2019 Public Installation Artist

Michael Korfhage is an illustrator and commercial artist based in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. After graduating from Watkins College of Art, Design & Film with a graphic design degree, he took his entrepreneurial spirit to the world of freelance illustration. His work is fueled by spontaneity and discovery, and his influences include folk art and mid century design. Even when finishing work digitally, Michael embraces the charming imperfections that result from drawings created by the human hand. He prides himself on creating images that can be appreciated by as wide an audience as possible.

The work created specifically for The American Artisan Festival is called 'Dwellings'.  The birdhouse sculptures are a playful investigation into the the manner in which a two-dimensional image exists in a three-dimensional world. The nine foot tall dwellings will be a flat illustration of a three dimensional object (a birdhouse) that has been enlarged, painted on flat pieces of wood, and assembled in the same fashion as giant version a paper toy model. They will invite the viewer to investigate the object more closely and experience it in the round. The images include painted line work to further enhance the sculpture's contrast between its illustrated properties and the surrounding real world. 

Michael shares that, "Creating this site specific sculptural work at The American Artisan Festival is fitting because I used an initial version of this birdhouse theme as an illustration student at Watkins College of Art over ten years ago when the festival's original organizer utilized the school's students in a competition to create the annual festival poster.  Ten years later this idea has taken shape into a larger idea and will be beautiful dotting the landscape of Centennial Park amongst all the artists from around the country who will come to display their work here as well".