Zac Banik is a Slavic-American Jew who makes new things out of old things. He believes that difference is worth celebrating and tradition is worth remembering. He wants to bring people together, repair what is broken and put a smudge on every clean surface.
Zac was born in Cheltenham, England to American parents, whom he calls every day, and grew up in the Baltimore, Maryland metro area. He now lives in Portland, Oregon with his best friend and their three cats, where he creates art, finds clever solutions to problems, teaches craft and obsessively licks his teeth until his tongue bleeds and he has to sleep with a cotton ball in his mouth.
Zac is currently thinking a lot about malpractice, shabbat and pita bread. He is very tired and would like permission to take a nap.
CV
Education
2019- Rhode Island School of Design, MFA Furniture Design.
Rhode Island School of Design, Graduate Certificate in Collegiate Teaching in Art and Design, Conferred with Collegiate Teaching Experience.
2015- University of Maryland Baltimore County, BA Anthropology with Minor in Sociology.
Work Experience
2024-Present - Private Instructor, Studio Nikto. Portland, OR.
2023-Present - Freelance Product Designer, Studio Nikto. Portland, OR.
2023-Present - Part-time Faculty, Pacific Northwest College of Art. Portland, OR.
2022-Present - Instructor, Wildcraft Studio School. Portland, OR.
CE Instructor, Portland Community College. Portland, OR.
2022-2023 - CE Instructor, Pacific Northwest College of Art. Portland, OR.
2020-2024 - Principal Designer, Studio Nikto. Portland, OR.
Fall 2019- Guest Lecturer, Slovak Technical University in Bratislava. Bratislava, Slovakia.
Summer 2019- Lighting Production Associate, Studio Endo. Providence, RI.
2017-2019- Shop Tech Assistant, RISD Furniture Metal Shop. Providence, RI.
Summer 2018- Designer/Builder, RISD Nature Lab. Providence, RI.
Prototyper, Sosolimited. Boston, MA.
Summer 2017- Design Intern, Pneuhaus. Providence, RI.
Professional Activity
2024- Workshop Facilitator. Art/Lab Alumni Retreat. Colton, OR.
2022- End of Year Reviewer, Applied Craft and Design. Pacific Northwest College of Art. Portland, OR.
2021- Guest Critic, Applied Craft and Design. Pacific Northwest College of Art. Portland, OR.
2018- Department Representative, Haystack Art Schools Collaborative. Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Deer Isle, ME.
Leadership
2023-Present- Board Chair of Education. ORA Northwest Jewish Artists. Portland, OR.
2018-2019- Furniture Department Graduate Liaison. Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI.
2017-2018- Furniture Department Representative to the Graduate Student Alliance. Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI.
Awards/Honors
2019- Tage Frid Award for Excellence in Student Teaching. Rhode Island School of Design.
Residencies
2024- Zymoglyphic Museum. Portland, OR.
2022-2023 - Art/Lab. Portland, OR.
2019- Flowers For Slovakia. Trnava, Slovakia.
Press
2022- “ORA’s light to glow in post-pandemic show” The Jewish Review. Vol.57, Issue 21. Pg 10.
Teaching Experience
Private Lessons
Studio Nikto
Metal Fabrication and Design
World-building for Young Minds
Traditional Slovak Crafts
Workshops
Portland Community College-
Visible Mending: Woven. 2023-Present
Visible Mending: Knits. 2023-Present
Pacific Northwest College of Art-
Freeform Quilting Intensive. 2023.
Wildcraft Studio School -
Drotárstvo: Slovak Wire Bowls. 2022-2024
Ethnodesign Seminar. 2023.
Intro to Stone Carving: Anthracite Coal. 2023.
Drotárstvo: Wire Wrapped Stones. 2022.
Courses
Spring 2023 - Wood Joinery: Furniture. Pacific Northwest College of Art.
Fall 2022-Winter 2023 - Metals for Furniture Design. Portland Community College.
Fall 2019- Follow the Root: Slovak Ethnodesign. Slovak Technical University in Bratislava.
Winter 2019- Alternative Metals for Furniture Design, Rhode Island School of Design.
Winter 2018- Speculative Design, Rhode Island School of Design.
Exhibitions
Group
2024- Abstraction: Forms, Lines, Color. Biafarin Online Exhibition.
Shared Thought: Collaborating With AI. Columbia City Gallery. Seattle, WA.
2023- Makhloket: Divisions and Integrations. Eastside Jewish Commons. Portland, OR.
Text/Object - Merridawn Duckler. Blackfish Gallery. Portland, OR.
2022- ORA Celebration of Art 2022. Mittleman Jewish Community Center. Portland, OR.
Flowers For Slovakia. Helsinki Design Week. Helsinki, Finland.
2021- Flowers For Slovakia: Taste My Story. Designblok. Prague, Czechia.
2020- Flowers For Slovakia. Bratislava Design Week. Bratislava, Slovakia.
2019- Master’s Thesis Show. Rhode Island Convention Center. Providence, RI.
2018- The Chair Show. Gelman Gallery. Providence, RI.
New Work: Graduate Furniture Design Triennial. Sol Koffler Gallery. Providence, RI.
Collections
Public Art Collection, Regional Arts and Culture Council, Portland, OR.
Organizations
ORA Northwest Jewish Artists.
Lambda Alpha National Anthropology Honors Society.