Dominic Pangborn
Dominic Pangborn is a well-known Korean-American artist and graphic designer. Dominic credits his constant evolution to his unique childhood. He was a born in Korea in 1952 – a product of the Korean War. His father an unknown American G.I., his mother a poor Korean villager. She was left to raise him — and his two full-Korean siblings — on her own in a post-war country that was devastated economically, physically, and emotionally. When Catholic missionaries visited their village she sent him to the United States at the age of 10 to be adopted by the Pangborn family of Jackson, Michigan.
The language and culture barriers were formidable at first for Dominic; however, those same barriers might have been what ultimately led him to art. He discovered at that early age that art allowed him to express himself to the fullest without the need for words. He bought his first set of paint and boards at the age of 12. Quickly grasping the medium, he sold his first painting for $145 to a colleague of his father. It was there his art career was born.
Audiences were quick to embrace his new revolutionary styles. He held his first show in 2007, selling out almost immediately. The popularity of his work only continued to soar. Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins franchise commissioned Dominic to create a 30-foot 3D art sculpture as a feature in their new $500 million stadium in 2012. In 2014 he was voted a top-five finalist in ArtPrize – the international public art competition—among 1,500 entries. Additionally, the Ella Sharp Museum of Michigan held a summer-long career retrospective (“Evolution of Art & Design Through Revolution”) which highlighted all of Dominic’s achievements in art, design, and invention. Of course, his crowning artistic achievement would come in 2015, when he was asked to create an artwork for the White House Fellows’ 50th Anniversary. President Obama and the First Lady will unveil the piece at a special White House luncheon on October 22, 2015.
RECENT AWARDS
• 2012: Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce Salute to Excellence
• 2006: Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce Emerging Global Leader Award
• 2004: Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce Salute to Excellence
• 2003 Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce Salute to Excellence
• 2002: International Institute Hall of Fame
• 2000: Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce Salute to Excellence, Michigan Governor’s Award for Arts and Culture
RECENT CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• Commissioned to create an artwork for the White House Fellows Program’s 50th Anniversary. The work will be unveiled by President Obama and the First Lady at the White House on October 22, 2015.
• The Ella Sharp Museum featured Dominic in “Evolution in Art & Design Through Revoltution,” a retrospective of his work in art, design, and invention
• Voted a top-five finalist among 1,500 entries at ArtPrize 2014, one of the world’s largest art competitions
• Art installation in the new Miami Marlins stadium, 2012
• Featured as the subject of KBS TV’s Age of Global Success documentary series, 2012
• Published “Evolutionist: Dominic Pangborn,” an art book featuring past work, 2011
CURRENT AND PAST BOARD MEMBERSHIPS
• Children’s Center of Michigan, Latino Family Services, Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce, Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, Center for Creative Studies, Detroit Science Center, Madonna College