About
Steven Bleicher is the director of special programs and projects for the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts at Coastal Carolina University. He is a tenured professor of visual arts and was associate dean of the college for more than three years. Bleicher came to Coastal in 2005 to assume the role of chairperson of the visual arts department. Previously, he was a senior faculty member in the arts and humanities program at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. Bleicher received his B.F.A. and M.F.A. from Pratt Institute. He has worked and taught at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, the State University of New York, Brooklyn College and Marian College. In addition, he has served as the assistant dean of the School of Art and Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).
Bleicher is an accomplished artist. His artwork is included in many major collections and is widely exhibited both nationally and internationally in numerous solo and group exhibitions. Bleicher collaborated as the color specialist with fellow artist and Pratt alumna, Jennifer Wen Ma, on Man and Nature in Rhapsody of Light at the Water Cube, a permanent public art installation in Beijing. The work combines traditional Chinese philosophy with contemporary aesthetics and digital technology. The lighting installation opened in June 2013.
In October 2004, Bleicher’s book, Contemporary Color: Theory and Use, was published by Cengage Press and Thompson Learning. It is a comprehensive text on color, and focuses on digital color and its relationship to other new technologies as well as traditional color theory. Other chapters include color psychology, perception and dimensional aspects of color. The second edition, published in April 2012 is updated and contains a new chapter with a focus on global color and multiculturalism.
Currently, Bleicher has written a book on basic design for Oxford University Press that is titled, Art and Design Foundations. It is the most extensive and comprehensive text of its type and will include pedagogical areas such as conceptual thinking, digital color, as well as all aspects of two and three-dimensional design. The book is scheduled for publication in early spring 2021.
Bleicher often provides interdisciplinary lectures on color psychology and has spoken to marketing and anthropology classes at Coastal Carolina University. Additionally, he was a lecturer for the Nancy Smith Endowed Speaker Series and Celebration of Inquiry events at the university. He has also been invited to other colleges and universities to speak and was a visiting professor and artist at the Nanjing Art Institute.
As a result of his expertise on color, Bleicher is often interviewed and has been quoted by notable publications such as the New York Times and El Español, Sports Illustrated, as well as other local, national and international publications. He was a guest contributor to a local television program, Today in South Florida, for a series of segments about using color effectively. Bleicher is also a consultant on color psychology and theory for major corporations including Tilson Communications and Staples, Inc.
Bleicher is a member of the College Art Association (CAA), Foundations in Art: Theory and Education (FATE), International Council of Fine Arts Deans (ICFAD), Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC), Mid-America College Art Association (MACAA).