St. Olaf College

Michael Bauermeister

Contemporary woodworker
United States
b. b. 1957
View objects by this artist.

Michael Bauermeister was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1957, and knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue art as a career. At St. Louis Community College, Bauermeister studied art and sculpture before eventually enrolling at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Later, he would transfer to the Kansas City Art Institute where he studied sculpture and settled on wood as his primary medium. After obtaining his degree, Bauermeister was uncertain of how to make a living as an artist. He started his career crafting furniture and making objects such as bowls on the side. It was not until he saw some success with the sale of these bowls at craft fairs that he chose to focus on the painted wooden vessels and wall panels that he is now known for, having come, as he puts it, “full circle” back to his sculptural roots.
Bauermeister is an artist deeply committed to the environment, using salvaged wood native to his home in Missouri which he procures from a local log recycling company. He hopes to achieve designs in his carvings and vessels that are reminiscent of nature, which serves as his greatest source of inspiration and where he spends the majority of his leisure time. In addition, Bauermeister aims to raise awareness about the state of the environment with his works.

Madison Duran ‘20
March 2019

Sources:

Bierman, Tyler. “Textures of Nature.” ST. LOUIS HOMES & LIFESTYLES, Sept. 2016,
www.stlouishomesmag.com/article/1118.
Meet The Artist: Michael Bauermeister.” YouTube, YouTube, 3 Aug. 2016,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-s3GQBAl74.
Michael Bauermeister.” Smithsonian American Art Museum,
www.americanart.si.edu/artist/michael-bauermeister-28461.