John S. Gordon – Brief Biography

John S. Gordon is an American visual artist whose works meld two artistic traditions: the assemblage thread that connects artists such as Hannelore Baron, George Herms, Betye Saar, and H.C. Westermann; and the perceptual, experiential explorations of artists like Robert Irwin, Maria Nordman and James Turrell

His works have been shown in museums and galleries around the nation, including the L.A. Louver Gallery, Los Angeles; Artist’s Space, New York; the New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts; and the Whitney Museum of American Art. He is a recipient of an Individual Artist Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The key elements of Gordon’s distinctive artistic practice: the peculiar juxtaposition of seemingly incompatible elements in a context that welcomes and presumes paradox, are the same elements that made him a successful and respected arts administrator. His service to American arts education spanned some 40 years, during which time he held the following senior administrative posts: President of the ill-fated Santa Fe University of Art and Design, Provost of the Otis College of Art and Design, Director of San Diego State University’s School of Art and Design, Dean of Fine Arts and then Provost at Pratt Institute in New York City, Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Kansas City Art Institute, Dean of Arts and Cultural Studies at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Vice President for Academic Affairs at the California College of Arts and Crafts, and Dean of the School of Fine Arts at the University of Southern California.

He holds a B.A. in studio art from Antioch College, and an M.F.A. in sculpture from the Claremont Graduate University.

In 2022 John and his spouse, Roman Sebastian Lujan, relocated from Santa Fe, New Mexico to  Pátzcuaro, an historic town located at the southern tip of Lake Pátzcuaro in Michoacán state, México – some 300+ kilometers west of Mexico City.