image: Love on a Terror: 7””. Ryan Nichols. Razorcake. May 2014.
2014    “Reno punks Spitting Image releasing a 7", planning LP”. Andrew Sacher. Brooklyn Vegan. 22 January 2014.
2013    “Little Picture Show”. Ashley Hennefer. Reno News & Review. 05 December 2013.
2012    “Spitting Image: Valley Floor: 7””. Matt Korvette. YellowGreenRed.com. December 2012.
2012    “Spitting Image: Valley Floor: 7””. Ian Wise. Razorcake. November 2012.
2012    “In Rotation: Spitting Image”. Brad Bynum. Reno News & Review. 27 September 2012.
2011    “Art, Rock”. Brad Bynum. Reno News & Review. 08 September 2011.
2011    “Ride Here, Ride Now”. Laura Davis. Reno News & Review. 21 July 2011.


DISCOGRAPHY
2023    “Full Sun” LP. Spitting Image. 33rpm 12”. Slovenly Recordings.
2019    “Not This, Not This”. Spitting Image. C-30 cassette EP.
2018    "Some Openings". Austin J Pratt. 33rpm 7" flexi-disc. This Not This X01.
2015    “Icon Alive” C-30 cassette EP. Spitting Image. Casino Trash Records 06.
2015    "Guide to Permanent Oblivion Vol. III". LP Compilation of Northern Nevada artists. Intruder Alert Records.
2014    “Love on a Terror” 7” 45rpm EP. Spitting Image. Broke Hatrè 12 / NGTV 4.
2013    “Live at Recycled Records”. C-30 cassette. Spitting Image. Broke Hatrè 09/ NGTV 03.
2012    “Valley Floor”. 7” 45rpm EP. Spitting Image. NGTV 01.
2011    “Spitting Image/Thee Indoors”. Split c-30 cassette. Spitting Image. NGTV 00. Reno, NV.


MEMBERSHIPS
Foundations in Art: Theory and Education (FATE), Association
National Art Education Association
College Art Association
PACCIN (Preparation, Art Handling, and Collections Care Information Network)
Nevada Museum of Art
Great Basin Community Food Cooperative


PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
C. Kermit Buck Ewing Museum Permanent Collection. University of Tennessee.
John and Geraldine Lilley Museum Permanent Collection. University of Nevada.