Outsider artist Mr. Robot to speak at Humanities Center

Mark Nicholas May, a.k.a. Mr. Robot, will share his journey from inner-school teacher to outsider artist when he speaks at 4:10 p.m. today at the Humanities Center.
The artist is expected to tell how he realized his calling to design and create robots from cast-off materials, and how he uses his art to help people de-stress and view their environment in a broader sense.
The Illinois-born, 25-year-old self-taught artist founded his robot-creating business, Robotik Industries, after working with found objects and low-cost lumber from the Home Depot bargain bin.
Originally created as a stress-reducing exercise, May started giving the well-received robots as gifts to family members and friends and as rewards for his students. In the summer of 2003, South Carolina gallery owner Kim Clayton decided to feature May’s work and provided even greater exposure through the Slotin Folk Fest in Atlanta.
Now a well-established outsider artist, May regular works with other self-taught artists such as Mr. Imagination, whose work is regularly featured at Lehigh.
Future projects include lectures and an installation at Lehigh, a TV program featuring May and his Robotik world, the House of Blues Folk Festival in Orlando, and a show and lecture at Penn State University, Berks Campus.