Biography

Charlie Reynolds (he/him/his) is a fiber artist, sculptor, activist, and teacher. As a member of About Face and the Veteran Art Movement, he uses his art to advocate for the demilitarization of the United States. His award-winning thesis, Dress Blues, turns his old warship into a delicate sculpture made of dress patterns.

Recipient of the 2024 Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities, Charlie chooses his medium based on the materials' accessibility, adaptability, and forgiveness. His work explores softness and vulnerability, focusing on how dangerous, patriarchal, or violent objects change when made soft, and how ephemeral items are altered when made permanent

Contact: rcharli [at] umich [dot] edu

All photos credit: Andy Maticorena Kajie

Exhibitions

Keep a Place for Me, Ella Sharp Museum, Michigan 2026

Midwest Nice Art - Dislocated, Digital 2025

Veteran Voce, Galeria E.V.A, San Antonio, Texas, 2025

stop-loss: MFA Thesis Exhibition, University of Michigan, Michigan 2025

Take Care Exhibition, University of Michigan, Michigan 2025

Anedged: MFA First Year Exhibition, University of Michigan, Michigan 2024

Accessing Disability Culture, University of Michigan, Michigan 2024

Arts and Resistance Exhibition, University of Michigan, Michigan 2023

Awards & Features

Good Hart Artist Residency- Elevating Diverse Voices, 2026

Crooked Tree Artist Talk, Petosky, Michigan, 2026 [link to artist talk]

Creative Rebellion- 10-week seminar written/taught for veteran artists, 2026

Stacey L. Kirby Bureau of Personal Belonging (Ann Arbor Edition), 2025

MFA Thesis Exhibition Jury’s Distinction Award, 2025

Arts Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities, 2024

Jean Paul Slusser MFA First-Year Exhibition Award, 2024

HOORF Podcast Interview with Elle Billing, 2024 [Spotify link]

Education

Master of Fine Arts Candidate, University of Michigan, Class of 2025

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Middle Tennessee State University, Class of 2022