Artist’s Statement 

I am curious about the world and strive to know more. 

We do not truly know something until we communicate it to others. 

I want to share with others the work I put into researching and learning.

The collective knowledge we have as a community moves society forward.

We are not ready to act when we know, it is when we feel that we are most inspired.

My goal is to honor these values by turning abstract ideas into beautiful objects that challenge and inform. Through my sculpture, the viewer can see in a concrete form the invisible forces that shape our world. While I use quantitative information as the basis for my work, the object I create bridges the gap between thinking and feeling. As a former educator, I believe that all teaching is an expression of care, and that by researching, thinking, struggling, and making, I express my care for the viewer and society.

Bio

Alex’s work sits at the intersection of fine woodworking and data visualization. His goal is to transform pressing social, economic, and scientific issues into tangible, beautiful objects. In transforming abstract ideas and statistics into a physical form, he hopes to create a narrative for viewers. The themes of inequality, social well-being, mental health, climate change, and technological progress are important to him. 

Alex lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with his wife Chauncey. They have two grown children. He has an undergraduate degree in economics from Yale University and a Master’s degree in engineering from UC Berkeley.

Alex started his career in San Francisco, California at an institutional money manager where he researched software companies. While working in San Francisco, he built furniture as a hobby and tutored middle school students as a volunteer. After a few years in the financial services industry, graduate school, and taking care of his two young children full time, he transitioned to teaching high school students in Washington, D.C. He taught math and economics for nearly 20 years. Chauncey’s job drew them to Ann Arbor, where they have lived since 2012.