Les Levine (Irish, b. 1935)Les Levine, a conceptual artist and one of the originators of media art, was born in Dublin in 1935 and now lives in New York City. Early on, he recognized the potential of television as an art medium and a means of mass dissemination. He was one of the first artists to use videotape. Levine regards himself as a "media sculptor" and has used outdoor advertising, posters, television, radio, and telephone conversations in his work. He studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London and exhibited and lived in Canada during the 1960s and early 1970s. In 1973 he was an artist-in-residence at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. He has been based in New York City since 1964.He is considered a major precursor to the conceptual movement, He introduced the terms disposable art, software art and camera art and was one of the first artist in the world to use video tape for artistic means. He now lives and works in New York City. Levine regards himself as a media sculptor, He uses technology and information media extensively. A show entitled The Troubles: An Artist's Document of Ulster, 1973 introduced the concept of art as a sociological tool. Levine continued to explore this concept with I Am Not Blind: An Informational Environment About Unsighted People, 1976, conceived by the Lions Gallery of the series. Wadsworth Atheneum, An exhibition resulting from interviews with 9 unsighted people. It was also shown at the Albright Knox and the Everson Museum. Northern landscapes and We Are Still Alive, 1974, traveled to 8 museums in North America and Europe.Levine has lectured extensively throughout the U.S. and has written for Arts, The Village Voice, Art in America and the Saturday Review. In 1967 Levine won first prize for sculpture in the Canadian Sculpture Biennial. He was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1974 and again in 1980.Levine has been guest lecturer and panelist at many Universities throughout the U.S. and Canada. He has been Artist-in-residence at Aspen, Colorado in 1967 and 1969, at the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design in 1973 and at the University of Illinois in 1975. He was Associate Professor at New york University, 1972-73 and Distinguished Professor of Video Art at William Patterson College, 1974-76. He founded in 1970 and is president of The Museum of Mott Art, Inc. a consultant organization for the arts and allied professions. He participated in Document 77. Kasel.He had over 100 one man shows. Several of these have been in important museums in the United States, Europe, South America and Australia. Some of the public collections who own Levine's works are The National Gallery of Canada, The Art Gallery of Ontario, Whitney Museum of American Art, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Cocoran Museum, Washington D.C. , the Philadelphia Museum. The Beauborg, Paris, The National Gallery, Victoria, Meilbourne, Australia, The Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, The Art gallery of South Australia, The Georgia Museum, Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut and the Donneil Public Library, New York.