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Chico MacMurtrie was born in New Mexico in 1961. He received his B.F.A. from the University of Arizona and an M.F.A. in New Forms and Concepts from the University of California at Los Angeles. Since 1989, MacMurtrie has exhibited in more than 20 countries worldwide, receiving support from more than 15 national, local, and international granting agencies, and 30 corporate sponsors. His awards include five grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and his work has been the subject of numerous international broadcasts and texts including the BBC’s Pandemonium, the Discovery Channel’s The Next Step, and Mark Dery’s book Escape Velocity: Cyberculture at the End of the Century.

Chico acts as the Artistic Director of Amorphic Robot Works (ARW), a collective he founded in 1991, consisting of artists and engineers who help in the realization of his work. Since that time, his investigations have resulted in the creation of more than 250 mechanical sculptures that assume anthropomorphic and abstract forms.

About ARW

Amorphic Robot Works is a collaborative group of artists, technicians, and programmers who create multi-faceted machine-sculptures that interact in their uniquely designed environments. The work involves a kinesthetic inquiry into the human condition, which has resulted in the creation of more than 250 mechanical sculptures that assume anthropomorphic and abstract forms. In the last ten years, ARW has expanded in many new and exciting directions, growing to encompass tours abroad, commissioned works, and robot-building workshops for children, while still emphasizing gallery exhibitions and the development of new pieces.

Over 60 crew members from ten countries have participated in creating the current tribe of machines known as The Amorphic Evolution. Without the help of our talented and hardworking collaborators the complex, large-scale endeavors of Amorphic Robot Works would not be possible. We would like also like to thank the many interns from local academic institutions, and those at-large, who have made lasting contributions, or who have remained involved the constantly moving and growing Amorphic Evolution.

Chico and all Amorphic Robot Works endeavors are currently based in his studio in Red Hook, Brooklyn.