Jesse Schlesinger is a multidisciplinary visual artist working in sculpture, site-specific installation, drawing, and photography. His work is fundamentally concerned with place: how the natural environment, architectural context and engagement, and historical precedent contribute to experience and understanding. Labor and craft are key elements of his practice. Inherent in this work is a reverence for material reflected in the process. His upbringing as a second-generation carpenter (with a focus on traditional craftsmanship) and long-term involvement with a small farm have jointly influenced the philosophy of his work.
Schlesinger has exhibited in galleries and museums in the US and Japan. He is a 2018 and 2020 recipient of the JUSFC Fellowship through the NEA for artistic endeavors in Japan. He is currently working towards completion of a large-scale, permanent public artwork for the city of San Francisco that will utilize bronze, concrete, wood, stone, and glass. He is a founding artist of the Minnesota St Project Artist Studio facility in San Francisco. In 2012 he was shortlisted for SFMOMA’s SECA award.
Schlesinger is represented by Anthony Meier Gallery in Mill Valley, CA.