Education
1977 MFA, sculpture, State University of NY at New Paltz
1972 MA, sculpture, State University of NY at Albany;
At Albany State, Schwabe studied sculpture with Richard Stankiewicz (1950’s pioneer of steel assemblage sculpture). Schwabe was his student assistant for two academic years.
1970 BA, psychology, Waynesburg College, PA
1961 - 1966 Schwabe was apprentice goldsmith to father James Author Schwabe. His principal customer was Cartier, NY. The younger Schwabe worked on many of his fathers pieces that became Cartier product.
Gallery Representation
Frog Hollow Gallery, Burlington, VT (smaller works including figures & jewelry)
Art Hound Gallery, The Essex Experience, VT Schwabe is among the first artists selected to be represented by this large, new gallery (larger works).
Studio Location
My studio is in the “SPACE Gallery” complex, within the Conant Light building at 266 Pine ST, Burlington, VT. “Marks’ Wall” is an exhibition space (in SPACE Gallery) that is exclusively for the exhibition of my work. SPACE Gallery staff can assist with purchase of my work on my wall. Contact me via email if you would like to arrange a studio visit.
Museum Collections
Many of my sculptures and wearables are in the collection of The Northern New England Museum of Contemporary Art….
…. AND …. many of my sculptures and wearables are in the “collection” of The Steampunk Museum (a virtual museum). NOTE the “see also” at the bottom of my Steampunk Museum “page.”
Bodies of Work
2024 - present: “Homage” A group of sculptures (wall hanging and on pedistal size). This is a group is sculptures (of my design) that pay homage to the artists of the 50’s and 60’s that provided inspiration for my work of the 1970’s and up to the present. These include Barnett Newman, Clement Meadmore, Constantin Brancusi, George Rickey, Louise Nevelson, and my mentor, Richard Stankiewicz.
2023 - 2023: “Trees” A group of sculptures (wall hanging and small free standing) depicting, and celebrating TREES … possibly THE THING that will save humankind from itself as the climate crisis unfolds. These sculptures are made (primerally) of paper mache, found sticks and paint. Note that I own and manage forestland in NY state. I am continuously inspired by nature and much of my adult life has been spent in the woods, including the management of the forestland that I own. I believe that this IS part of the solution to the global climate crisis.
2022 - present: “Futurescapes” A group of sculptures depicting the future I see for life on our planet if humankind does not get REAL SERIOUS about dramatically cutting carbon emissions. These sculptures are dark in color and in spirit … because that is the future I see. They are painted red (symbolizing heat) and black (symbolizing death). Each sculpture includes at least one piece of coal, representing the cause. Sculptures are made of wood and paint. Some include humans or other animals sculpted in pewter. Some of those include copper and/or brass details.
2010 - 2023: "Powerful Women" If there is hope for humankind, it is likely to be the result of work by powerful women. I made my first sculptural portrait of a powerful woman in 2010. In 2020 & 2021, I created a new grouping. These were a featured exhibit at Frog Hollow Gallery, Burlington, VT.
2008 - 2022: "Transported" A years long fanciful exploration of ways to get from here to there in the 4 domains of land, sea, sky & space. Pieces included small sculptures and wearables imagining steampowered classic cars, steam powered ariships, rocket ships powered by time and the like. I was an early participant in the Steampunk movement, this body or work reflects that influence.
2000 - 2008: “Markie Moose” I designed, made & marketed a line of tourist friendly costume jewelry.
1990 - 2000: Star Wars & Star Trek As a free lance model maker and sculptor, I made “models” (original sculptings) for a number of companies. Notably, this work included making the miniature sculptings for many Star Wars & Star Trek space ships under license from the motion picture companies (this work included two trips to Skywalker Ranch to meet with Lucas Film licensed product staff). I did this work as an independent contractor for Rawcliffe Pewter Co.
1982 - 1989: "Ignecia" In April of 1982 I had the extraordinary experience of being an Artist In Residence at The Milley Colony for the Arts. I was provided studio space, two meals a day, and the opportunity to spend time on the grounds, and notably in the small writing studio building in which Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote many of her poems. Ironically, early in my stay we had a major snow storm, underscoring the meaning of her poem describing April as the cruelest month which I read, in her studio, with snow on the ground. Not having metal working facilities at Steepletop (the name that she gave to her home), I spent my time at The Colony working in wax. There I created the character “Artist Champion” in self portrait, along with other self portrait pieces and, a number of bizarre looking creatures constituting two groups; the innocents and the evil doers. After the residency, I cast these pieces in bronze, and created bases (and the like) for them, some bases in bronze, some in wood, and some experimentation with “black” concrete. The dark concrete gave the sculptures a landscape feel. This work became the basis for three exhibitions; “The Artist As, an artist fantasizes about himself” (a self portrait show) Arlene’s Mezzanine Gallery, Albany, NY, March 1983; "Ignecia: a dystopian morality tale told in sculpture" at Things of Beauty gallery Albany, NY 1988, AND a reprisal of the “Ignecia” show at SPACE Gallery Burlington, VT, April 2016 in which the sculptures were supported by photographs of the Ignecian environment.
1970 - present: "Perfection is Elusive"
As a graduate student, I developed the body of work that I am now calling Perfection is Illusive. Pieces begin as pure geometric forms. Then I cut great gashes into the forms and filled those gashes, usually with copper. The result was striking and completely unique at the time. A few year later, similar forms began showing up in gift shops (Spencer Gifts in particular). Likely a violation of my ©.
Selected Exhibitions
2024 (June - November) North Bennington Outdoor Sculpture Show: Two of my “Perfection is Elusive” sculptures are on exhibit as part of this exhibition; one sculpture is located at the entrance to The Bennington Museum; the other is located at Highland Hall gardens.
2024 (November 14 - December 14) The Current gallery, Stowe VT “Members show” one “Alice” sculpture and one “Futurescape” sculpture are included in this exhibition.
2024 (March 3 - 30) “Members show”, SPACE Gallery, Burlington, VT (Schwabe’s studio is part of the SPACE Gallery complex, and Schwabe regularly participates in exhibitions in SPACE Gallery).
2024 (Feb 24 - 29) Sculpture included in “All That Feels” exhibit at SPACE Gallery, Burlington, VT
2023 (June - November) North Bennington Outdoor Sculpture Show: Two of my “Perfection is Illusive” sculptures were on exhibit as part of this exhibition; one is on the grounds of The Bennington Museum, the other on the green adjacent to the North Bennington post office.
2010 - 2019 Schwabe presented and sold his creations at many retail events (arts festivals and the like).
6-7/2016 Summer Group Show - eight sculptures are part of a group show of mostly paintings in the remarkable The Bundy Modern gallery in Waitsfield, VT.
4/2016 "Ignecia: a dystopian morality tale told in sculpture." The exhibition consisted of 22 bronze sculptures of figures (cast from waxes that I made as a resident artist at the Milley Colonie for the Arts, Austerlitz, NY, 1983). The figures were mounted on black concrete & steel mini environments. These were supported by B&W photographs of similar environments that I had created years earlier. The sculptures & photos, as a group, told a narrative, a tale of the struggle between good and evil in the mythical environment I called "Ignecia". This exhibition received special press coverage in Seven Days. SPACE Gallery, Burlington, VT.
6-9/2012 Steampunkinetics - exhibit of kinetic steampunk art; included 4 Schwabe pieces, AFA gallery NY, NY.
6-9/2012 "Rayguns, Robots & Steampunk" a major exhibit of SteamPunk objects/art. All of the jewelry in this exhibit was Schwabe's. The Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT.
2006, 2010, 2011 Art in the Round Barn (juried exhibition) Green Mountain Cultural Center, Waitsfield, VT.
1987 “Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood” curated outdoor contemporary sculpture, Stockbridge, MA
1987 “Emergence” the grand opening show at The Center Galleries, Albany, NY new location.
1986 “Sculpture at Corporate Woods” an outdoor sculpture exhibition, Corporate Woods, Albany, NY. Three of my pieces from this show were purchased by Corporate Woods for permanent display.
1986 “Tricentennial Salute to Sculpture” an outdoor exhibition of sculpture by "artists whose … work has made an impact in the Capital District & beyond.” In celebration of Albany, NY’s tricentennial. City Hall Park.
1985 “Steel … The Show” an invitational exhibition of work by 10 nationally recognized and 10 regionally recognized artists all working in steel. The Rice Gallery, Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY
1983 “Interim I” curated outdoor contemporary sculpture show, Chesterwood, Stockbridge, MA
1983 (March 3-30) “The Artist As …” “An exhibition of fantasy self portrait sculpture” at Arlenes’ Mezzanine Gallery, Albany, NY
1983 “The Artist as Image”self portrait group show at Green County Council on the Arts Gallery, Catskill, NY
1981 “Mark Eliot Schwabe: Sculpture” a solo show at Robinson Square Galleries, Albany, NY
1980 Center Galleries, Albany, NY two person show with Channing Lefebvre
1977 two person show, Noyes, van Cline & Davenport, 1018 Madison Ave, NY, NY
1976 solo show, Schenectady Museum, Schenectady, NY
1975-1976 as a CAPS grant finalist I was invited to several, months long, sculpture placements in public settings: “CAPS East Side Sculpture Show” (three sculptures, outdoors) 1619 3rd Ave, NY. NY., a sculpture placed outside the entrance to Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, NY. NY., a sculpture placed in the ground floor lobby of the Seagrams’s Building, NY. NY.
Metalworking related employment experience
1989 - 1990 Shop Supervisor Ed Levin Jewelry Inc, Cambridge, NY: supervised and trained the jewelry making staff of a (then) 40 year old manufacturing firm with national distribution.
1985 - 1989 Designer/Goldsmith Drue Sanders Custom Jewelers, Albany, NY. I designed & created hand made jewelry in precious metals. Work included custom designing and model making for clients and the design and creation of fashion jewelry for the store line. In 1988 I developed “The Albany Collection” concept, a line of jewelry based on the architecture of Albany. This line of limited edition pieces was given regional media coverage and substantially increased store revenues.
2000 - 2008 designed, made & marketed a line of tourist friendly costume jewelry (Markie Moose)
1990 - 2000 Freelance Model Maker and Sculptor: I made “models” (original sculptings) for a number of companies. Notably, this work included making the miniature sculptings for many Star Wars & Star Trek space ships for Rawcliffe Pewter Inc., under license from the motion picture companies (this work included two trips to Skywalker Ranch to meet with Lucas Film licensed product staff). Also notable, as a freelance model maker for BA Ballou Inc, I made many items that became gift shop product for Historic Williamsburg, and The Smithsonian Air & Space museum.
Publications
The Steampunk Museum - an on-line museum “Exhibiting the Inspirational People, Events & Artifacts of the Steampunk Community.” Schwabe IS an exhibit, and 4 Schwabe pieces are also exhibits: https://www.thesteampunkmuseum.com/2349_Mark_Eliot_Schwabe_Exhibit.html
On Body and Soul: Contemporary Armor to Amulets by Suzanne Ramljak, 2014 includes a photo of Schwabes’ EM 3000 Long Gun pin.
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Crafts and How to Master Them by Grace Berne Rose, 1978 includes a photo of Schwabes’ sculpture “1973-2.”
* my mother was a powerful woman