Michael Hayden (born January 15, 1943) is a Canadian artist who is noted for his artworks incorporating neon lighting. He preferred to use the term 'products' rather than artworks.[2]
Career
Hayden was born in Vancouver, British Columbia,[3][4] the son of a designer who moved to Toronto with his family. Hayden attended the Ontario College of Art and while there created a ten-room presentation of sights, sounds, and smells, called "Mind Excursion".[5] His best-known commission is Sky's the Limit (1987) at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago's United Airlines terminal (see photograph).[1][6] Other prominent commissions include Arc en Ciel (1978),[7] which was formerly installed at Yorkdale subway station in Toronto, York Electric Murals at York University Libraries,[8][9] and Quadrille (1996),[10] which is installed on a building in Charlotte, North Carolina.
^ abStern, Rudi (1990). Contemporary Neon. Retail Reporting Corp. ISBN978-0-934590-37-2. California artist Michael Hayden was selected to design a lighting sculpture synchronized with music and orchestrated with architecture. Hayden's solution, Sky's the Limit, uses 466 neon tubes and extends 744 feet.
^A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, volumes 1-8 by Colin S. MacDonald, and volume 9 (online only), by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker National Gallery of Canada / Musée des beaux-arts du Canada
^Allen, Karyn Elizabeth. "Michael Hayden". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012.
^A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, volumes 1-8 by Colin S. MacDonald, and volume 9 (online only), by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker National Gallery of Canada / Musée des beaux-arts du Canada
^Barr, Vilma (1992). The Best of Neon: Architecture, Interiors, Signs. Rockport Allworth Editions. p. 19. ISBN978-0-935603-60-6. A spectacular display of rainbow colors is produced by neon tubes in the skylight from an electronic sculpture called "Arc en ciel" by artist Michael Hayden.
^Greenwood, Michael (August–September 1971). "Hayden's light/sound escalator at York University, Toronto". artscanada (158–159): 40–43.
^"Michael Hayden". www.gallery.ca. National Gallery of Canada. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
^"Michael Hayden". torontoist.com. Torontoist. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
Further reading
Schiess, Christian (1994). The Light Artist Anthology: Neon and Related Media. ST Media Group International. ISBN978-0-944094-00-6. This book includes photographs of Hayden's works and an interview with Hayden.
Greenwood, Michael (August–September 1971). Hayden's light/sound escalator at York University, Toronto." artscanada, 158–159.