Steve Parker (artist)

Steve Parker

Born|

United States

Nationality| Lebanese American
Education| Oberlin College (BA), Rice University (MM), University of Texas at Austin (DMA)
Known for| Sound art, sculpture, performance, music composition
Awards| Rome Prize, Creative Capital Award, Pollock-Krasner, Fulbright Program, National Endowment for the Arts
Website| steve-parker.net

Steve Parker is an American artist, musician, and composer whose work blends sound sculpture, public performance, and interactive installations. His projects explore themes of ritual, ecology, and collective listening, often using salvaged musical instruments and custom-built sonic devices.[1]

Parker is the recipient of honors including Creative Capital Award,[2] the Rome Prize,[3] a Fulbright Fellowship,[4] and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.[5]

## Early life and education

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Raised in Chicago, Parker is of Lebanese descent.[6] He earned a double major in music and mathematics from Oberlin College and Conservatory, graduating in 2002.[7] Initially trained as a trombonist, he later developed an interest in experimental and technology-driven art practices, including computer programming and neural networks.[8] He subsequently earned advanced degrees in music from Rice University and the University of Texas at Austin.[9]

## Career

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After completing his studies, Parker became active in Austin's arts community as both a trombonist and organizer. He curated SoundSpace, a multidisciplinary music series at the Blanton Museum of Art that brought together performers from diverse genres in immersive, site-specific events.[10] In 2021, he was awarded the Rome Prize in Design by the American Academy in Rome, where he developed Futurist Opera, a multimedia performance incorporating wearable sound suits and experimental instruments.[11]

Parker is the Artistic Director of Collide Arts, an organization that supports interdisciplinary performance and public art. He also serves as an associate professor of music at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he leads the trombone studio and directs new music initiatives.[12]

His artistic practice spans sculpture, composition, and performance. Drawing on salvaged musical instruments and found materials, Parker creates interactive installations and performances that often incorporate community participants, including marching bands, choirs, and urban wildlife such as bat colonies and flocks of grackles.[13] These works frequently explore systems of control, sonic meditation, and interspecies communication, and emphasize audience engagement and participation.[14]

As a trombonist, Parker has premiered over 200 new works, with a focus on extended techniques and electronic augmentation. He is a frequent collaborator with the contemporary ensemble Signal in New York and has performed at institutions and festivals including the Guggenheim Museum, Lincoln Center Festival, the Los Angeles Philharmonic's in/SIGHT series, the Lucerne Festival, MASS MoCA, SXSW, and Tanglewood.[15] His multidisciplinary collaborations blend elements of installation, public ritual, and experimental sound performance.[16]

## Notable works

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* Bat/Man (2016) – A composition created for the Fusebox Festival in Austin, incorporating bat echolocation calls alongside human performers using conch shells, funnel pipes, and megaphones.[17] The performance took place near a colony of approximately 1.5 million bats, combining natural and human-produced sounds.

* Grackle Call (2018) – A soundwalk in downtown Austin that directed participants to the roosting sites of great-tailed grackles.[17] Participants, using binoculars, iPods, and a program guide, encountered live performances, sound installations, and recorded soundscapes along the route, structured similarly to a birding expedition in an urban setting.

* Sound Garden (2019) – A permanent sound installation commissioned by KMFA, Austin's classical radio station.[18] Installed at KMFA's facility, the installation consists of indoor musical sculptures designed to respond to user interaction.

* Futurist Listening (2020–21) – A solo exhibition first presented at CUE Art Foundation in New York (2020) and later at Rich Mix in London (2021).[19] Curated by Marcela Guerrero, the exhibition featured sonic headwear and acoustic sculptures constructed from brass instruments. The works referenced WWII-era audio tactics such as jamming signals, coded messages, and air-raid sirens, reinterpreted in the context of contemporary protest and communication.

* Foghorn Elegy (2021) – An installation and performance featuring foghorn-like sculptures and a decommissioned communication tower, exploring themes of obsolete nautical communication.[20] Debuted at Laguna Gloria (The Contemporary Austin), the work incorporated handmade brass instruments and maritime signals in a live outdoor event. The performance featured local musicians, including a sousaphone ensemble and vocalists, who activated the sculptures at sunset.

* FIGHT SONG (2022–2023) – A gallery installation and performance project that reinterprets marching bands in the context of sound and meditation. Presented at Art League Houston, it featured a suspended sound sculpture constructed from salvaged band instruments and EEG-triggered compositions, alongside live performances with the UTSA marching band.[21]

* Golem (2023) – An interactive sonic installation exploring themes of AI and mythology through kinetic sculptures and sound elements inspired by the golem legend. Presented at Sculpture Month Houston in the exhibition *The Sleep of Reason – The Fragmented Figure*, curated by Volker Eisele.[22]

* Invisible Music (2024) – A sound installation incorporating salvaged brass instruments in an interactive musical landscape. Influenced by Erik Satie's *Furniture Music*, the work invites visitors to engage with sound sculptures blending human and natural soundscapes.[23]

* HOUSTON IS SINKING (2025) – A sound art project examining land subsidence through interactive sculptures and a large-scale “foghorn choir” performance in Galveston Bay. The work translates geological data into an evolving sonic environment and was supported by a Creative Capital Award.[24]

## Influences

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Parker's work is influenced by avant-garde music and historical sound practices. He has cited the Deep Listening philosophy of composer Pauline Oliveros as a significant influence on his approach to sound and audience engagement.[25] His projects often incorporate concepts of attentive and participatory listening, as advocated by Oliveros.[26]

Parker's work also references early 20th-century experimental art and music, including the Italian Futurists and composer John Cage.[27] As part of his Rome Prize project, he incorporated influences from Futurist sound experiments and Guglielmo Marconi's early radio innovations to design new sonic performances.[28]

Many of Parker's installations examine the historical use of sound in warfare and surveillance, incorporating elements such as World War II acoustic radar devices, coded military signals, and propaganda techniques.His work frequently repurposes tools originally developed for conflict—such as sirens, megaphones, and communication towers—to explore their use in community-building, protest, and social engagement.[29]

## Awards and Recognition

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* Tito's Prize (2018): Awarded by Big Medium in Austin, this prize included a $15,000 grant and a solo exhibition during the East Austin Studio Tour.[30]
* Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize – New Media (2020): An international award based in London for emerging artists. Parker won in the New Media category in 2020.[31]
* Rome Prize (2021): Parker received the Cynthia Hazen Polsky and Leon Polsky Rome Prize in Design, which supported a residency at the American Academy in Rome in 2021.[32] During the fellowship, he developed Futurist Opera, a project exploring sound in conflict and performance art.

* McKnight Visiting Composer (2023): Parker was appointed a McKnight Visiting Composer by the American Composers Forum, a residency supporting community-based sound projects in Minnesota.[33]
* Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant: Parker received a grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, which provides support for mid-career artists.[34]
* Fulbright Fellowship: Parker was selected as a Fulbright Senior Scholar to National Taiwan University for 2025, as part of an international research and exchange program.[35] Earlier in his career, he also received a Fulbright Fellowship for his artistic projects.[36]
* Creative Capital Award (2025): Parker was named a 2025 Creative Capital grantee for his project Houston is Sinking, which incorporates obsolete navigational tools into a sound art piece addressing land loss.[37]

## Partial discography

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* Nearly Extinct with Henry Kaiser / Steve Parker / Damon Smith / Chris Cogburn (Balance Point, 2016)[38]
* Shelter with Ensemble Signal and Bang on a Can (Cantaloupe Music, 2013)[39]

## References

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1. ^ "Steve Parker: Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize New Media Winner 2020". MADE IN BED Magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
2. ^ Fuentes, Jessica (2025-01-21). "Three Texas Artists Among Creative Capital Grantees". Glasstire. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
3. ^ "Rome Prize Fellows". American Academy in Rome. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
4. ^ "Steve Parker — Asian Arts Initiative". Retrieved 2020-05-26.
5. ^ "Steve Parker". Galveston Arts Center. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
6. ^ Quinton, Luke (2017-11-09). "What is Steve Parker actually doing?". Sightlines. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
7. ^ "Steve Parker '02 Awarded Rome Prize for 2020-21". Oberlin College and Conservatory. 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
8. ^ "Steve Parker '02 Awarded Rome Prize for 2020-21". Oberlin College and Conservatory. 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
9. ^ "Steve Parker: Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize New Media Winner 2020". MADE IN BED Magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
10. ^ Zech, Brandon (2018-07-19). "Steve Parker Wins Second Annual Tito's Prize". Glasstire. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
11. ^ Rome, American Academy in (2021-05-20). "Steve Parker". aarome.org. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
12. ^ "Steve Parker '02 Awarded Rome Prize for 2020-21". Oberlin College and Conservatory. 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
13. ^ "Meet the Maker: Steve Parker » Scott Family Amazeum". www.amazeum.org. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
14. ^ "UTSA professor uses marching bands to explore the healing art of music". www.utsa.edu. 2023-07-18. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
15. ^ "A Musical Conversation with Steve Parker". Arte Realizzata. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
16. ^ "UTSA professor uses marching bands to explore the healing art of music". www.utsa.edu. 2023-07-18. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
17. ^ a b Faires, Robert (July 17, 2018). "Steve Parker Wins 2018 Tito's Prize". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
18. ^ Ryzin, Jeanne Claire van (2019-09-19). "KMFA Commissions a 'Sound Garden' from Artist Steve Parker". Sightlines. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
19. ^ Design Milk: "Circuit Boards of Sound: The Sculpture of Steve Parker."
20. ^ Bradshaw, Kelsey. "Follow that honk! How to see (and hear) Austin's 'Foghorn Elegy' art at Laguna Gloria". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
21. ^ Scamperle, Jilianne (2024-05-29). "City Place brings 'Invisible Music' Art Installation, opens July 20". Hello Woodlands. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
22. ^ Scamperle, Jilianne (2024-05-29). "City Place brings 'Invisible Music' Art Installation, opens July 20". Hello Woodlands. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
23. ^ Scamperle, Jilianne (2024-05-29). "City Place brings 'Invisible Music' Art Installation, opens July 20". Hello Woodlands. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
24. ^ Nayyar, Rhea (2025-01-21). "Creative Capital Awards $2.45M to 55 Artists". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
25. ^ "Steve Parker: Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize New Media Winner 2020". MADE IN BED Magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
26. ^ "UTSA professor uses marching bands to explore the healing art of music". www.utsa.edu. 2023-07-18. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
27. ^ "Futurist Listening". CUE Art Foundation. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
28. ^ "Steve Parker". American Academy in Rome. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
29. ^ "Futurist Listening". CUE Art Foundation. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
30. ^ Zech, Brandon (2018-07-19). "Steve Parker Wins Second Annual Tito's Prize". Glasstire. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
31. ^ "Steve Parker: Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize New Media Winner 2020". MADE IN BED Magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
32. ^ Rome, American Academy in (2021-05-20). "Steve Parker". aarome.org. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
33. ^ "The Blanton Museum of Art: Weird Winter by Steve Parker | KMFA 89.5 | Austin's Classical Music Radio Station". www.kmfa.org. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
34. ^ "Steve Parker". Creative Capital. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
35. ^ "UTSA Fulbright Scholars to study climate change, music in Iceland, Taiwan". www.utsa.edu. 2024-04-21. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
36. ^ "A Musical Conversation with Steve Parker". Arte Realizzata. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
37. ^ Fuentes, Jessica (2025-01-21). "Three Texas Artists Among Creative Capital Grantees". Glasstire. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
38. ^ "Nearly Extinct bpaltd707, by Henry Kaiser / Steve Parker / Damon Smith / Chris Cogburn". Balance Point Acoustics. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
39. ^ "Shelter - Gordon/Lang/Wolfe - Bang on a Can". bangonacan.org. Retrieved 2020-05-19.

## External links

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* Artist website
* Faculty profile