Learning to Be an Artist in Mike Malpass’s Weld Shop
By Anthony Scarzafava
Pulling out the old photographs of the welded-steel sculptures I made at Pratt Institute always gets me daydreaming about how they came to be.
Between 1981 and 1983, I had the great luck to take several welded sculpture classes with Michael “Mike” Malpass. He was not much older than many of his students, but he was already a working artist with a real sense of purpose. Over time, he became more than my professor. He became a mentor and a friend.
Mike had created an incredible environment in the Pratt welding shop. It was open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday, even when no class was meeting. I spent every spare moment I could there, trying to absorb everything Mike could teach me about sculpture and how to be an artist.
He taught his classes while working on his own sculpture. We had a front-row seat to an actual artist developing ideas, solving problems, and honing his craft. We did not only hear him talk about making art. We watched him do it.
Mike was a no-nonsense guy and a sweetheart at the same time. I took three or four of his classes, as many as I could fit into my schedule. When I could not fit any more classes in, I convinced him to take me on as a work-study student to help offset some of my tuition.
He was so cool about it. He swore me to secrecy and let me make sculpture during my work hours.
The welded-steel sculptures in these photographs came out of those years at Pratt. The original pieces were eventually lost during one of my moves, so the photographs are all that remain.
Even though the sculptures are gone, they still hold a great deal of meaning for me. When I look at these images, I remember the sound and energy of the weld shop. I remember the hours spent working with steel and trying to understand what it meant to make something of my own.
Most of all, I remember Mike’s generosity. He allowed his students to see the daily work behind being an artist. He showed us that art was not only about inspiration. It was also about showing up, paying attention, solving problems, and returning to the work every day.
Mike taught me how to weld and how to think about sculpture, but what I learned from him went far beyond technique. He helped teach me how to be an artist.
That lesson has stayed with me throughout my life, long after I stopped making sculpture and returned my focus to painting.