Michael Ray Charles
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Michael Ray Charles (1967- ) is an African American painter born in Lafayette, Louisiana.
He spent most of his youth growing up in Los Angles, CA. New Orleans , La. and St.Martinville, LA. He graduated from St. Martinville Senior High School 1985. Later that fall he entered Mc Neese State University , Lake Charles, La. Over the next three and one half years Charles studied design and advertising before receiving a BFA degree in 1989. After receiving his MFA degree in 1993 from the University of Houston, Houston ,Tx. Charles began teaching at The University of Texas at Austin,Tx .
Charles is amongst the first group of artist showcased in the 2001, PBS series titled "ART 21." The water shed series highlights top artist of the twenty- first century. A 2003 article, in Black Issues In Higher Education acknowledges Charles as one of the top future African American scholars under forty. In 2000, he was a consultant on Spike Lee's film, "Bamboozled" and has been the subject of several film documentaries.
He has served as a panelist for National Endowment for the Arts and jurors for The Bush Artist Fellowship, St. Paul , MN. and the Inaugural Biennial Underground Railroad Exhibition , Northern Kentucky University, KY.
Most recently, his work was included in the 2006 documentary " Race is the Place" and exhibitions at Cotthem Gallery, Barcelona, Spain and the PMMK Museum of Modern Art , Ostend ,Belgium.
He lectures and exhibits nationally and internationally , his work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in New York City , Germany, Paris, Belgium ,Spain Norway, Miami, and Santa Fe. His work is documented in many books, magazines and news papers as well as an extensive number public and private collection around the world including the Museum of Fine Arts Houston , Houston ,Texas , Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York ,San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas, Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York and the Austin Museum of Art, Austin, Texas.
Today, Charles continues to exhibit in national and international venues. His work remains the subject of books, magazines , and news papers articles and h work is included in many public and private collection. Currently , Charles is a Professor of Art in the department of Art and Art History at The University of Texas at Austin. He and his family reside in Austin, Texas.
