Scott Snyder was born in Rockford, Illinois and earned his MFA in visual art and painting at Bradley University in Peoria in 1993 with an Academic Excellence Scholarship and Kotteman Endowed Scholarship for sculpture. He works in a variety of media to assemble his visual commentaries on contemporary culture. He presents tongue-in-cheek criticism on the nature of the commercial art market, its volatile trends, and the mystique of its most celebrated and notorious personalities. This is demonstrated in his deep-fried plush toys and Precious Moments ingots. With their original, innocent appearance permanently altered, Snyder’s practice crosses the boundaries from the subverted critique of an object to its own obscene caricature. Other recent works focus on pharmaceutical usage as conceptual portraiture and the debatable intimacy of electronic communication. He assembles imagery consisting of his own and other’s prescription and non-prescription drugs contrasted by objects of fascination and personal history, such as texts, blogs, or emails. He has served as curator for the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and the Rockford Art Museum, as well as assistant professor at Florida Gulf Coast University. Today, he maintains active roles as an educator, curator, and practicing contemporary artist.
