Obituary of Michael Gibson

Charles “Michael” Gibson passed away at the age of 62 on November 18, 2024, in Otsego County, New York.  Michael was an accomplished artist, committed athlete, self-taught craftsman, loving husband and lifetime dog-whisperer.

The son of James Ebenezer Gibson and Millie Marie Gibson, Michael was born May 18, 1962, in Atlanta. He spent his summers as a youth at his grandparent’s farm in Gaffney, South Carolina, and he graduated high school in Douglasville, Georgia where he excelled at soccer.  During his senior year, he survived a friend’s accidental and nearly fatal gunshot through his abdomen, and quickly demonstrated the remarkable resilience that characterized the rest of his life. 

Michael earned a BFA and graduated Pre-Med from the University of Georgia. He studied with Jim Herbert at that seemingly magical time when UGA’s emergent art school was helping give birth to the Athens music scene.

While in Athens, Michael also pursued his intense passion for cycling, as he grinded through endless training miles in Oconee County, competed in races, and earned meal money as a mechanic at Dixon’s Bicycles.  He later developed a deep love for motorcycles, and always found true joy when he was rolling on two wheels.

After graduating from college, Michael moved to Atlanta, and quickly established himself as one of the Southeast’s most promising young painters.  His early work focused on light, and while living and working at the mattress factory loft with artist friends Tony Hernandez and Todd Murphy, they began a movement then known as “New Southern Gothic.” 

Michael was represented early on by Fay Gold Gallery in Atlanta and later by Newman/Popiashvili Gallery in New York. He exhibited widely in the US and internationally, including shows at Artists Space (New York), LAX Art (Los Angeles) and the 2009 Athens Biennial (Greece), among others. Michael’s later art career pivoted to highly complex, site-specific sound installations, often collaborating with specialists in other fields, from architecture to audio engineering. No matter what phase or form of his work, Michael made art that resonated with a deep sense of beauty. 

In 1996, Michael married fellow artist Carolyn Carr. Shortly thereafter, they became early pioneers in the conversion of downtown Atlanta’s Castleberry Hills.  Day by day, and inch by inch, Michael and Carolyn converted a former stable into Garage Projects, one of Atlanta’s best artist studios, apartment and studio lofts for friends, and Michael and Carolyn’s own comfortable home, which served as the setting of some of Atlanta’s warmest, liveliest dinner parties.  They were consummate hosts and pillars of the community.

In 2020, Michael and Carolyn moved to the quiet, rural hamlet of Meredith, New York.  Once again, Michael steadily worked to convert a once-grand 19^th century farmhouse into a remarkable and comfortable home.  

In upstate New York, Michael added even more facets to his broad creativity by launching his own custom-tailored axe company, Meredith Felling, and working as a homelessness case worker for the Delaware County Office of Social Services. 

Michael had a unique ability to connect with animals, and seemingly every horse and dog he encountered were drawn to him especially his own Lilian, South, Ginger, Blue and Molly.

Michael is survived by his wife Carolyn, his brother James Gibson and sister-in-law Charlene Ellis. He is predeceased by his parents and sister Barbara Anne Gibson Murdock. In addition, Michael leaves behind a large community of friends who grieve his loss and remain grateful for his deeply kind, always-understated, never-wavering friendship. 

A memorial service will be held locally at Saint James Church at Lake Delaware on Saturday, November 23, 2024, at 11 AM.  A celebration of his life will be held later in Atlanta.

Contributions in honor of Michael can be made to the Dick Lane Velodrome in Atlanta. 

Please visit www.macarthurfh.com to share a condolence with Michael’s family.