Colin Chase

Born on October 26, 1954, in Newark, New Jersey, Colin Chase, 67, of Saugerties, NY, passed away on Thursday, March 17, 2022.

An artist living and working in NYC and Ulster County, Chase earned an AAS in Textile Design from Fashion Institute of Technology, NY, in 1979, a BFA from The Cooper Union School of Art, NY, in 1982, and an MFA from the University of Michigan School of the Arts in 1986. Chase was a Professor of Art at The City College of New York, CUNY, where he taught for thirty-four years.

Chase’s sculptural and mixed media work consists of assemblages of incongruent objects created from repurposed wood, metal, ready-made, and fabricated materials. His interests varied from 3D CAD fabrication, painting, architecture, interdisciplinary art, and installation to African and eastern philosophy, poetry, and jazz. He used this variety of inspirations, materials, and devices to encourage contemplation, ideas, forms, and textures synergistically juxtaposed and nestled in combinations to challenge formal spatial logic and quick intellectual responses.

Represented by June Kelly Gallery in New York since 1989, Chase had solo and group exhibitions in several venues, including The Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, PA; Jamaica Arts Center, Queens, NY; Jane St. Art Center, Saugerties, NY; Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, NY; P.S.1 Art Museum, Long Island City, NY; Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens, NY; and Studio Museum in Harlem, NYC. Public commissions include The Malcolm X Memorial in the Audubon Ballroom in NYC and the Queens Hospital Center Project in Queens; both awarded through the Department of Cultural Affairs New York City Percent for Art Program. Chase was a 2017 Joan Mitchell Foundation, Painters and Sculptors Grants recipient, and reviews of his work appeared in The New York Times, Art Matters, ARTnews, and Newsday. His work resides in collections of the University at Albany Fine Art Museum, Studio Museum in Harlem, Prudential Life Insurance Company, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, AT&T, and The New School.

Chase touched the lives of many people through his generosity of spirit. While he impacted thousands of students, he thought of himself as a lifelong learner. He was an avid reader and deep thinker who enjoyed thoughtful conversations with family, friends, colleagues, and strangers alike. His bright smile was contagious and unforgettable.

Preceded in death by his parents, Chase is survived by family and friends he deeply loved and cherished. A private celebration of his life will be held in the coming months.

In memory of Colin Chase, contributions may be made to the Colin Chase Sculpture Fund at the City College Office of Institutional Advancement and Communications, 160 Convent Avenue, Shepard Hall, Room 154, New York, NY 10031. p: 212.650.6557 e: give@ccny.cuny.edu.  www.ccny.cuny.edu/giving

Photography Description

Colin Chase “ereh #5”, 2021,Wood, metal, glass, ink, paint, wax, 28 x 17 x 6 inches © Colin Chase, Photograph by Chris Kendall