Jon Goldman has been called a “digital renaissance man” by the Boston Globe primarily because, as a media artist, his work encompasses many forms with a unique ability to accomplish all well.
His projects range from large-scale, architecturally installed, kinetic inflatable sculptures to broadcast videos and animations such as OIL IN THE FAMILY (a documentary that looks into the price of progress on the land of his great grandfathers – Louisiana) and his family’s connection to the classic Rober J. Flaherty film LOUISIANA STORY about a young Cajun boy whose is forever changed by the appearance of an oil rig on his bayou. Goldman returns to Louisiana and finds the “boy” now in his seventies. Then the Deepwater Horizon tragedy happens.
He has produced for Al Jazeera International, Discovery Channel, and WGBHLAB/Boston, has been an associate producter in New York for the South Street Theatre, helping to produce the Stravinsky ballet “Pulchinella Suite” for puppets, O’Neill’s one-act “Hughie,” and Tennessee William’s “Portrait of a Madonna.” His recent work has included directing a music video on Dr. John’s (Mac Rebbenack’s) recent collaborative song ALL WASHED UP about the resilience of Gulf coast inhabitants post-BP oil spill.
Jon is also a prolific painter, having trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. He works in oil, the misch technique (egg tempera and oil), and large-scale watercolor. He has shown extensively around the U.S., Japan, and Korea since receiving his Masters at M.I.T.’s Center for Advanced Visual Studies, where his sculptural work focused on large-scale kinetic pieces that “performed” via wind activation. For over twenty-five years he has designed branding and collateral work for a wide range of clients, including G Green Design Center, a design firm that specializes in sustainable building materials.
His work is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt National Museum of Design, and other permanent private collections. He is currently involved in the Village Portrait Project, in which he is digitally painting the 780 inhabitants of his small Cape Cod village, Woods Hole, Massachusetts for a public art display. His new work is focused on building community through creativity.
© 2014 • Jon Goldman