Erik Grau MFA, M.Ed., BCBA, LABA

Biography

Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI Erik studied sculpture at Carroll University before moving to Boston, MA to pursue a MFA in sculpture at Boston University.  His early work focused on political ideas surrounding factory farming, while more recent work focuses on depictions of cats, crystals, and knick-knacks in his immediate home environment as well as escapist natural interiors and landscapes.  In addition to visual art, Erik studied Applied Behavior Analysis and Education at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and works full time as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Boston Public Schools Inclusion Specialist.  In 2019, he was named the Boston Public Schools Educator of the Year.  From 2016-2019, Erik was a member of Boston’s Musa Collective, an artist owned and operated gallery space.   He has exhibited work in the Midwest, East, and West coasts, and has work in the Wisconsin Collection and several private collections.  Erik has completed residencies at Room 83 Spring in Watertown, MA and the Brookline Arts Center in Brookline, MA.  Erik is the current President of the Piano Craft Gallery, a 501(c)3 nonprofit art gallery in Roxbury, MA where he has focused on diversity and inclusion through jurying and curating several exhibitions, supporting educational initiatives with local universities and Boston Public Schools, and facilitating cultural events.

Education

2016: University of Massachusetts Lowell - Masters of Education and Board Certified Behavior Analyst Course Sequence

2010: Boston University - Masters of Fine Arts 

2008: Carroll University - Bachelors of Arts

Arts Administration

2017-present: President of the Board - Piano Craft Gallery, Boston MA

2019-2023: Exhibition coordinator - piano craft gallery, boston ma

2017-2021: Secretary - Piano craft gallery, boston ma

2017-2019: member - musa collective, Boston MA 

Publications

2024: Baystate banner, january

2020: Boston Hassle, March

2020: The Boston Globe, March

2019: South End News, October

2019: South End News, April

2019: its all about arts magazine

2018: South End News, October

2018: Boston Voyager Magazine

2015: Vault - The Ivy League Vegan Journal

Television

2019: It’s all about arts, boston neighborhood network

2018: The Krishna international magazine show, boston neighborhood network

Permanent Public Collections

Shag Loft salon, boston ma

Zuzu’s healing arts, Melrose ma

The Wisconsin Artists Collection, Waukesha WI

Residencies

2019: Brookline Art Center, Brookline MA

2018: Room 83 Spring, Watertown MA

2017: Room 83 Spring, Watertown MA

Public Speaking

2023: Arts administration association of new england, Brookline MA (Navigating the art gallery business landscape: to profit or Not to Profit)

2023: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA (Activism in Art)

2019: Isabella Steward Gardner Museum, Boston MA (Living Room Project)

2019: Blick, Boston MA (Echo Trowbridge Artist Residency Presentation)

2017: MUSA Collective, Boston MA (Cats and Crystals)

2011: Carroll University, Waukesha WI (Artist practice and Graduate School)

Juror

2023: HARMONY: Art and Music at the Piano Factory - juried exhibition about music

2022: 8 Visions - Attleboro art museum

2022: Human Being/Being Human - Newton Art Association and Urban Universalist United Ministry Group Show

2021: Re-Emergence: A New Hope -newton Art Association group Show

2020: rox/se - roxbury/south end artists group show

2020: Emergence: Bright to light - Newton Art association group show

2019: Still Life: Looking at the Ordinary - Newton art association group show

2019: Real Time - National Association of Women Artists Massachusetts Chapter Group show -

2018: Artscope Illustration Competition

2015-2019: John Walker Scholarship Award

Visiting Artist

2024: School of the museum of fine arts boston - intermediate studio seminar

2023: boston university - mfa painting, sculpture, & print media

2023: school of the museum of fine arts boston - intermediate studio seminar

2022: boston university - mfa painting and sculpture

2022: school of the museum of fine arts boston - intermediate studio seminar

2019: massart - undergraduate painting

Curatorial

2024: Love Machine: Into the heart of artificial intelligence - claudia starkey (piano craft Galery)

2024: Amalgamy - boston university recent mfa graduates and candidates (piano Craft Gallery)

2024: face it - Violence transformed juried exhibition (piano craft gallery)

2023: reflect - resident and director group show (piano craft gallery)

2023: HARMONY: art and music at the piano factory (piano craft gallery)

2023: sol: smiling out loud - danice d marshall (Piano Craft Gallery)

2023: A Night at the $weetss museum of fine artz - $weetss taylor (Piano Craft Gallery)

2023: intersections - mfa student exhibition (piano craft gallery)

2023: There’s not that much time - School of the museum of fine arts student exhibition (piano craft gallery)

2023: What’s Going On? - Violence Transformed juried exhibition (Piano Craft Gallery)

2022: 46TH ANNUAL RESIDENT AND DIRECTOR GROUP SHOW - (piano craft gallery)

2022: Playing with Fire - kini (piano craft gallery)

2022: Banging the Door - Boston University MFA Student Exhibition (Piano Craft Gallery)

2022: justify the fish - School of the museum of fine arts student exhibition (piano craft gallery)

2020: rox/se - Roxbury/south end artist juried exhibition (piano craft gallery)

2020: Emergence: Bright to light - Newton Art association group show (Piano craft gallery)

2019: Home is where the art is - Piano Craft Guild annual resident group show (piano craft gallery)

2019: PCG resident pop up event - Piano Craft guild selected artists (Piano Craft gallery)

2019: Still Life: Looking at the Ordinary - Newton art association group show (piano craft gallery)

2019: Real Time - National Association of Women Artists Massachusetts Chapter Group show (piano craft gallery)

Awards

2019: Boston Public Schools Educator of the Year

Exhibitions

2024:

rebirth, reimagine - roslindale substation, boston MA

Hopscotch - NYC Culture clube at the world trade center oculus manhattan NY

group crit: mfa painting and sculpture 1969-2024 - 808 gallery, boston Ma

Ecology begins with… - spoke gallery, BOSTON MA

new england collective xiii: voices and vision - galatea, BOSTON MA

2023:

47th Annual Resident and director Group Show - PIANO CRAFT GALLERY, BOSTON MA

wild new england - agc stovefactory, BOSTON MA

boston artist exhibition - lunya, boston MA

art extravaganza - till wave gallery, watertown ma

2022:

46th Annual Resident and director Group Show - PIANO CRAFT GALLERY, BOSTON MA

Hopscotch - Wedeman Gallery at Lasell college, Newton MA

A long Line - Gallery 263, Cambridge MA

The New England Collective XII - Galatea Fine Art, boston MA

2021:

Meet the Board - Piano Craft gallery, boston MA

Small Wonders - piano craft gallery, boston ma

2020:

Apart Together - Piano Craft gallery, boston MA

the dark arts - piano craft gallery, boston ma

cats and crystals - Funky stuff, worcester ma

rox/se - piano craft gallery, boston ma

Area code art fair - Virtual Area Gallery, boston ma

Art off the wall- Virtual Brookline Arts Center, Brookline MA

Social Distancing Gallery - Virtual Piano Craft Gallery, Boston MA

2019:

Home is Where the Art Is - Piano Craft gallery, boston ma

Residency closing reception w/ crislin waldman - brookline arts center, brookline MA

cats and crystals at the living room project - isabella stewart gardner museum - boston, MA

Resident Pop-Up Event - Piano Craft Gallery, Boston MA

Object(ive) - Brookline Arts Center, Brookline MA

Amalgamation - Wedeman Art gallery at lasell college, Newton MA

Our Animal Friends - Boston Neighborhood Network, Roxbury Ma

2018:     

forty-two and counting - piano craft gallery, boston ma

who saved who? - new bedford art museum, new bedford ma

pattern in Place - Boston city hall scollay square gallery, boston ma

Cats and Crystals - Boston Public library (south end branch), boston MA

Cats and Crystals - Piano Craft GAllery, Boston MA

Open and Affirming MIc night - first baptist church in newton, newton ma

Experimentation in a Time of retrograde - room 83 spring, watertown ma

1 Percent Gallery Phase II: Featured Artist Exhibition - Piano Craft Gallery, Boston MA

Let's Dance - Basement Projects, Santa Ana CA

M+2 - MUSA Collective, Boston MA

Defrost the Cake: MUSA One Year Anniversary - Piano Craft Gallery, Boston MA

2017:

Allston Open Studios: MUSA Collective Group Show - MUSA Collective, Boston MA

Cats and Crystals - MUSA Collective, Boston MA

Resident Group Show - Piano Craft Gallery, Boston MA 

In a Room Together w/ Marta Kaemmer & Crislin Waldman - Room 83 Spring, Watertown MA

Origin Story - MUSA Collective, Boston MA

2016:      

Art100 - Piano Craft Gallery, Boston MA

Legacy: 40 Years at the Piano Craft Guild - Piano Craft Gallery, Boston MA

2011:      

Smoke and Mirrors w/ Louise Krampien - Carroll University, Waukesha WI            

2010:             

Five Decades - Carroll University, Waukesha WI

MFA Thesis Show - Boston University 808 Gallery, Boston MA

Vealand - Commonwealth Avenue Window Gallery, Boston MA

2009: 

Vealand - Boston University Commonwealth Gallery, Boston MA

2008: 

Decide - Carroll University, Waukesha WI

CASU All Media Show - Carroll University, Waukesha WI

Paper Politics - University of WI, Marshfield, Marshfield WI

2007:      

Art Metals Exhibition - Todd Wehr Memorial Library, Waukesha WI

Decide - Waukesha Civic Theatre, Waukesha WI

Paper Politics - University of WI, Whitewater, Whitewater WI

Paper Politics - Walker's Point Center for the Arts, Milwaukee WI

Decide - First Federal Savings Bank, Waukesha WI

Decide - The Riverwest Co-op, Milwaukee WI

College Art Competition - Lakefront Festival of Arts, Milwaukee WI

Willis Guthrie Scholarship Ceremony - Carroll University, Waukesha WI

CASU All Media Show - Carroll University, Waukesha WI

2006: 

College Art Competition - Lakefront Festival of Arts, Milwaukee WI

CASU All Media Show - Carroll University, Waukesha WI

2005:

CASU All Media Show - Carroll University, Waukesha WI