Steve Parker is an artist and musician in Austin, TX. He is the winner of the Rome Prize, the Tito's Prize, a

Fulbright Fellowship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

, and grants from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

Work

Steve Parker uses sculpture, sound, and performance to create communal, democratic works that examine history and behavior. ''Futurist Listening,'' at the CUE Art Foundation curated by Marcela Guerrero, featured sonic headwear, acoustic sculptures built from brass instruments, and graphic scores that utilized World War II tactics like jamming signals, coded messages, and warning sirens, reimagining them in sculptural form as tools for present-day protest and deception. ''WAR TUBA RECITAL,'' featured sculptural work inspired by the role of sound in conflict. In this exhibition, he drew from the work of Dr. Seuss, the WWII

Ghost Army The Ghost Army was a United States Army tactical deception unit during World War II officially known as the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops. The 1100-man unit was given a unique mission: to deceive Hitler's forces and mislead them as to the ...

, and

acoustic location Acoustic location is the use of sound to determine the distance and direction of its source or reflector. Location can be done actively or passively, and can take place in gases (such as the atmosphere), liquids (such as water), and in solids (s ...

to make a series of interactive sculptures. ''Grackle Call'' was a multi-media soundwalk that took audiences to the roosting locations of the great-tailed grackle. The work mimicked a birding experience, where audiences were provided with binoculars, iPods, and a printed program guide that guided them to performances, installations, radio stories, and soundscapes. In 2016, he composed ''Bat/Man,'' a participatory composition for bat echolocation, conch shells, funnel pipes, megaphone choir, and echolocation devices for the

Fusebox Festival Fusebox Festival is an annual festival of contemporary performance works (dance and theater) held in Austin, Texas, each spring. Founded in the mid-2000s, Fusebox is one of multiple interdisciplinary festivals that sprouted in the United States i ...

. In 2019, he was commissioned by

KMFA KMFA FM 89.5 is a non-profit, listener-supported, classical radio station licensed in Austin, Texas. Currently under ownership of Capitol Broadcasting Association, Inc, KMFA serves 100,000 listeners. The broadcast schedule consists of playlists ...

to create a long term installation called Sound Garden in the radio station's new building. Parker is the curator of SoundSpace at the

Blanton Museum of Art The Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art (often referred to as the Blanton or the BMA) at the University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest university art museums in the U.S. with 189,340 square feet devoted to temporary exhibitions, permanent coll ...

Selected exhibitions

* ''Foghorn Elegy,'' an installation of foghorns and communication tower about defunct forms of nautical communication commissioned by The Contemporary Austin, 2021 * ''Futurist Listening'' at Rich Mix, London, UK, 2021 * ''Sanctus,'' at the American Academy in Rome, 2021 * ''Texas Biennial,'' McNay Art Museum, 2021 * ''Sound Garden'' installation at radio station KMFA, 2020 * ''Futurist Listening,'' an exhibition about the role of listening in surveillance and conflict at the CUE Art Foundation, New York, NY, 2020 * ''Tubascope,'' an interactive listening tower based on WWII acoustic locators commissioned by the City of Ketchum

Performer

Parker is the trombonist for

Ensemble Signal Ensemble Signal is a contemporary classical music ensemble founded in 2008 and based in New York City. It is led by Brad Lubman and performs a variety of chamber, electro-acoustic, and large scale ensemble works. Work Ensemble Signal specializ ...

, a contemporary classical ensemble based in New York City. He has premiered over 200 new works for trombone, often including electronics and extended techniques. He is a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Partial discography

* ''Nearly Extinct'' with

Henry Kaiser Henry John Kaiser (May 9, 1882 – August 24, 1967) was an American industrialist who became known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. Prior to World War II, Kaiser was involved in the construction industry; his company was one of ...

/ Steve Parker / Damon Smith / Chris Cogburn (Balance Point, 2016) * ''Shelter'' with

and

Bang on a Can Bang on a Can is a multi-faceted contemporary classical music organization based in New York City. It was founded in 1987 by three American composers who remain its artistic directors: Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon. Called "the cou ...

(Cantaloupe Music, 2013)

References

External links

Artist website

Faculty profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Steve American sound artists Interdisciplinary artists American trombonists Living people American male jazz musicians Year of birth missing (living people)