Ed Woodham

Ed Woodham (born 1957) is a global public artist He is the founder of Art in Odd Places, and the co-founder of 800 EAST, Atlanta, whose archives are housed at the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University. His mother, Carrol Woodham, was an artist, where he received a bachelor's degree in 1979.

Career Art In Odd Places 2021:NORMAL, Julia Justo, New York. Photo: Marcela Ariaz In 1980, Woodham moved to New York City to become a Broadway star. into a multi-disciplinary arts center and collective located at 800 EAST Avenue in the Little Five Points section of Atlanta. Terry S. Hardy, an artist and curator, served on the 800 EAST board of directors from 1991 to 1997. Woodham served as director of the organization until its closure in 1998.

During its history, 800 EAST produced more than 250 visual and performance art events. In 1992, 800 EAST presented "Homo" a visual and performance art weekend, and "The Big Style Show", that featured a "Tok Sho" where artists and audience talked with each other on camera. The group's 3rd Annual "24 Hour Show" showcased performances by local bands, musicians, and other artists. In 1993, 800 EAST under the direction of Woodham and Sizemore presented the "Short Play Series", including new plays by Alice Dinnean and others. In 2017, the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University purchased the 800 EAST archives for an undisclosed amount. In addition, Art in Odd Places has produced events in Boston, Massachusetts; Greensboro, North Carolina; Indianapolis, Indiana; Los Angeles and West Hollywood, California; New York, New York; Orlando, Florida; St. Petersburg, Russia; and Sydney, Australia.

In 2012, Art in Odd Places was selected as a representative in the U.S. pavilion at the 13th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Spontaneous Interventions: Design Actions for the Common Good" received a special mention from the Biennale Jury, the first exhibition in a U.S. pavilion to receive the honor.

In 2025, Art in Odd Places celebrated its 20th Anniversary with the multi-day outdoor festival VOICE presented by the City of West Hollywood and featuring 35 artist projects. and "Nothing" in New York City in response to the organization losing funding from the New York State Council for the Arts (NYSCA).

The Keepers

In 2016, Woodham received a commission from by The Gowanus Public Arts Initiative to create a performance piece, "The Keepers", in his neighborhood of Gowanus, Brooklyn. In 2023, Woodham produced "The Keepers" at three different locations near New York's Penn Station: The Church of St. John the Baptist, Gimbel's Skybridge, and the demolished Hotel Pennsylvania.

Other Projects From 1995 to 1998, Woodham was the founder and director of Exciting Parlor.

In 2016, Endicott College presented "Chickenarama," a performance installation by Linda Mary Montano and Woodham and the accompanying "Dad and Mom: Art Giving Life" gallery exhibition. and that were created during their end-of-life art therapeutic practice.

In 2016, Woodham and Samantha Hill were selected by the Macon Arts Alliance to be the inaugural artists-in-residence for the Mill Hill Visiting Social Practice Program in Macon, Georgia. Without notice, the Macon Arts Alliance terminated the artists two weeks into their three-month residency project.

In 2020, Woodham was a featured artist in The Babel Masks exhibition.

Woodham has performed around the world, including at 54 Columns; Art Prospect Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia; Center for Puppetry Arts; Cherry Lane Theater; Eramboo Art Environment, Sydney, Australia; EyeDrum, Atlanta; HERE Arts Center; High Museum of Art; Indianapolis Museum of Art; Le Poisson Rouge; Lincoln Center Out of Doors; Old Stone House; Orlando Museum of Art; Siren Arts, Asbury Park, New Jersey; St EOM's Pasaquan, Buena Vista, Georgia; Telfair Museum; and other venues. In addition, Woodham operates the Showroom Gallery in the Kips Bay/Murray Hill section of New York City.

Teacher and speaker Woodham is a faculty member of the Visual and Critical Studies Department at the School of Visual Arts, where he teaches Social Malpractice Art. Since 2013, he has been an Invited Artist Faculty member at NYU's Hemispheric Institute. In addition, he has taught at Wilson College's MFA program in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

In 2013, Woodham delivered a Tedx Talk in Gowanus, New York,

At Columbia Teachers College, Woodham serves as visiting speaker for the Arts Administration program.

Quotable "Absurdity is an aesthetic choice that reflects my politics." Artist-in-Residence, Studio Arts Board, University of Virginia -- 2018 MacDowell Fellow and Artist-in-Residence, MacDowell Arts Center -- 2019 Artist-in-Residence, City of West Hollywood, California -- 2019-2020