Louis Marinaro

Sculptor Louis Marinaro joined the School of Art and Design in 1981 as a visiting artist and was granted a full-time teaching position in 1982. Prior to his appointment at the University of Michigan, he was an assistant professor of art at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2000, he served as interim associate dean of graduate studies at the School of Art & Design, and from 2002 to 2005, he was director of the School’s International Programs. Concurrently with his position at the University of Michigan, he served as visiting lecturer at the New York Academy of Art in Manhattan from 1991 through 2001.

Marinaro’s work has been supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Michigan Council for the Arts Grant, the Tiffany Foundation, the University of Michigan, and the University of Pittsburgh. In 1988, he received the Amoco Distinguished Teaching Award and, in the following year, was awarded the U-M’s Teaching Excellence Award.

As a sculptor, Louis Marinaro maintains an active exhibition schedule both nationally and regionally. His work can be found in numerous private collections. He is also the author of two public works that are permanently installed on the University of Michigan campus. In addition, he has given numerous public lectures about his work, which has also been featured in two national publications.

Marinaro describes his sculpture as content-driven. As he notes, "My art is based upon what I imagine and what I perceive. I intend for my work to function on many levels, both visually and contextually. It is a metaphor interwoven among what I see, imagine and know. My intention is to tell the viewer about particular things that I hope they can imagine in a new way. I try to offer a perception of the world in which we live that embodies the complexity of life experiences."