Often operating at the intersection of design, social critique, and absurdity, Wes Heiss’ work questions the roles of the man made things we surround ourselves with. Bringing life to inanimate objects and manipulating functional products into metaphors for the fears and longing that defines the American experience. Central to this experience is the stubbornly held feeling that the right machine, or combination of machines, has the potential to make life secure, happy, and, most of all, meaningful. For his exhibition at the RMAC Heiss has produced a series of vignettes and sculptures that center around the concept of manifest destiny.

Heiss has exhibited internationally including the Menil Collection in Houston, ArtSpace in New Haven, Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, and Kulturmöllan in Lövestad, Sweden, and has been awarded residencies at the MacDowell Colony, Skowhegan, and the Bemis Center. He received a Master of Architecture from Rice University and a BA degree from Bennington College in Ceramics and Architecture. He is currently Assistant Professor of Industrial Design at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.