Mark Rumsey is an artist working in social situations and spacial
manipulations. His work fluctuates between a studio practice and a social practice, both functioning as feedback loops for the other. Rumsey's first exposure to the world was as a student studying abroad in Shanghai, China. Since that time he has engaged in travel in the mode of cultural immersion, recently in the role of Artist-in-Residence including: The Swatch Art Peace Hotel, Shanghai, China (2013); Rondo Atelier, Graz, Austria (2011); The Studios of Key West, Key West, FL, USA (2011); Frans Masereel Centrum, Kasterlee, Belgium (2009); and Carvansarai, Istanbul, Turkey (2008). He has spent time exploring India, Nepal, and Germany.
Rumsey maintains a national exhibition schedule while staying rooted in the small midwest city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. A Michigan native, Rumsey grew up in a small farming community near Lake Michigan. He attended Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI and obtained a BFA in Ceramcis and Philosophy. As a graduate students he studied Sculpture and Landscape Architecture prior to completing an MFA in Printmaking at Kendall College of Art & Design, Grand Rapids, MI.