Joe Mangrum was born in Florissant Missouri. At the age of 16 he was awarded a trip to India sponsored by the Asia Society of New York. After completing his BFA from the School of the Art institute of Chicago in 1991 he traveled for many years before making his home in San Francisco. His first solo exhibition was at San Francisco State University in 1995, titled “Hypothesis”.

His work has been exhibited worldwide. In 2003 Joe was awarded the Lorenzo de Medici Award in new media at the Florence Biennale. He has held residencies at the de Young Museum of San Francisco and Red Gate Gallery in Beijing where he was featured in the inaugural exhibit of the Sunshine Museum of Beijing. He has received commissions from the City of San Francisco as well as Coachella and numerous other festivals. He is an active supporter of environmental causes and has contributed efforts for Riverkeeper alliance, Natural World Museum, World Environment Day among many. His work has been featured on the PBS program “Spark” on KQED in San Francisco. He has also worked with educational programs at the de Young Museum, Oakland Public Schools and the United Nations International School.

He is presently creating a series of sand paintings in the streets of New York City for which he has been featured on CNN and The New York Times. A documentary film and book project are underway to detail these works. He lives and works in New York City. His work is visible at joemangrum.com