"The art of ideas is fundamental to Steel's working process and is at the heart of his work to date. For Steel, art and life are not separate spheres. Instead, his art is only an extension of who he is and is thus fully integrated into his life." -- Sarah Evilsizor
Gregory Steel was born in Detroit and raised by his maternal grandparents in the Motor City's East Side's richly diverse neighborhoods. From an early age, Steel was encouraged by his grandmother's innovative use of ordinary materials in constructing unique objects and arrangements. Her novel approaches using environmental resources, combined with her support, positively influenced Steel's artistic development. Teaching himself art practice in his spare time, Steel held jobs in various disciplines to support his work. Still, after many years of making art independently, he realized he needed a serious art education.
Attending school part-time and working full-time, Steel received a BFA from The College for Creative Studies in Detroit and an MFA from the University of Michigan. Completing his studies, he took a position at The College for Creative Studies, teaching sculpture and experimental media. Steel is currently an Associate Professor of Fine Arts & New Media at Indiana University Kokomo. Gregory completed his Ph.D. In Philosophy from the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts. His dissertation is titled, The Sublime: an existential and ontological alliance with mystery.
The art of ideas is fundamental to Steel's working process and is at the heart of his work to date. For Steel, art and life are not separate spheres. Instead, his art is only an extension of who he is and is thus fully integrated into his life. Navigating academic discourse and Modernist and postmodernist dilemmas, Steel soon came to depend on his instinct that art is an internal process. His influences include Joseph Beuys, Allan Kaprow, David Smith, Mark DeSuvero, Anthony Caro, Alice Aycock, Joeseph Wesner, Jay Holland, Isamu Noguchi. Experiencing contemplative objects is foremost in Steel's work. To this end, Steel employs a variety of materials and techniques in his art, including video, object making, digital imaging, book publishing, installation, performance, and innovative technology, as well as traditional sculptural methodologies.
A brush with cancer in 1998 affected his work in many ways that give him a higher focus and sense of urgency to complete his life's work. As an idea artist, he views the various materials he uses as merely a way to fulfill the art's function. Through this diversity, he resists easy categorization. Unable to be pigeonholed and deeply integrated with his life, Steel's artworks are a richly layered and evolving experience. His concerns about the human condition and social change and his hope for humankind are evident regardless of his final product. Whether Steel is collaborating in a groundbreaking physiological monitoring system with Cybernet Systems of Ann Arbor, creating intimate and humorous tableaus replete with miniature figures in outlandish settings, or constructing a monumental steel sculpture, his art emerges as thoughtful and timely. Steel's work has been shown across the United States and Europe, most recently in China, Russia, London, and Barcelona, Spain.
