In the exhibition New Work, Micah Adams continues his exploration of numismatic themes. Having collected and altered Canadian caribou quarters since 2008, Adams presents, for the first time, his ongoing accumulation of Rudolph quarters. Numismatics traditionally involves the study and collection of coins and currency. Adams has made a practice of identifying and examining the iconography found on coins, interpreting their original forms to produce unique and intricate drawings and sculptures. More specifically, he is drawn to representations of the natural world on coins as a starting point. This particular body of numismatic work is interspersed with other representations the natural and human-made worlds such as a large scale drawing of a tiny handheld tree made out of matchsticks. Micah Adams is a collector of objects as much as he is a maker of them. Adams began his formal art training at CÉGEP John Abbott College in Montréal and received his BFA in 2008 from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax. He has been an Artist in Residence at the Harbourfront Centre Jewellery/Metals studio in Toronto. He has also participated in visiting artist residencies at Open Studio in Toronto, the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture in Dawson City, Yukon and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington. Adams is currently based in Toronto. Micah Adams would like to acknowledge the generous support of the Ontario Arts Council. |