Michael Sherwin

Michael Sherwin is an artist currently based in the Appalachian Mountains of northern West Virginia. From an early age, he found inspiration in the phenomena of the physical world and has spent most of his life exploring and seeking wild places, including nine years in the American West. Using the mediums of photography, video and installation, his work explores scientific, cultural, and historical interpretations of the natural world. He has won numerous grants and awards for his work and has exhibited widely, including recent exhibitions at the Atlanta Contemporary Arts Center, Morris Museum of Art, Huntington Museum of Art, and the Center for Fine Art Photography among others. Reviews and features of his work have been published in The Washington Post, BuzzFeed News, Hyperallergic, Lenscratch, National Public Radio, Stuttgarter Zeitung in Germany, L’Oeil de la Photographie in France, and Esquire Russia. His work is included in several permanent collections including the Archive of Documentary Arts in the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Duke University, the Cincinnati Art Museum, The Cleveland Museum of Art, and the University of New Mexico Art Museum. In July 2021, Sherwin published his first major monograph, Vanishing Points, with Germany-based publisher, Kehrer Verlag. He has also lectured extensively about his work at universities and conferences across the nation. Sherwin earned an MFA from the University of Oregon in 2004, and a BFA from The Ohio State University in 1999. Currently, he is an Associate Professor of Art in the School of Art and Design at West Virginia University and Coordinator for the Photography and Global Positioning Studies programs. He is also an active and participating member of the Society for Photographic Education and the lead instructor for WVU's Jackson Hole Photography Workshop.