Mark Yale Harris (born 1936) is an American sculptor, and a former businessperson. He is working primarily in stone and bronze for his art. Beginning his professional life in the business sector, in 1972 Harris co-founded and was executive vice president of

Red Roof Inn Red Roof Inn is an American economy hotel chain in the United States. Red Roof has over 600 properties globally, primarily in the Midwest, Southern, and Eastern United States. Red Roof Inn is a pet-friendly hotel chain. History The earliest it ...

s. In 1991, he founded AmeriSuites Hotels, where he served as

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

.Herchenroeder, Karl. ''Businessman turned artist brings emotion to form.''https://www.aspentimes.com/entertainment/activities-events/businessman-turned-artist-brings-emotion-to-form/ The Aspen Times He lives and works in the

Roaring Fork Valley The Roaring Fork Valley is a geographical region in western Colorado in the United States. The Roaring Fork Valley is one of the most affluent regions in Colorado and the U.S. as well as one of the most populous and economically vital areas of th ...

region of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

Early life

Harris was born in Buffalo, New York in 1936. He attended the business program at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

(OSU), earning a B.S.S. degree in 1961.

Business career

Harris worked for more than 30 years in

hospitality Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis de Jaucourt, Louis, chevalier de J ...

urban development Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

. In 1972, he partnered with

Jim Trueman James R. Trueman (May 25, 1935 – June 11, 1986) was an American businessman and automobile racing team owner. His most successful business ventures were Red Roof Inn motels and the Truesports racing team. Bobby Rahal won the 1986 Indianapolis 5 ...

, also an OSU alumnus, to co-found

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. The company opened over 300 properties primarily in the Midwest, South, and Eastern United States. In 1991, Harris founded

Amerisuites AmeriSuites Hotels was a hotel chain last owned by Global Hyatt. It was founded by Mark Yale Harris, cofounder of Red Roof Inns. In 1991, Harris founded AmeriSuites Hotels. AmeriSuites was an innovator in offering one of the first available afford ...

. Within a short time, the company opened approximately 100 locations throughout the United States. In the late ‘90s, he sold this business to

The Blackstone Group Blackstone Inc. is an American alternative investment management company based in New York City. Blackstone's private equity business has been one of the largest investors in leveraged buyouts in the last three decades, while its real estate bu ...

. Based in Austin, Texas at the time, Harris chaired the

Urban Land Institute The Urban Land Institute, or ULI, is a nonprofit research and education organization with regional offices in Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and London. ULI advocates progressive development, conducting research, and education in topics such as s ...

, Austin District council 1998 to 2000, which led to his chairmanship of the 2nd Annual

Smart Growth Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in compact walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl. It also advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood sch ...

Conference, also in Austin, in 1999.

Early artistic work and education

While Harris sold his main business in 1996, he continued with business projects while learning to carve stone. This became a passion after taking an

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that includes ...

carving class in Austin, Texas. Harris then sought out a mentor in

Aleut The Aleuts ( ; russian: Алеуты, Aleuty) are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, which are located between the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Both the Aleut people and the islands are politically divided between the U ...

sculptor Bill Prokopiof, whose work he had long admired and collected. The artist invited Harris to work alongside him in his studio in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

Nez Perce The Nez Percé (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years.Ames, K ...

sculptor Doug Hyde took him under his wing. Both sculptors had been among the protégés of Native American sculptor

Allan Houser Allan Capron Houser or Haozous (June 30, 1914 – August 22, 1994) was a Chiricahua Apache sculptor, painter and book illustrator born in Oklahoma.Chiricahua Chiricahua ( ) is a band of Apache Native Americans. Based in the Southern Plains and Southwestern United States, the Chiricahua (Tsokanende ) are related to other Apache groups: Ndendahe (Mogollon, Carrizaleño), Tchihende (Mimbreño), Sehende ...

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

). Houser was known for his willingness to share his knowledge and Prokopiof and Hyde followed his lead. While beginning to find a measure of recognition for his work, Harris continued to challenge himself and expand his creative development. Several intensive workshops contributed to his process and skill, including studies with singer-songwriter and multidisciplinary artist Terry Allen,

Jo Harvey Allen Jo Harvey Allen is an American writer, actress, and artist. Education Allen was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas, to a dress shop manager mother and a carpenter father. In 1961, she married artist and singer Terry Allen and moved to Los Ang ...

James Surls James Arthur Surls (born 1943) is an American modernist artist and educator, known for his large sculptures. He founded the Lawndale Alternative Arts Space at the University of Houston in the 1970s. Biography James Arthur Surls was born April ...

, Lincoln Fox and John Forno at the

Anderson Ranch Arts Center Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a non-profit arts organization founded in 1966 and located in Snowmass Village, Colorado. They host an artist in residency program and the center offers workshops and classes by artists in the summer months of June, J ...

and the Marble Institute of Colorado.

Artwork

Stone

Harris began to work in alabaster, marble and limestone. Regarding his work, Harris said, “The motivation for me is to try and interpret an emotion, be it human or animal, within my media. In my case, attempting to blend form, figure, emotion and gesture often result in a figurative abstraction.” Of his intentions, he stated, “Life has a hard, aggressive side, as does much of my work, represented by rigid, angular lines. However, the soft side is also apparent, visible as curves and soft forms. My evolving body of work evokes this duality.”

Monumental bronze

In 2006, the artist enlarged a tabletop-sized

maquette A ''maquette'' (French word for scale model, sometimes referred to by the Italian names ''plastico'' or ''modello'') is a scale model or rough draft of an unfinished sculpture. An equivalent term is ''bozzetto'', from the Italian word for "sketc ...

into monumental proportions. He found that some pieces work best on an intimate scale, while others require sheer size. He formed large works that lent themselves more to bronze. Recent instruction at CREATE Center for the Arts introduced Harris to the use of the

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), educ ...

program

Oculus Oculus (a term from Latin ''oculus'', meaning 'eye'), may refer to the following Architecture * Oculus (architecture), a circular opening in the centre of a dome or in a wall Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Oculus'' (film), a 2013 American ...

as an adjunct to his existing practice of drawing preliminary sketches before working directly with the stone. He sponsored a lecture and demonstration series, Untapped Potential, VR for Artists, at Carbondale Arts and The Art Base.

Animal sculpture

Though known for his figurative works, Harris also has a significant portfolio of animal sculptures. The psychological overtones of his figurative works give way to moments in time and the whimsy of nature. Harris captures the lumbering bear’s walk, the graceful leap of fish from the water, the lazy heaviness of cattle.

Selected exhibitions

Harris' art is represented by over twenty galleries in the US and UK. He has appeared in solo, museum and international exhibitions, including the

Royal Academy of London The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

, United Kingdom; Marin MOCA;

High Desert Museum The High Desert Museum is located near Bend, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1982, it brings regional wildlife, culture, art and natural resources together to promote an understanding of natural and cultural heritage of North America's high ...

; Ventana Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico;

National Museum of Wildlife Art The National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) is a museum located in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, United States that preserves and exhibits wildlife art. The 51,000 square foot building with its Idaho quartzite façade was inspired by the ruins of Slains Ca ...

; Orange County Center for Contemporary Art;

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...

, Edinburgh, United Kingdom;

National Sculpture Society Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society (NSS) was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding members ...

, New York, New York;

Millicent Rogers Museum The Millicent Rogers Museum is an art museum in Taos, New Mexico, founded in 1956 by the family of Millicent Rogers. Initially the artworks were from the multi-cultural collections of Millicent Rogers and her mother, Mary B. Rogers, who donated ...

, Taos, New Mexico; The Wildlife Experience Museum;

Peace Arch Park Peace Arch Park is an international park consisting of Peace Arch Historical State Park in the United States and Peace Arch Provincial Park in Canada. The park straddles the international boundary between the two countries at the extreme western ...

; Museum of the Southwest;

Palm Springs Art Museum The Palm Springs Art Museum (formerly the Palm Springs Desert Museum) was founded in 1938, and is a regional art, natural science and performing arts institution for Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, in Riverside County, California, United St ...

;

Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum The Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum is located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States. The museum was founded in 1978. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, dedicated to interpreting, conserving and exhibiting the history and material cu ...

;

Yellowstone Art Museum The Yellowstone Art Museum in downtown Billings, Montana is the largest contemporary art museum in Montana. History and mission of the museum The Yellowstone Art Center (now the Yellowstone Art Museum, or YAM) opened in October 1964 in the former ...

; and the

Austin Museum of Art The Contemporary Austin, originally known as the Austin Museum of Art, is Austin, Texas's primary contemporary art museum, consisting of two locations and an art school. The Contemporary Austin reflects the spectrum of contemporary art through exh ...

Recognition

* Columbus Museum of Art’s Decorator Show House - Columbus, Ohio (2015) * Second Place, Sculpture - Museum of the Southwest, Group Exhibition - Midland, Texas (2009) * Best of Show: Second Place, 3D Mixed Media Division - Museum of the Southwest, Spring Juried Art Exhibition - Midland, Texas (2007) * Roswell Museum, Sculpture - sponsor, Roswell Chamber of Commerce - Roswell, New Mexico (2002) * First Place, Elisabeth Ney Museum Sculpture Show - Austin, Texas (1996)

Organizations

* International Sculpture Center * Carbondale Public Arts Commission (Colorado), former Chair * New Mexico Sculptors Guild, former Vice-Chair * National Sculpture Society Texas Society of Sculptors * Texas Fine Arts Association * Friends of Contemporary Art Santa Fe * Austin Visual Artist’s Association * Society of Animal Artists

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Mark Yale 1936 births Living people American male sculptors Ohio State University alumni American hoteliers Artists from Buffalo, New York