About
Steven Bleicher 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 April 2023, the third edition of Bleicherʼs book, Contemporary Color: Theory and Use, was published by Routledge Press. 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 last chapter, The Future of Color, examines current issues of color use, legal disputes, and innovations in color theory and technology. He is currently writing a new book on color psychology in art and design
Last year, Bleicher wrote a book on basic design for Oxford University Press titled, Art and Design Foundations. It is the most extensive and comprehensive text of its type and includes pedagogical areas such as conceptual thinking, digital color, as well as all aspects of two and three-dimensional design. The book was published in 2021.
Bleicher is regularly sought after as an expert witness on issues of color use and copywrite and trademark infringement. Most recently he testified in federal court. 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. 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, Axios, El Español and Sports Illustrated as well as other local, national and international publications. Additionally, 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 Nike, 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).