Prof chosen for Whitney Museum Biennial

The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City has selected Michael Smith, assistant professor of transmedia and performance, to be one of 81 artists featured in the 2008 Whitney Biennial, the museum’s signature exhibition and survey of the state of contemporary art in the United States today. The selection recognizes Smith’s importance and influence on younger artists. Smith’s 30year artistic career includes live performance, video works, commercial and cable television skits, puppet shows, exhibition installations, comic publications and drawings. Smith’s work recently was the focus of “Mike’s World,” which debuted at The Blanton Museum of Art and will travel to the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania later this year. The exhibit features 30 years of videos, installation environments and other performancerelated materials detailing the adventures of “Mike,” a sweet but hapless Everyman character created by Smith, in his hilariously awkward and ineffectual search for a piece of the American Dream.The 2008 Whitney Biennial begins March 6 and runs through June 1.