Nathaniel Stern is an awkward artist, teacher, and writer who likes awkward art, writing, and students. He holds a joint appointment as Associate Professor between Art+Design and Mechanical Engineering at UW-Milwaukee, and is an Associate Researcher at the University of Johannesburg. "I make art that amplifies how we relate to things, ourselves, and each other. I present what these relationships do, and mean for us, and are. Simple, awkward, funny, beautiful, generous, mean, and more. And not just human relationships. While I, myself, am fairly simple (ba-dum-cha), I’ve had an awkward backpack, a funny phone, a beautiful bow tie, a generous shower, a mean cup of coffee. And each impacts me, and those around me; relationships are ecological.” Stern's art coincides with his writing practice: his book, Ecological Aesthetics: Artful Tactics for Humans, Nature, and Politics, was released in July 2018 with Dartmouth College Press.
