EDUCATION

1957 B.F.A. Degree, Scripps College, Claremont, California
1959 M.S. Degree, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York

PROPRIETOR

1963 - Present: Colson School of Art, Inc. Sarasota, Fl
1977 - 1985:  Colson Sculpture Service International Sarasota, Fl

POSITIONS

1999 - Present.  Board of Directors,  Museum of Asian Art. Sarasota, Florida.
1993 - 1994: Chairman of the Board: Public Art Advisory Board City of Sarasota, Florida.
1990 - 1993 Appointment. Public Art Advisory Board City of Sarasota, Florida
1991 Sole Juror: Ringling Museum of Art 20th Craft Festival Sarasota, Florida
1987 Curator of Art for the Palm-Air Corporation of Pompano Beach, Florida.
1987 Judge : Lake Mary - Heathrow Festival of the Arts Orlando, Florida
1968 - 69: Director: St. Andrews Art and Nature Center New Brunswick, Canada.
1964 - 1965: President: Florida Craftsmen

ART FACULTY

1963 -1973: Penland School of Crafts, Penland NC
1963: University of Tampa. Tampa, Florida
1959 - 1962: Florida State University. Tallahassee, Florida

CONSULTANT
1991: Austin Productions Inc. Holbrook, New York. Complete art bronze casting layout for operation.

DEMONSTRATIONS

1980: Guest Artist, New Zealand Society of Potters
1972: Tasmanian College of Advanced Education. Hobart, Tasmania.
1970: World Crafts Council, Dublin, Ireland.
1968: World Crafts Council, Lima, Peru.

Additional demonstrations and workshops in Panama, Brazil, Australia, Germany, England, Guatemala and Mexico; including six years for the International Sculpture Conferences, 1972-1978.

PUBLISHED

Rocky Raku, online eManual. 2003. www.r2d2u.com 

Caterina Catenary, online eManual, 2003. www.r2d2u.com 

Freddie M. Foundry, online eManual, 2003. www.r2d2u.com 

Tiles by Hand Published by Design Books International, Madison, WIsconsin
Kiln Building with Space Age Materials, Published by Prentice Hall, New York, NY.1975.

AWARDS

1999: Silverhawk Internet Worldwide Award, 4th Annual Fine Crafts Exhibition, Mixed Media Award.
1991: First Honoree Inductee of most noted Sarasota artist “Living History” a Video Arts Anthology-produced by Community Video Archives
 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2008: Frank Colson Retrospective Museum Exhibition Selby Gallery of Ringling College in Sarasota, Florida. May 2008

2005: International Festival of Postmodern Ceramics at the City Museum of Varazdin, in Croatia.

2004: Galleria D'Arte II Millennio at Venice, Italy

2003: Florence Bienalle dell'Arte Contemporanea at Fortezza da Basso.  Firenze, Italy.

2003: "Spring Garden Show". The Wave Gallery. Key West, Florida.

2003:  "The Year of The Horse" -  Artist Hall at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Houston, TX.

2002: “Masks: A Community of Images” White Crane Gallery. Omaha, NE

2002: “Animals on Parade” July 7-11. Philinda Gallery. Edwards, CO

2002: "Equestrian Exhibit" May 22-30. Patricia Carlisle Fine Art. Santa Fe, NM
2002: Gallerie Chiz "For the Horsey Set" Group Exhibit. Pittsburgh, PA
2001: "Holiday Collection" Sylvia Ullman American Crafts Gallery. Cleveland.
2001: Retrospective, Venice Art Center, Venice, Florida
2000: City Art Gallery. Stockholm, Sweden.
1999: III Salo Internacional d’Artistes - EuroArt ‘99 , Barcelona
1980: Warner Communications Gallery, Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY.

Mr. Colson has had a broad spectrum of additional exhibitions, and solo exhibits from California to Tokyo, from Ohio, New Mexico, South Dakota, and most of Florida.

SELECTED MAJOR COMMISSIONS AND PUBLIC ART
2003 Balloon Trio. Three fabricated forms,  26",  28",  37"  diameter 
hanging from the ceiling in a Ft. Lauderdale waterfront residence. 
2002: Flamingos on the Beach. 8’ tall painted flamingo commissioned by Miami-Dade Art in Public Places.
2000: Sprite. 6’ high replica of original Frank Lloyd Wright Sculpture. Commissioned for the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Sarasota, Fl.
1998: The Spirit of the American Doughboy. Life size reproduction in bronze of memorial statue by E. M. Viquesney for special Memorial Day dedication. Commissioned by City of Sarasota.
1998:  The Immigrants. Life size grouping of mother, child, father, and infant in bronze. Commissioned by The Canadian Immigrant Commemorative Association. Toronto, Canada.
1998: Endangered Sea Turtles. 40’ exterior wall of sea turtle forms in clay. Private Client. San Francisco, California.
1998: 5’ diameter clay Medallion, overhead East wall of Fountain courtyard at Venice Art Center. Venice, Florida.
1998: Galactic Fusion. Freestanding abstract fiber-optic sculpture. Internally lighted. Private Estate. Sarasota, Fl.
1997: Sunwatch condominium staircase entryway. Tropical Wall Tile Fountain (8’x10’x2’) Island Estates. Clearwater, Florida.
1997: Five Maori Relief panels (5’ x 2’ ea.) Entry lobby. Cleveland Playhouse Square Hotel. Cleveland, Ohio.
1997: Suspended Fish Fountain group for Rabow residence. Sarasota, Florida.
1996: Propulsion. 26’ ceramic swimming pool wall relief for Flanigan residence. Sarasota, Florida.
1995: Spirit of the World. Oceania Condominium. Island Tower Fountain Sculpture 15’ high bronze figure. Biscayne Boulevard.  North Miami Beach, Florida
1994: Sunrise.  Hillhaven Lobby Entrance 16’ high clay relief of abstracted rising sun, Ft. Meyers, Florida.
1993: St. John the Evangelist Church, Naples, Florida. 14 Stations of the Cross (bronze), 8 Holy Water Fonts, (bronze and gold), Processional Cross and Pascal Candle Holder.
1991: City of Orlando, Florida, Public Art Permanent Collection for new City Hall. Armored Horse. Medieval armored horse in clay (34”x35”x13”)
1989: Art in Public Places commission for Central Brevard Library, Cocoa, Florida - Ceramic relief 12’ in diameter, mounted on exterior of building 40’ high.
1986: Tree of Life. 9’x 19’ bronze relief. Memorial Hospital, Port Charlotte, Florida.
1986: Six foot high Olmac head. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
1985: Tree of Life. 9’x 16’ bronze relief . Memorial Hospital, Orlando, Florida.
1982: Lobby entrance 12’x 10’ Modular Face Form relief, 120 ceramic faces in smoke fired clay. Wetzel Corp. , Dallas, Texas.
1976: Australia House, Entryway dual five foot high fountains. Palm Beach, Florida.
1975: Two Copper Sunburst kinetic fountains, 8’ high and 5’ high. Richman Homes. Sarasota, Florida.
1974: Yalalag Project. Construction of an indigenous pottery in Oaxaca, Mexico.
1973-74: Canas Project. National Memorial for the Country of Costa Rica  (three 15’ figures and 6’ portrait head)
1968: Law office frontal entryway. Deep stoneware clay and fused glass wall (8’x12’) Sarasota, Florida.
1963-64: St. Andrews Project : Design and development of Art & Nature Center. New Brunswick, Canada.

click below to see press releases

-Press Releases

Numerous additional commissions have been executed for private and professional spaces throughout Frank Colson's multi-faceted international career.