Desert Trade

Interdisciplinary artist Craig Goodworth and Biola art professor and sculptor Luke Aleckson talk about Goodworth's latest body of work. Goodworth's artistic practice lies on the boundary between theology and ecology and explores core themes of the body, place, animals, and ritual. 

Craig Goodworth grew up in Arizona and has spent much of his life in the West. Working in a variety of media including drawing, poetry, sculpture and installation he both makes objects and works with specific spaces. Core themes in his artwork are the body, land and ritual. His practice involves individual and collaborative endeavors, as well as working with specific communities. Goodworth holds Master’s Degrees in fine art and sustainable communities. He’s served as an artist in residence in various contexts including an Eastern Orthodox monastery. He has received several Fellowships in art and writing, most recently a Fulbright Research Grant to study in the Slovak Republic.

Luke Aleckson joined the Biola University Department of Art in Fall 2015. Previously Aleckson served as Department Chair, Professor of Art & Design, and Director of the Denler Gallery at the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, MN. Other professional experiences include teaching adjunct sculpture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he received his MFA in 2006, as well as work as a graphic artist, web designer and social network designer/developer. 

Aleckson’s artwork has been featured in solo exhibitions at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Suburban in Oak Park, IL, and the Jane Wallace Fine Arts Center in St. Paul, MN. His sculptural pieces have also been included in group exhibitions at the Chicago Artists Coalition, the Chicago Cultural Center, Transformer in Washington DC, and the Luminary Center for the Arts in St. Louis, MO. Aleckson’s work focuses on how utopian ideals manifest themselves in lived spaces. He is excited to research various utopian communities and histories in Southern California.  

Aleckson is a recipient of the Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant, Illinois Arts Council Artists Fellowship Award, the SAIC MFA Fellowship Award, and the Harvey Fellowship. He and his students have participated in Michelle Grabner’s (co-curator of the 2014 Whitney Biennial) Summer School at the Poor Farm in Little Wolf, WI--an informal gathering of artists exploring experimental forms of dialog and education together.