Michael Stevens is a sculptor and educator whose assemblages combine carved wood, painted surfaces and found objects to explore storytelling, memory and the human condition. A longtime figure in Northern California's art community, Stevens earned a B.A. in painting in 1967 and an M.A. in sculpture in 1969 from California State University, Sacramento. Drawing inspiration from childhood movies, television, popular culture and folk traditions, he creates theatrical compositions populated by animals, eccentric characters and familiar objects. His sculptures balance humor and satire with psychological tension, often examining the boundaries between innocence and guilt, good and evil. Stevens has exhibited extensively, including at Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery. His longstanding association with the University of California, Davis, includes exhibitions at the Richard L. Nelson Gallery, notably The Slant Step Revisited (1983), Flatlanders 3 (2010) and Flatlanders on the Slant (2012).