"Michael Arthur is one of the most talented young artists I've ever met. . . .He makes wonderful drawings."--
Al Hirschfeld
Michael Arthur uses no pencils and no rough drafts in his work; each drawing is a live reaction to the moment.
Michael is the official Archival Artist for
Joe's Pub at the Public Theater in New York City, where he draws artists during soundchecks and performances. As "Toxey Goodwater," Michael performs with the indie folk-rock art collective,
Balthrop, Alabama, drawing live as they play live in concernt.
Michael's work has been featured in The New York Times and on line at Vanity Fair. His drawings have appeared in Artillery Magazine, The Sondheim Review, Covers, Brooklyn Vegan, Music Is Art and numerous artist websites. His videos for Balthrop, Alabama, Mike Viola and others are available for viewing on YouTube. You can follow Michael on Twitter, where his profile name is Inklines.
Michael got his Ph.D in Theatre History and Criticism from the Department of Theatre And Dance at The University of Texas in Austin in 1999, where, for eight years he was the research assistant to noted Theatre Historian, Oscar G. Brockett.
He specializes in drawing the intimate rehearsals of dance and theatre, capturing the creative process in pen and ink. But his sketchbooks also reveal a hand that never rests. In these drawings one finds the faces of riders in the subways, people in coffee shops and on the streets and fantastic flights of whimsical nonsense, all drawn directly in ink.
Michael has worked with American Ballet Theatre, The Martha Graham Dance Company, The Paul Taylor Dance Company, The Parsons Dance Company, The Buglisi/Foreman Dance Company, The Tribeca Theatre Festival and the Drama Dept. On Broadway, his drawings have chronicled the rehearsal processes of Stephen Sondheim's
Follies and
Pacific Overtures, Neil Simon's
45 Seconds From Broadway, the 2003 revival of August Wilson's
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and
La Cage Aux Folles. In 2002 Michael spent three months chronicling in drawings the final rehearsals and performances of Susan Jaffe during her farewell season with ABT at the Metropolitan Opera House. In the summer of 2003, Michael's drawings were displayed at the
Gallery of the Metropolitan Opera House; in 2005, he had displays of his work at the
Performing Arts Center of the University of Texas and at
P.S.122 in New York City. In the Winter of 2003 Michael created the Christmas cards for
God's Love We Deliver, a New York based charity dedicated to bringing food to home-bound AIDS and cancer patients. A limited edition book of his
Martha Graham Company drawings was created for the Graham Company's City Center season in April, 2005. Other limited edition books of his drawings have been created especially for the Board of Directors for
American Ballet Theatre and the Trustees of the
Juilliard School of the Arts.
