"My favorite piece is the next one."

Tom Robinson -- artist, curator, arts administrator, competition founder and judge, teacher, innovator -- has been a driving force in the Chicago art scene for over 30 years.

In 2007 students from Chicago’s North Avenue art therapy program, C4, started visiting my new studio. Over a period of several visits, staff art therapist Dali McGuire hit upon the idea that I should do charcoal portraits of her students, and, in a collaboration with their self-portraits, we would produce an art show to be held in December of this year.
“It seems to me that your style of portraiture feels somehow parallel to what I often observe of the kids themselves - edgy, tough, full of contradiction and contrast, movement.”
The exciting result has been a unique opportunity for the kids to see themselves through an artist’s eyes and to expand the notion of who they are in much broader terms.

In May 2007, Frank Maugeri and Jim Lasko of Redmoon Theater asked me to be part of the “Alphabet Project,” Spertus
Museum’s wall of sculptural letters with connected art boxes. I got to design and build the letters C, I, O, W, and X.
Spertus has invited Jim to lead the design of the innovative children’s wing of their fabulous new building, to be completed December 2007. The Alphabet Project, for me, was a dream come true.

Tom's earliest works, as a young boy, were carpentry projects given to him by his father who encouraged him to explore and develop his skills.

Building, designing, and exploring artistic concerns is what my entire life has been about. I can't think of doing anything else.

Tom studied design at Ohio State University. Discharged from the Navy at age 27, he began creating and building 2 and 3 dimensional art immediately and never looked back.

As a multi media artist Tom has used woods, watercolors, oils, acrylics, plexiglass, and industrial components like aircraft cable and clamps to explore figure drawing, oil painting, sculpture, furniture design, sculptured lighting fixtures, and construction in depth. Over the years he has been influenced by the Bauhaus Movement, Alberto Giacometti, Joseph Cornell, Horst Janssen, Art Moderne, the Arts and Crafts Movement, and, most recently, William Kentridge, Japanese Anime and Manga.

Today Tom is a working artist in his new 3000 sq. ft. North Avenue studio. Creating site-specific furniture and lighting as well as series of oil paintings, drawings and sculpture. He has completed numerous commissions and among his most sought after works is his signature Slipper Chair.

In addition to creating art, Tom is also a curator and master at art installation and has done so for a wide variety of public and private clients. Including local galleries, designers, architects and framers.

While serving as the Executive Director of the Chicago Furniture Design Association, he created and produced a nationwide miniature furniture show as part of the very popular SOFA show in Chicago (Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art). He worked with the SOFA Director, Mark Lyman to execute the exhibition. The show was so successful it was continued several following years and many of the pieces were shown at Chicago's Ann Nathan Gallery.

Tom worked with the Chicago Artists’ Coalition for three years helping set up Chicago Artists Month. From this experience he conceived of a large non-juried art show for the whole of Chicago. In collaboration with the CAC’s Betty Anne Mocek the idea was brought to life, the Chicago Art Open. This successful show is now an annual event.

Along with the other directors of Windy City Arts, Tom curated Flights of Imagination. A non-juried show that exhibited the work of 100 artists at Chicago's prestigious Cultural Center. The Center's Curator, Greg Knight refered to the display as one of the best installed shows exhibited at the Center.

Other events created and curated by Tom include Local Heroes, Corian 2000 Exhibition, Suite Home Chicago, Kite Nite, and The Totem Project.