The Art Effect

Having grown up between two dairy farms in rural New York State, Mick Bodnar is

something of an anomaly in the art world. He has over two decades of experience as a

working-class graphic designer. After being displaced from that career, he embarked on

a formal education. His collegiate career began at SUNY Broome Community College,

where he gained an AS in Visual Communication Arts, and received the BCC Foundation

Scholarship for Excellence in Liberal Arts, the Robert R. Cotten II Award in Graphic &

Editorial Design, plus the SUNY Broome Second Chance Scholar Award. With those

achievements, he was offered a generous scholarship to attend an elite private college.

From that institution, Bard College, he earned a BA in Studio Arts, the Studio Arts

Award, and the Bard Center for the Study of Hate Fellowship Award. In 2022, he gained

an MFA in Painting & Drawing from SUNY New Paltz, as well as the Outstanding

Graduate Award in Studio Arts and the Sojourner Truth Fellowship Award. In summer

or 2022, he received the CAA-GOLDEN Scholarship Award, and completed the Sam and

Adele Golden Foundation Residency. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Art

Education.

Mick is proud that his work to date has been well-received equally by the layman

as well as by academics. He believes that art is the purest form of communication

between humans, crossing the barriers of time, culture, and language — and that

everyone should have access to it, regardless of background. He is committed to making

art available to the general population.