Owen William Fritts, Sculptor
“my work is simple, clean, interactive, nature inspired, locally integrated with embedded narratives, and cultural relevance”
I’ve spent the past thirty years designing, fabricating and overseeing the creation of objects, sculptures, interiors and interactive environments for public, corporate and private use. I am committed to project by project research leading to crisp, relevant solutions merged with minimized environmental impacts of the results.
After years in architectural firms I opened IDcollection in 2001, renamed Intelligent Design in 2003, which focused on corporate interiors and custom object design/fabrication. Major clients include Nike, Disney, Microsoft, Merrill, Trek, Lance Armstrong Foundation, the Seattle Public Library, Old Navy and Red Bull. After many successful and widely publicized years with as many as 12 employees, I sold Intelligent Design in 2010.
In 2005, while running Intelligent Design, I launched a parallel firm focused solely on sustainably designed products called Solidcore. Solidcore today continues as a sculpture and interactive experience design and fabrication studio with global projects.
In 2008, as a service to communities and as a philanthropic endeavor, I created the earthaware foundation arts education system with programs about 3D making and environmental awareness designed for international application. earthaware workshops for children and adults have been run by myself and those I have trained around the planet from Haiti to Malaysia, Kashmir to New Zealand and India to South Africa among many other countries. Over 10,000 children and 2,000 adults have attended earthaware workshops since they began.
In 2017, with artist partner Elizabeth Hellstern, I founded the SkyHeart Studios facility in Santa Fe, New Mexico where I run Solidcore. My focus here is on both architectural scale sculptures and interactive public art experiences involving kinetic objects, advanced LED lighting, projection mapping and video technology which convey narratives aligned with client intent in a subtle yet understandable way. My studio practice is augmented by five local on-demand artist/fabricators. For larger scale (multi-ton) metal fabrication I utilize the services of Longero Steel in Denver, CO.
Several times a year I accept public speaking engagements. Topics typically involve art-meets-nature-meets-culture. I remain connected to the next generation of artists, designers and thinkers by both adjunct teaching and critiquing at art schools and design universities across the planet.
I served five years on the Board of Directors of the internationally acclaimed Architecture+Design Museum of Los Angeles, CA (A+D Museum). Later I served on the Museum Advisory Board where I joined a team of globally recognized architects and design thinkers. I further served the environment as a past Board of Directors member and Executive Adviser of SCRAP, a Portland, OR based non-profit focused on diverting useable materials from landfills into school and community art programs.
Positions Held
2017 - Present SkyHeart Studios: Partner - Santa Fe, NM, USA
2005 - Present Solidcore: Founder and Director - Portland, OR/Flagstaff, AZ/Santa Fe, NM, USA
2008 - Present earthaware foundation: Founder - Portland, OR/Flagstaff, AZ/Santa Fe, NM, USA
2001 - 2010 Intelligent Design (formerly iDcollection): Founder, Director - Portland, OR, USA
1995 - 2000 Herman Miller Incorporated: Regional Design Manager - Portland, OR, USA
1990 - 1994 Ferraro Choi and Associates: Architectural Designer for the Amundsen Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica - Honolulu, HI, USA
Education
I hold an EMBA (Executive Masters of Business Administration) from the University of Oregon (OEMBA), 2000
I studied for my MARCH (Masters of Architecture) at the University of Hawaii from 1990-1991
I earned a dual major BFA (Bachelor of Fine Art) in Sculpture and Interior Architecture from the University of Massachusetts in 1990
I graduated high school from The Antwerp International School in Antwerp, Belgium in 1982