Michael Cassidy

A graduate of U of SC and Kendall College of Art and Design. Currently an Instructor of Art at Gray Collegiate Academy and USC Union

Artist Statement

These current pieces stem from a body of work about my experience as a parent of a trans child (now adult).  Trans children and adults are stripped of their rights at an ever-increasing rate, especially in the South. The current administration would prefer trans people cease to exist along with so many other marginalized humans. Every day I fear that she will not survive this, and I am enraged at those that have made her an object of hate, a threat to their close-minded existence. These paintings are part of a series entitled Foxes Against Fascism. I use the fox as a being of great stealth – often unseen and misunderstood. Adaptable to almost any environment. Smart and witty, but with needle-like teeth and a blood curdling bark.


Presented by the Jasper Project, The Degenerate Art Project II is the answer to an overwhelming request by artists and patrons of Jasper's inaugural Degenerate Art Project (July 2025) for an additional exhibition which will involve an open call for visual artists. This 3 week-long multidisciplinary arts event (Feb. 11–28 at Stormwater Studios) invites Midlands artists to respond to today's socio-political climate, and unite our local arts community—physically and in spirit—in support and solidarity during challenging times. Inspired by—and reclaiming—the legacy of the Nazi-labeled "Degenerate Art" of 1937, this project champions creative resistance and free expression through a visual art exhibition, featuring over 40 Midlands artists.