A dedicated artist working in Dallas while exhibiting internationally, Tom Orr has developed a body of sculpture work that utilizes formal traits to disrupt and create vibrant optical patterns. Experiential movement brings the nuances of the work to life.
Tom Orr received his BFA in Sculpture at Rhode Island School of Design in 1973. He has exhibited extensively during his career both in the United States and in Japan. His site-specific works have been installed in places ranging from John Michael Kohler Art Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, to the 21st Exhibition of Contemporary Sculpture in Ube Japan. The many collections in which he is represented include the Foundation of Culture in Osaka, Japan, The El Paso Museum in Texas and the Utsukushi-Ga-Hara Open-Air Museum in Nagano, Japan.
Among his public art projects are two large-scale wall installations in the international terminal at the Dallas Ft. Worth Airport, a station design for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit, and Intersected Passage, a large-scale sculpture at Love Field Airport. Orr and fellow artist and partner, Frances Bagley designed the sets and costumes for the Dallas Opera’s production of Verdi’s Nabucco, which celebrated the Opera’s 50th anniversary season. This project was followed by an invitation from The Dallas Museum of Art to create a museum installation based on the set designs from the opera for the exhibition Performance/Art.
In 2011 Orr was awarded a Pollack Krasner Foundation Grant.