Clive Knights earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in the arts and in architecture from Portsmouth Polytechnic, UK, and a Master of Philosophy degree in the history and theory of architecture from Cambridge University. He has taught architecture since 1984, joining Portland State University in 1995 as the undergraduate major in architecture was created. He led the architecture program from 2007 to 2019 and became the founding director of a new School of Architecture when it was formed in 2012. During this time, he developed a new Master of Architecture degree and guided the program to full professional accreditation in 2012. He teaches history and theory, architectural design & fabrication of festival structures, drawing, media exploration, printmaking, and collage.
Clive’s primary area of research and creative exploration addresses the cultural meanings of poetic representation understood through the phenomenology of the human body, with particular reference to the writings of French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty. From this research arises his conviction that creativity engages most effectively with the depth of the human condition through a gestural engagement with graphic material, epitomized in acts of drawing and making by hand.
His publications include many journal articles and book chapters on the theory, history and pedagogy of creative practice, and most recently two articles reflecting on his studio practice published in Kolaj Magazine. He has exhibited creative work internationally, including three projects at the 1985 Venice Biennale. Over recent years, he has put deliberate effort into engaging the printmaking and collage-making communities nationally and beyond, exhibiting his work in over 30 juried group shows across eighteen US states plus Belgium, Scotland, Slovenia, England, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Norway, Austria, and Canada. In Portland, he is represented by Laura Vincent Design & Gallery. Follow him on Instagram @knightsclive