Aaron Laux
Born in 1972, Aaron Laux first understood that his life would be driven by a need to create at the age of five. His individual evolution, growth as a professional artist and commitment to community has largely been shaped by exploring the alternative. After three years of undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, he followed his passion and accepted an apprenticeship with artist Steven Spiro. This blossomed into a decade of mentorship and training in wood sculpting technique which grounded Aaron’s technical skills and unique vision.
Throughout the remainder of his twenties and early thirties, Aaron eschewed convention by deciding to go off the grid. Building and living in a yurt, he poured his passion and intellect into personally understanding the experiences of the first humans. Art for him at the time was survival art, learning long lost skills that connect us to the natural world. This included the process of making stone tools, which is a symbolic element in his current contemporary mosaics. Other experiential education including world travel – especially living in South India for a year – contributed to Aaron’s interest in the ways other cultures relate to the natural world. This relationship with our environment is a constant theme that he explores in his work and life. From 2016 to 2018, Aaron was a Fellow in the Clark Hulings Fund Business Accelerator program. This experience helped Aaron bridge the gap between the necessity of creating an income, with the vision and spiritual side of making art. Within Aaron’s diverse portfolio, you will find original art, commissions, community-based projects, public art, as well as functional and architectural works. In the last few years, commissions have included larger scale artworks for numerous institutions in Healthcare. He believes in reaching new audiences while still maintaining his vision, especially audiences who might not otherwise have access. In 2015, Aaron was selected to participate in GLEAM, an exhibition at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison. GLEAM celebrates the symbiosis of art and nature with installations of predominantly light sculptures throughout the outdoor gardens, Aaron’s entitled “Luminous Grass.” In 2018, Aaron was invited to exhibit his functional art with the Handmade Craft Invitational at the Dubuque Museum of Art. This exhibition featured a selected group of regional artists whose work is influencing the current functional art movement. Both of these exhibitions exemplify Aaron’s innovative approach and commitment to helping us understand how we connect to the natural world.
Aaron has become increasingly vocal – and with a young daughter increasingly worried – about the impact of human caused Climate Change. He was recently selected to participate in “The Phoenix from the Ashes,“ an exhibit of public art organized by the Madison Arts Commission which explores Climate Change issues, including deforestation.
Aaron’s fearless quest is to help us all understand that we are an integral part of the natural community and wider universe, not separate from or in opposition to it. His message is consistently broadcast through the various techniques and materials that he combines in unexpected ways.
