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Mel Zaid

Artist, Sculptor

With advanced degrees in Engineering and Science from Stanford and MIT, Mel Zaid’s Art provides a unique visual language.

He has published numerous articles in National and International Journals and a section of a McGraw Hill handbook on Structural Analysis. His professional life included his own engineering consulting firm as well as managing director of R&D for major corporations.

In 1970 Mel Zaid made a definite decision for a career change. His drive to become a professional sculptor was so great that he had to abandon the past and start anew. He again returned to search an art education and background and create as much sculpture as he could. At first this resulted in work that was a direct antithesis and rejection of his science background. But, after years of this disassociation from engineering, he finally brought those concepts in full force into his Sculpture in 1980 as his first integrated work began to take form.

 

Because of his highly unique multi-discipline capabilities — in both Science/Engineering and Sculpture/Visual art and his ability to function interchangeably in both the right and left brained modes — Mel Zaid has brought forth his distinct visual language development. This multi-discipline approach forms his starting basis of what he terms as SciTec art.

Today he is fully involved in his careful development of a Sculptural “multi-space” language, which completely consumes him. The resultant Sculptures depict unique language statements which speak of the many possible Universes that exist in our realities, our minds, and our alternate or future spaces. A careful examination of these Sculptures can stimulate our own deep thoughts and unexpressed awareness of these evolving spaces thru which we all pass — past, present and future.

Mel Zaid studied at the New School in New York under Chaim Gross, Bruno Lucchesi and other sculptors and artists, as well as at the Nausset School of Sculpture, Mass College of Arts in Boston, Perma Flex Corp with an intensive one-on-one instruction in mold making and private interactive instructions at various foundries including Paul King Foundry in R.I and West Coast Sculptors Foundry in L.A.

 

Additionally, Mel Zaid had previously received advanced degrees in Science and Engineering from Stanford University and MIT and worked as an engineer prior to starting his art career. With these combined backgrounds it was natural for him to eventually find his way into the growing Art/ Sci movement.

 

He started his professional art career as a sculptor with his first studio at MIT, followed by studios at the Boston Center for Art, then in California where he currently works year around.

 

Altho his initial sculpture direction was in contemporary portraiture and figures under the tutelage of Chiam Gross, Bruno Lucchesi and others while at the New School, the basic nature of that work evolved as his scientific curiosity led to a growing visual language. How to bring the sense of time and motion into his otherwise static sculpture was an early issue. To resolve those issues he began to expand the normal 3-dimensional format of his sculpture and introduce additional shared components allowing the concept of time (and motion), as well as communication, to be perceived visually. Concurrently with the evolving of this unique visual-language he introduced other mind-constructed Universes; showing properties that were fundamental and universal.

 

The concepts of multispace Art and Left Brain Art developed in a natural way as he came to understand the process by which his work was evolving. Utilizing the combined Art and Science backgrounds he analogized the Scientific Method into a formalized Left Brain Art method; which underpins his multispace Art.

 

Mel Zaid has been active in various art organizations both in Boston and in Santa Barbara and in 2001 started Santa Barbara Studio Artists and as President created a non-profit, board, by-laws, first brochure, art walk and a sustainable group of studio artists which has become an active force in Santa Barbara. In addition to his on-going art work he is also actively expanding the reach of Left Brain Art and its role in the growing Art/Sci movement.

There have been many group and solo exhibitions starting in 1972 thru the present date. A few are mentioned here in chronological, order with dates (if available).

 

  • MIT Architecture Library – Cambridge, MA– 2 person show with “Kena”, New Mexico Missions
  • Adjunct Associate Professor of Art – University of Mass – Amherst MA,
  • Landau Gallery – Los Angeles, CA – solo and group – 1983 thru 1990
  • Peter Strauss Ranch – Mountain Conservancy – Agoura Hills, CA – solo and group – 1983 – 1984
  • Merging One Gallery – Santa Monica, CA – solo and group -1986 -1988
  • West Coast Sculptors show – Los Angeles CA – 1987
  • UCSB Art Museum – Traveling exhibit W & NW USA – 13 Art Museums+ Centers – 1990-1993
  • Carnegie Museum – Oxnard, CA – group
  • Fullerton Museum – Fullerton, CA. – UCSB group
  • 4th International Contemporary Art Fair – Los Angeles, CA – 1989
  • Tokyo Museum exhibition – Tokyo Japan – GOD Book-Internationally based group – 1990
  • Westmont – Reynolds Gallery – Santa Barbara, CA. – Art Life group – 1990
  • art Nurnberg International –Nurnberg, Germany – group -1991
  • Celebrity Outreach Exhibition- Paramount Studios – Los Angeles, CA – 1992
  • CAF Gallery – Santa Barbara, CA- Art/Life group shows – 1992-1993
  • Karpeles Museum – Santa Barbara, CA – Solo – 1996-1997 – and later re: Left Brain Art
  • San Ysidro Ranch – Monticeto, CA – Solo – 1996-1997
  • Santa Barbara Studio Artists – Santa Barbara CA. – various including Art walk – 2001- 2005
  • Frameworks Gallery – Santa Barbara CA – “Left Brain Art”- 2008
  • Mayor’s office –Santa Barbara, CA – 2013, 2015
  • MultiSpace Gallery – Santa Barbara, CA – Solo -1997 – 2016 (ongoing)
  • Karpeles Museum
  • Sculptural covers and art pages in ArtLife:
  • Getty Museum,
  • Fogg Museum,
  • Yale University,
  • Ventura County Museum,
  • Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
  • Regular Contributor to ArtLife Publ., since 1981 — Typewriter drawings & Covers
  • Art/Works — Contributor, 1990, Tokyo, Japan
  • Concrete International — “Concrete Places First for Engineer-Turned Sculptor”
  • Interiors — “Beyond the Labels”, August 1989
  • Art Gallery International — “Mel Zaid”,
  • Cover “Ventura County National Bancorp Annual Report” — Ventura, CA.
  • Cover “Perspectives on Personality” — Simon & Schuster/Allyn and Bacon
  • Relay fax 1990- Originator –First-ever round the world relay fax with contributors actively participating
  • multi space — book, limited edition
  • GOD –Book, Exhibited in Japan, USA various Museums and galleries
  • 1st YMCA Men’s Locker Room Cook Book — book, limited edition
  • SBSA Directory – first edition – Santa Barbara Studio Artists
  • Covers 3-D – ArtLife Publ. – Various limited editions – collected in Museums
  • Left Brain Art (LBA) – originator and continuing development
  • Multi-space Art – concepts and Sculptural language development
  • Space-Time – visual representation of 4D Space-time continuum – on 2D and 3D formats
  • Art /Tech – Art/Sci
  • New materials and techniques in Sculpture