Mike Todd, Sculptor-Primary Structures, 1967 to 2017

Sculptor Michael Todd will be featured in the Winter show in the Fine Arts Gallery at West Los Angeles College from December 7 to January 7.

Todd creates sculptural works in wood, metal, and clay. His career has spanned 50 years and he has work in many major museums.

A reception, free to the public, will be held in the Fine Arts Gallery on Thursday, December 7 from 5 pm to 7. Parking is available in the adjacent parking structure for $2.00 (exact change needed). The show is currated by art dealer, lecturer and radio personality Molly Barnes.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Todd's work can be found in many public collections, including the Whitney Museum, the Metropolitan Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum, Storm King Art Center, the Norton Simon Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In addition to Bennington and UCSD, Todd has held teaching positions at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Otis College of Art and Design and University of California, Irvine.

Todd's first solo exhibitions took place at the Hanover Gallery in London and Pace Gallery in New York. His work was also included in the Whitney Museum's Annuals of 1964, 1966, 1967 and 1970 and LACMA's landmark exhibition American Sculpture of the Sixties. While teaching at Bennington College, he was invited to join the Arts Faculty at the University of California, San Diego in 1968. Thanks to the abundance of steel from the shipbuilding industry in San Diego, Todd shifted from wood to metal and began to develop his own mature artistic vocabulary.

Asked about his approach to art by The Eastsider, Tood explained, "I go where my brain takes me. Certain metaphysical themes, some spiritual themes come out – but I don't like to pretend I'm a saint. I like to play. For me art is high form of play."