BIO

Robert O'Connor is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice spans music, painting, printmaking, and video. His work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States and Japan.  O'Connor holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) and both bachelor's and master’s degrees from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. He also studied at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League of New York, where he was awarded the Edward G. McDowell Grant. An active composer since 2014, O'Connor studied at Juilliard and participated in the European American Musical Alliance (EAMA) residency in Paris in 2016 and virtually in 2020. His visual and time-based works have been shown at venues such as NY Studio Gallery, the Jersey City Museum, Mass MoCA, and Arizona State University Art Museum. His videos and music have screened at acclaimed festivals including the Cannes Short Film Festival, the Chicago Underground Film Festival, and the Provincetown International Film Festival. O'Connor is co-founder and creator of FilmOneFest, an international one-minute film festival where he served as Creative Director for ten years. He also served as Exhibition Coordinator for the VCFA Visual Arts MFA program from 2010 to 2012.  O'Connor currently serves on the board of AHArts (www.aharts.org), a local New Jersey arts organization, and currently chairs its Exhibition Committee.

​

Curriculum Vitae ​​

Education​​

• Julliard Extension, 2014-2024

• European American Musical Alliance, 2016 (Diplome du Stage)

• Vermont College of Fine Arts, 2004-2006 (MFA)

• The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, 1982–1988 (BE & ME)

• National Academy of Design, 1996–1997

• The Art Students League of New York, 1992–1999

​​

 Professional Experience​​​

• Board Member and Exhibition Chair, AHArts (2007-present)

• Owner, The Painted Frame & Second Story Art Gallery (2011–2018)

• Founder & Creative Director, FilmOneFest (2009–2018)

• Exhibition Coordinator, Vermont College of Fine Arts (2010–2012)

• Instructor, Shore Institute of Contemporary Arts (2006–2009)

• Visiting Artist, Chester College (2007)

• Adjunct Professor, SUNY Rockland (2005)

• Adjunct Professor, The Cooper Union (1997)​​

 Grants & Awards ​

• NJSCA Fellowship Finalist Award in Composition, 2025

• Vermont College Levin/Lutz Merit Prize, 2005

• Art Students League Merit Scholarship, 2001

• Edward G. McDowell Grant, 1999

• Full Scholarship, The Cooper Union, 1982–1988

​​

​Select Exhibitions & Screenings​​

• 2025 "Energy & Stillness" Exhibition, Wilson Museum, VT

• ​2024 "Upwards Toward the Light" (solo exhibition), AHArts Gallery, NJ

• 2023 "NJ Arts Annual", Noyes Museum's Art Garage, Atlantic City, NJ

• ​2022 “Burning Cathedrals”, Cannes Short Film Festival, Cannes, France

• 2021 "10-10-10 Days in a City", Soco Gallery, Kyoto, Japan

• 2021 "Dropped into an Unknown Country" (two-person show), AHArts Gallery, NJ​

• 2019 "When Islands Disappear", music and video performance, AHArts Gallery, NJ

• 2017 "Two" (solo exhibition), AHArts Gallery, NJ

• 2013 "Bending Me Powerless" (solo exhibition), Second Story Art Gallery, NJ

• 2013 "One-Minute VidFest" REACH, Easthampton, MA

• 2013 "The One-Minute Film Festival", MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA

• 2012 "Encre-Rouge, Blanc, Noire", Griffins Gallery, Lexington, KY

• 2011 Facing Laramie (solo exhibition), LZ Project Space/NY Studio Gallery, NYC

• 2010 "Art on Paper", Monmouth Museum, NJ

• 2010 "October" (solo exhibition), Tides Art Gallery, Asbury Park, NJ

• 2009 "RGASA", NY Studio Gallery, NYC

• 2009 "Everyman’s an Angel", NY Studio Gallery, NYC

• 2008 "The Waters Are Unsafe", (solo exhibition), NY Studio Gallery, NYC

• 2008 Chicago Underground Film Festival, Chicago, IL

• 2008 "The Giant’s Newground" video projections, Downtown Arts Center, Lexington, KY

• 2008 "Corpus Kinetics", Cuchifritos Gallery, NYC

• 2007 Solo Exhibition, Wadleigh Gallery, Chester, NH

​