Palme o Curatorial Exchange and South Carolina ETV Present
Homage
1041 George Rogers Boulevard Columbia, SC 29201-4761
December 2018 – April 2019
Ar sts: Michaela Pilar Brown, Alexander Thierry, Jena Thomas, Leo Twiggs, Cedric Umoja, and Victoria-Idongesit Udondian The Palmetto Curatorial Exchange is a collaboration between CC: Curating and Collections, The University of South Carolina, Clemson University, and Coastal Carolina University – that aims to make existing collections and contemporary art more accessible to under-served publics, nurture the network of existing arts organizations within the state, and cultivate the next generation of arts professionals studying in South Carolina.
South Carolina ETV is the state's public educa onal broadcas ng network. Using television, radio and the web, ETV's mission is to enrich lives by educa ng children, informing and connec ng ci zens, celebra ng our culture and environment and ins lling the joy of learning. ETV provides na onal and local content to classrooms via internet services Knowitall.org, LearningWhy, and PBS Learning Media. SCETV also provides teacher training and re-cer fica on in face-to-face and online se ngs. SCETV currently presents A Chef’s Life, Expedi ons, Reel South, and For Your Home on public television in addi on to na onal radio produc ons Song Travels, Piano Jazz and Chamber Music from Spoleto Fes val USA. SCETV began in 1958 in the library of Dreher High School in Columbia, SC teaching French and Plane Geometry classes to mul ple schools via closed-circuit. Today the network comprises 11 TV sta ons, eight radio sta ons, and a statewide tower network that serves schools, hospitals, and emergency management teams. Exhibi on Essay Homage examines themes of memory and history and the ways in which humans are shaped by our past, individually and collec vely. Through this collec on of work, we acknowledge the reverence we hold for mere object and place, and the importance of narra ve and ritual which link us to humanity.
Michaela Pilar-Brown’s mixed-media installa on explores ideas of memory and iden ty. She confronts no ons of femininity and iden ty blending materials and objects associated with Black femininity and her familial past using materials such as hair, bullets, ladies’ gloves, photographs and sea salt.
Through sculpture, Alexander Thierry’s sculptures examine memory’s role in shaping iden fica on of people and place via objects that remind us of them. His use of domes c items like china cabinets and chandeliers stem from the disintegra on of family tradi ons. The grass is a visual representa on of me, change and growth. As people move on or pass away, items are dispersed and assume new lives, retaining old memories and solidifying new meaning.
Jena Thomas paints fic onal landscapes entangling imagined with observed. She highlights humans’ idealiza on of nature, exploring links to history of various peoples cul va ng, shaping and surviving off the landscape; acknowledging how these rela onships have changed over me and more frequently viewed through technological lenses like social media as highlighted by her use of geometric, inorganic forms.
Leo Twiggs’s prac ce o en explores the adversity that African Americans have had to overcome. This exhibi on includes a screening of SCETV’s documentary, Homecoming, Parts 4-6, which examine the ar st’s life and work, highligh ng the memory of his childhood home, family, experience growing up in a segregated South. Incorpora ng Confederate imagery into his pain ngs, Twiggs draws parallels between his personal history, heritage and the current debate over how to appropriately commemorate the South’s painful past.
Cedric Umoja refers to himself as a visual alchemist, combining elements of fine and street art to produce “Afrofuturist” work that reflects the pride he feels for his heritage and culture. The wall pain ng exhibited is an extension of his “po ons” series and creates a visual realm for his totem drawings to occupy.
Victoria-Idongesit Udondian’s quilts were produced for the premier installa on of Route to (re)Se lement at the historic Mann-Simon’s house. A collabora on between the ar st and community members residing in neighboring Marion Street High-Rise and cra ed from secondhand clothing, each piece of fabric has a past life, allowing the quilt to serve as a metaphor for the fabric that makes up a community. The collabora ve shaping and installa on of the quilt invigorated the par cipants’ shared histories, daily life, and ins lled a sense of togetherness.
Humans form sen mental connec ons to personal ar facts and familiar landscapes. In doing so, we find home within a place, culture or family. These relics hold such weight because they are symbols of the experiences that shape our iden es, inform our perspec ves and help us to navigate our paths. Checklist
Michaela Pilar-Brown Keep My Name Outcha Mouth, 2016 Dimensions variable Mixed media (archival pigment prints, found photography, synthe c hair, poplar, steel, polyester cord) Retail: $4000 full installa on; $700 print (set of 15)
Moving On, Separately, 2017 29 x 10 x 40 inches (proposed) stoneware, porcelain, grass seed, steel, wood Retail: $1500 Jena Thomas Vaca on II, 2016 50 x 48 inches Oil on Canvas Retail: $12,500
S ll from Homecoming, Part 6: The Art of Leo Twiggs, 00:00, 2017 NFS
Cedric Umoja Mama Got US, WE Good, 2017 9 x 12 inches Mixed media on paper Retail: $600 Cedric Umoja A Requiem for Ours, 2017 9 x 12 inches Mixed media on watercolor paper Retail: $450
Cedric Umoja Our Hearts Pour Open, 2018 Dimensions variable (Site-specific wall mural) house paint, spray paint, gold leaf, and nails NFS Victoria Udondian Code I, 2016 Dimensions variable Muslin, secondhand clothing, thread, water-based poly-urethane Price Upon Request Michaela Pilar-Brown Ar st Biography
Michaela Pilar Brown is an image and object maker. She studied sculpture and art history at Howard University, though she has always been a maker of things. Born in Bangor, Maine and raised in Denver, Colorado, she cut her teeth in the halls of a museum where her mother worked as a security guard, and has been immersed in the culture of objects, their making and interpreta on ever since.
Ar st Statement
My prac ce explores the body through the prisms of age, gender, race, sexuality and history. I consider memory, myth, ritual, desire and the spaces the body occupies within these vigne es. The narra ves move between past, present and surreal projec ons of the future, some mes occupying these spaces simultaneously.
I explore the ritualized use of common objects, and architectural spaces, o en queering their size, orienta on or form to blur the line between memory, dream and experience, plo ng the rela onshipbetweennorma veconsidera onso hebodyanditsfunc oninspecifiedspaces. I use racially iden fied signifiers to twist and turn mythologies about the body and the spaces that it occupies. The work is at once confronta onal and seduc ve. Graphic novels, pugilist sport, colonial portraiture and magic realism factor into the narra ves.
Recent work explores home as a physical structure and repository for memories. I chronicle beginnings, departures and returns to this symbolic yet physical place, believing it to be the genesis where history, memory and myth are joined. The characters and the spaces I build for them to inhabit demonstrate the capacity in our lives for monsters, angels, heroes and giants, illustra ng our reac ons to occupa on and absence, desire, responsibility, and obliga on. Curriculum Vitae
EXHIBITONS 2015 Liquor and Watermelon Will Kill You – Solo Exhibi on Rebecca Randall Bryan Art Gallery Conway, South Carolina Michaela Pilar Brown – Solo Exhibi on Sumter County Gallery of Art Sumter, South Carolina Ar ields Lake City, SC Memoria/Violenta – Intersec ons of Memory and Violence Michaela Pilar Brown, Diana Farfan & Eliana Perez University of South Carolina Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures – Spanish and Portugese program in partmership with Friday Co age ARTSPACE Art from the Ashes – 150 Years, Commemora ng the burning of Columbia Tapp’s Art Center, Columbia, SC 2014 Michaela Pilar Brown Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC DARK DESIRES Center for Sex and Culture – Group Exihbi on San Francisco, CA A Sense of Self – Group Exhibi on Anastasia & Friends Gallery Columbia, SC Body and Soul – Michaela Pilar Brown, Tonya Gregg and Leo Twiggs Fine Art Center of Ar ields Lake City, SC Bi ersalt Bi ersweet – An Original Performance Harvey B. Gan Center for African American Art and Culture Charlo e, NC I See You: The Poli cs of Being Harvey B. Gan Center for African American Art and Culture Charlo e, NC Body and Soul: Michaela Pilar Brown, Tona Gregg & Leo Twiggs Weizenbla Gallery, Mars Hill University flashBlack: the African Diasporic Impulse in American Photography Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art December 2013 Bi ersalt Bi ersweet – An Original Performance 701 Center for Contemporary Art 2013 South Carolina Biennial 701 Center for Contemporary Art Columbia, SC Civil Rights, Then, Now, When? L.P. Stanback Museum Orangeburg, SC My Father’s House Tapp’s Art Center Columbia, SC AHA! The Humani es Council / Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Coun es Awards Columbia, SC ONEx1 Columbia Museum of Art Group Exhibi on Columbia, SC The South Carolina Arts Gala South Carolina Arts Commission Invita onal group exhibi on Columbia, SC Install It III Vista Ar st Guild Outdoor City Wide Installa on Group exhibi on Columbia, SC 2012 Whither Goes My Heart - Solo Exhibi on Goodall Gallery Columbia College Manifes ng Memory – Planta on Legacies of the South Group exhibi on, Charleston Art Ins tute, Charleston, SC The South Carolina Arts Gala South Carolina Arts Commission Invita onal group exhibi on Columbia, SC Install It II, Vista Ar st Guild, McKissick Museum Outdoor City Wide Installa on Group exhibi on Columbia, SC Solo Exhibi on, FAB Gallery, South Carolina State University Orangeburg, SC What’s Love Group Exhibi on Columbia, SC 2011 We Carry Memories Inside of We Juried Group Exhibi on Avery Research Center College of Charleston Charleston, SC Ar st in Resident Showcase Gan Center for African American Art and Culture Charlo e, NC Resident Exhibi on, McColl Center for Visual Art Charlo e, NC Fourth Wall Arts Salon Series presenter Philadelphia, PA Dual Perspec ves, Solo Exhibi on Kathleen Ogilvie Presents Le Cochon Noir Philadelphia, PA I am Dark but Lovely, Mixed Media, site specific Video Installa on 701 Center for Contemporary Art, Columbia, SC 3DSC, Group Exhibi on, 701 Center for Contemporary Art Columbia, SC One Book One Voice, Site Specific Video installa on, Commissioned by the Columbia Museum of Art Big Apple, Columbia, SC Ki ng, Anastasia and Friends Galley Columbia, SC What’s Love Group Exhibi on Columbia, SC Love (A) Fair Anastasia and Friends Gallery Columbia, SC Change for Change Charity group exhibi on Columbia, SC
CURATORIAL 2009 Freedom – The Trials, Travels and Collec ons of William Belk Fairfield County Museum, Winnsboro, SC 200 object exhibi on including Ivory sculpture collec on, William Belk papers, Iranian Hostage Crisis- State Department documents. Produced 40 minute film. Katharine Ladd – 19th Century Voice of Fairfield County Fairfield County Museum, Winnsboro, SC Documents, objects and images from poet educator, civil war ac vist Katharine Ladd. Produced 20 min documentary of Ladd descendant Mary Ladd Yongue 2008 Birthing a Community Fairfield County Museum, Winnsboro, SC The York W. Bailey Musuem, Historic Penn School, St Helena Island, SC Midwives in Fairfield County. 30 nineteenth and twen eth century objects, 6 informa on panels, directed, edited and produced, 60 minute documentary film Winner of 2009 Award of Achievement South Carolina Federa on of Museums Winner of 2009 Award of Merit South Carolina Confedera on of Local Historical Socie es 2007 To the Point Fairfield County Museum, Winnsboro, SC Projec le Points and Arrowheads from Fairfield County Collectors Iswa Fairfield County Museum, Winnsboro, SC 100 years of Catawba Po ery from the Thomas Blumer and Lindsay Pe us Collec ons Speak No Evil Gallery 107 North, Winnsboro, SC Mixed media pain ngs and prints of Rachel Gibson Phee, Phi, Photography Gallery 107 North, Winnsboro, SC Contemporary Photography and Installa ons of Jon Ives, Errol Alger, and E. Tory Brown 2006 Pamela Burris Gallery 107 North, Winnsboro, SC Contemporary Sculpture and Prints Awards 2014 Ar st Ventures Ini a ve Grant Award, South Carolina Arts Commission 2012 Ar st Grant Vermont Studio Center Ar st In Residence 2011 Undefined Magazine Emerging Ar st of the Year 2011 Fall Gan Ar st in Residence at the McColl Center for Art Award of Achievement South Carolina Federa on of Museums Award of Merit South Carolina Confedera on of Local Historical Socie es Award of Merit South Carolina Confedera on of Local Historical Socie es
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS/EXPERIENCE 2015 TEDxColimbia Speaker 2014 – Present, Ar st U Facilitator 2011 – Present, Treasurer, Friends of African American Art & Culture, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC 2013 – Present, Public Art Selec on Commi ee member, One Columbia for Arts & History, Columbia, SC
EDUCATION 1988 – 1991, 1996- 1998 Howard University, Washington, DC Sculpture, Art History 1989 – 1990 Academic Intern Smithsonian Ins tu on 1990 Intern Washington Project for the Arts 1997 Intern, Interna onal Sculpture Center
PUBLICATIONS Jasper Magazine Vol. 002 No. 004, Columbia, SC Defying Labels, the Work and Woman, Michaela Pilar Brown, Gunter, Mar/April 2013 Free Times October 2012 Ar sts Explore Place, Race in South Carolina, Day The State October 28, 2012 SC Ar st Pushes Boundaries at Columbia College, Taylor Charleston City Paper April 16, 2012 What’s In a Name – Art Ins tute of Charleston Ponders Planta on Life Free Times April 2012 Art Review – Install It 2 Feeds Growing Contemporary Art Tastes, Gilkerson ArtSee Magazine Mar/April 2012 Michaela Pilar Brown, South Carolina State University, FAB Gallery review, Held, Mar 2012 Jasper Magazine Vol. 001 No.003, Columbia, SC Service is the New Muse, Brown, Jan 2012 QCityMetro (blog) Charlo e, NC The Art of Michaela Pilar Brown, Olufunke Moses, December 2, 2011 Undefined Magazine Book Twelve, South Carolina The Many Voices and Faces of Michaela Pilar Brown, Hartvigsen, June 2011 The State Whats Love: a roman c and racy, sweet and some mes scandalous art event Taylor, February 2011 Alexander Thierry Ar st Biography
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Alexander Thierry began working in clay while in high school. He a ended the Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. During his me at Truman State, he received a B.A. in Pain ng, B.F.A. in Ceramics, and an M.A.E. in Visual Art Educa on. A er gradua on, Thierry traveled to Oak Harbor, Washington to teach high school po ery and design.
Thierry le high school teaching to a end the University of Kansas where he received an M.F.A. in Ceramics. Using the many resources of the university, Thierry experimented with clay as material and moved from making po ery to working conceptually, with clay being the main material. He has also a ended workshops and received assistantships to a end cra schools in Colorado, New Jersey and Tennessee.
Thierry now resides in Columbia, South Carolina and is an Assistant Professor of Ceramics at South Carolina State University. His work has been shown all over the United States in museums, galleries, and juried and solo exhibi ons. His current bodies of work can stand alone or be intertwined between sculpture, video, and po ery.
Ar st Statement
I strive to hold on to every memory that I can. Thinking about family holidays reminds me of how we remember people, places, and things. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of someone? What color was that thing and why do I remember it so fondly? These are ques ons that I enjoy answering and enjoy exploring. My work is influenced by how we remember things and how we value memories.
A person is as alive as their memories and I truly believe that once a memory is lost, it is so hard to get back. As soon as a memory is lost, a li le bit of what makes you yourself, at that par cular place in me, is gone and at a me in everyone’s life, we are only memories. Memories bring us together and keep us apart.
In my work I use objects to show memory, me, and the a empt the preserve both of those things. Currently, I am using furniture to tell stories, influenced by my past and current fears but also stories that can be seen in everyday life. Objects have meaning for everyone in different ways and as those objects move throughout place and me, their meanings or values change. These are the stories I tell. Curriculum Vitae
Currently an Assistant Professor of Ceramics and Art Educa on at South Carolina State University
EDUCATION 2017 University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas M.F.A. in Studio Art Area of Concentra on: Ceramics Thesis: Memories to Objects: Taking Inspira on from Family Tradi on 2011 Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri M.A. in Educa on Thesis: “The Effects of Crea ve Wri ng in the Visual Arts Classroom” 2010 Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri B.F.A. in Visual Arts Area of Concentra on: Ceramics Senior Thesis: Clay and Wood 2010 Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri B.A. in Visual Arts Area of Concentra on: Pain ng Senior Thesis: Graffi in the Gallery
TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATION EXPERIENCE 2018 - Present South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, South Carolina Program Coordinator for Visual Art 2017 - Present South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, South Carolina Assistant Professor of Ceramics and Art Educa on 2014 - 2017 The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas Instructor of Record 2012 - 2014 Oak Harbor High School, Oak Harbor, Washington Po ery and Design Teacher 2011 - 2012 Parkway School District, St. Louis, Missouri Subs tute Teacher January 2011 - June 2011 Wright City School District, Wright City, Missouri Student Teaching Intern
RELATED EXPERIENCE 2015 - 2017 The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas President - KU Ceramics Club 2015 – 2017 2014 - 2017 The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas Studio Assistant - Ceramics 2016 Peters Valley School of Cra , Layton, New Jersey Summer Studio Assistant - Ceramics 2007 - 2010 Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri Ceramic Studio Assistant AWARDS 2018 701 Center for Contemporary Art Prize- Finalist South Carolina State University Junior Faculty Travel Grant 2017 Fine Contemporary Cra Exhibi on – First Place Almighty Cup Show – Honorable Men on 2016 Wichita Arts Council Juried Show – Third Place University of Kansas – Ceramics Club Travel Award Peters Valley School of Cra - Summer Studio Assistantship Residency 2015 Anderson Ranch Arts Center - Partnership Scholarship University of Kansas - School of the Arts Travel Grant 2014 University of Kansas – Graduate Teaching Assistantship through 2017
WORKSHOPS AND SPEAKING EVENTS 2018 NASAD Annual Mee ng Open Forum Moderator : Historically Black Ins tu ons Demonstra on Workshop – Sandhill School, Columbia South Carolina Keynote Panelist – Lifeguards Unlimited Leadership Conference, St. Louis, Missouri Ar st Talk – I.P. Stanback Museum, South Carolina State University Ar st Lecture – South Carolina State University
2017 Ar st Talk – Arrowmont School of Arts and Cra s
EXHIBITIONS 2019 Dreamwork Truman State University Gallery, Kirksville, Missouri 2018 701 Center for Contemporary Art Prize Finalist Exhibi on 701 Center for Contemporary Art, Columbia, South Carolina The Almighty Cup Gandee Gallery, Fabius, New York Material Mugs III: Underglaze Companion Gallery, Humbolt, Tennessee Last Call III Companion Gallery, Humbolt, Tennessee
Pallia ve Pour Threadbare Cider House, Pi sburg, Pennsylvania Resistance, Reform, and Reasoning: The Orangeburg Massacre and Its A ermath, 50 Years Later I.P. Stanback Museum, Orangeburg, South Carolina Are We All Here?: Solo Exhibi on FAB Gallery, Orangeburg, South Carolina Geaux Cups Clay Center of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 2017 Fine Contemporary Cra ArtSpace, Raleigh, North Carolina Biennial Sculpture Exhibi on Tryon Fine Arts Center, Tryon, North Carolina The Almighty Cup Gandee Gallery, Fabius, New York Kansas City Clay Guild Tea Bowl Na onal Juried Exhibi on Bredin-Lee Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri University of Kansas and Kansas State University Ceramics Graduate Student Exhibi on SeedCo. Studios, Lawrence, Kansas Remember Them : Solo Exhibi on Trap Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri Memories to Objects : Solo Exhibi on The White Schoolhouse, Lawrence, Kansas Kansas State University and University of Kansas Ceramics Graduate Student Exhibi on Student Union Gallery, Manha an, Kansas Group Exhibi on Guerrilla Gallery, Lawrence, Kansas 2016 Arts Council Juried Exhibi on CityArts Main Gallery, Wichita, Kansas The Clay Cup: Vessel, Icon, Canvas George Caleb Bingham Gallery, Columbia, Missouri Ninth Annual Cup Show: Form and Func on Amelia Center Gallery, Panama City, Florida The Almighty Cup Gandee Gallery, Fabius, New York Arts at the Port: Juried Art Exhibi on Port Transit Shed Event Center, Anacortes, WA Making Ma ers: Fresh Perspec ves in Fine Cra , Vol. 2 Sally D. Francisco Gallery, Peters Valley School of Cra , Layton, New Jersey Hin ng at a Narra ve: Solo Exhibi on Kansas Union Gallery, Lawrence, Kansas Bricolage: Group Exhibi on Art Emergency, Lawrence, Kansas Atmospheric Firing: Life on the Range Group Exhibi on Yantra, Lawrence, Kansas Earth>Water>Fire: The Art of the Mug Phoenix Underground, Lawrence, Kansas Graduate Student Exhibi on Art and Design Gallery, Lawrence, Kansas 2015 The Almighty Cup Gandee Gallery, Fabius, New York 2015 Bellingham Na onal Salon des Refusés Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, Washington The Art of Gastronomy Healdsburg Center for the Arts, Healdsburg, California 2014 Unmonumental Columbia, Missouri Graduate Student Exhibi on Art and Design Gallery, Lawrence, Kansas 2010 B.A Thesis Exhibi on Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri 2009 B.F.A. Thesis Exhibi on Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri Annual Juried Student Show Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri 2008, 2009 Jena Thomas Ar st Biography
Born in South Florida, Jena Thomas is a South Carolina based ar st. Her abstract landscape pain ngs explore the contemporary context of how mankind alters and views the natural world. Thomas has exhibited extensively in Florida and the Northeast, with exhibi ons at the Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery, Boca Raton Museum of Art, Context New York, and Art Palm Beach. Her work has been featured in such publica ons as Studio Visit magazine, New American Pain ng and Crea ve Quarterly. Thomas is a recipient of the Ruth Katzman Scholarship from the Art Students League of New York and a Finalist for the 701 Center for Contemporary Art Prize and Miami University’s, Young Painters Compe on. Thomas received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Massachuse s College of Art and Design in Boston, MA and her Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL. Jena Thomas’s work is currently represented by the Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery in Stamford, CT.
Ar st Statement
I paint fic onal landscapes. I strive to create a luscious otherworld where the imagined is always entangled with the observed. In my pain ngs the world is transformed into a place that is a li le more mysterious and evoca ve than a naturalis c landscape as it is meant to celebrate the oddness within it.
The series Liminal Landscapes, engages in a contemporary dialogue with technology and landscape. I am interested in how human beings "idealize" what nature is and then use this as a basis to create ar ficial environments for ourselves to exist within. At mes, these fabricated environments can devolve into chaos. It is no longer just an issue of domes ca ng the land to make it livable; we have reached a point where we are constantly transforming our world into a suburban theme park. Through the combina on of synthe c colors and naturalis c landscape, I seek to capture the unnatural oddi es of spaces such as swimming pools, miniature golf courses and the medians used to decorate highways.
In other works in this series, I examine how we as a contemporary society view landscape- whether it be through a computer screen, camera, or a windowpane as we are moving past it- we seem to always have an obstructed view. These devices fla en our landscapes and even our experience and memory of a place. In these pain ngs distance becomes a form of abstrac on. By working with an aerial perspec ve it allows me to explore a less tradi onal approach to landscape and forces a technologized view -- or a minimalist approach -- pu ng the subject in stark relief. As I con nue to work with this subject I strive to maintain a consistent vein between man-made objects, otherworldly colors, and a disorien ng portrayal of how humans have managed to make the natural more sublime, in our quest to invent an ar ficial oasis.
In order to create a dialogue between painterly languages I use and the objects I portray, I rely upon classical landscape mo fs to offer the viewer some known familiar context. O en then, geometric elements present themselves as evidence of civiliza ons interven on and demonstrate the inherent difference between the fabricated and the organic. Through a collision of styles ranging from flat modernist geometric structures and roman c painterly gesture, I want to ques on this unusual world we have created for ourselves, where the disparate images of nature and the man-made co-exist. Curriculum Vitae
EDUCATION 2015 MFA University of Miami-Miami, FL Graduate Teaching Assistant, Fellowship in Pain ng 2009 BFA Massachuse s College of Art and Design, Boston, MA Double Major: Pain ng/ Art History; Graduated with Honors and Dis nc on
EXHIBITIONS Solo Exhibi ons/ Two Man Shows 2018 Jena Thomas: Solo Exhibi on, Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery, Stamford, CT (upcoming) 2017 Liminal Landscapes, Solo Exhibi on, Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery, Stamford, CT 2016 New Narra ves, Converse College, Spartanburg, SC Jena Thomas: Solo Exhibi on, Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery, Stamford, CT 2015 Thesis Exhibi on, Wynwood Gallery, Miami, FL Ar ficial Oasis @The Projects: Contemporary Art Space, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 2014 Manmade Summer, Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery, Stamford, CT 2013 Jena Thomas: Solo Exhibi on, Green Monkey, Miami, FL
Group Exhibi ons and Fairs 2018 30th Anniversary Exhibi on, South Carolina State Museum, Columbia, SC (upcoming) 701 CCA Prize Finalist Exhibi on, Center for Contemporary Art, Columbia, SC (upcoming) Art Hamptons, Long Island, NY (Be)come a Collector, Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery, Stamford, CT Art Fields, Mosaic Gallery, Lake City, SC 2017 Faculty Exhibi on, Milliken Art Gallery, Spartanburg, SC 30th Anniversary Gala, Bruce Museum, Greenwhich, CT 4th Annual Collegiate Invita onal Art Exhibi on, Spartanburg, SC. 2016 701 CCA Prize Finalist Exhibi on, Center for Contemporary Art, Columbia, SC Art Hamptons, Long Island, NY Art Context, New York, NY Art Miami, Miami, FL Art Palm Beach, Palm Beach, FL 2015 Building Culture Equity, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT Bas ons, Wynwood Gallery, Miami, FL 2014 5, Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery, Stamford, CT PULL, Wynwood Art Space, Miami, FL Seafair, Miami Interna onal Art Fair, Miami, FL 63rd Annual All Florida Juried Exhibi on, Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, FL 52nd Annual Juried Exhibi on, South Florida Cultural Center Water is Life, Coral Gables Museum, Coral Gables, FL Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami Masters Candidates Exhibi on Finalist Exhibi on, Young Painters Compe on, 2014, Miami University, Oxford, OH Miami Interna onal Art Fair (MIA), Miami, FL Art Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, FL You Are Here, Armory Art Center, December 21st- February 1st, 2014, West Palm Beach, FL 2013 Home, Grin Event Space and Gallery, Providence, RI New Works, University of Miami CAS Gallery, Coral Gables, FL 62nd Annual All Florida Juried Exhibi on, Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, FL 6th All Media Juried Biennial, Hollywood Arts and Culture Center, Hollywood, FL Annual Juried Exhibi on, Lowe Art Museum, Coral Gables, FL Art Palm Beach, Interna onal Art Fair, West Palm Beach, FL Miami Interna onal Art Fair (MIA) Sea Fair: The Mega Yacht Venue, Miami, FL Salon d’Refuses, CAS Gallery, Miami, FL 2012 5th Annual Canes Fair, Wynwood Project Space, Miami, FL Incoming MFA Show, CAS Gallery, Miami, FL 2009 Beg Borrow Steal, La Montagne Gallery, South Boston, MA Senior Show, Godine Gallery, Massachuse s College of Art and Design Boston, MA All School Show, Juried by Joseph Ketner, professor of Contemporary Art at Emerson Midnight Blooming Fund, GASP Gallery, Boston, MA 2008 Six Degrees of SOA, Curated by Carolyn Sickles, Lake Worth, FL All School Show, Juried by Paul Stopforth, professor at School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA 2007 Midnight Blooming Fund (In Collabora on with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts) GASP Gallery, Boston, MA All School Show, Juried by Emily Eisenberg, La Montagne Gallery, Boston, MA
GRANTS, RESIDENCIES, FELLOWSHIPS & AWARDS 2018 701 CCA Prize Finalist, Center for Contemporary Art, Columbia, SC 2016 701 CCA Prize Finalist, Center for Contemporary Art, Columbia, SC 2015 Teaching Assistant Award, Finalist, University of Miami, Miami, FL Leadership Award, Finalist, University of Miami, Miami, FL 2014 Vytlacil Ar st Residency, Art Students League, Recipient of the Ruth Katzman Scholarship, Sparkhill, NY University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL Young Painters Compe on, Finalist, Miami University, Oxford, OH 2013 Graduate Fellowship, Teaching Assistantship, University of Miami, Miami, FL Pain ng Art Department Award, Annual Juried Exhibi on, Lowe Art Museum, Coral Gables, FL 2009 Presiden al Scholarship, Massachuse s College of Art and Design, Boston, MA Patrick Gavin Pain ng Award, Boston, MA Art History Auc on Award, Boston, MA Student Leadership Award, Boston, MA Interna onal Arts Travel Grant (Egypt), Boston, MA 2008 Ar st Supply Award, Massachuse s College of Art and Design, Boston, MA All College Show Pain ng Department Award, Massachuse s College of Art and Design, Boston, MA 2006 Honorable Men on, Massachuse s College of Art and Design, All School Show, Boston, MA Student of the Year Scholarship Award, Studio Founda ons, Massachuse s College of Art and Design, Boston, MA
PRESS AND PUBLICATIONS 2018 Crea ve Quarterly 53: Winners, Winter 2019 Crea ve Quarterly 51: Winners, Spring 2018 2017 Studio Visit Magazine, Summer 2017 Issue Sleek Magazine, “Introducing Jena Thomas, the Ar st Pain ng with All the Colours of Miami” 2017 Wall Street Interna onal Magazine, “Liminal Landscapes” August 10, 2017 2016 New York Times, “Things to do in Connec cut”, June 9, 2016 Jena Thomas: The Studio Project, LINEA The Ar st's Voice, March 25, 2016 Sleek Magazine, “We’re Going to Miami: Interview with Jena Thomas” October, 2016 New American Pain ng, Juried Exhibi on in Print, MFA Edi on, Issue. 123, 2016 2014 All Florida Ar sts at the Boca Museum, Art South Florida, August 13th, 2014 Two Coats of Paint, Sharon Butler, August 14, 2014 New American Pain ng, Juried Exhibi on in Print, MFA Edi on, Issue. 111, 2014
GALLERY & WEB AFFILIATION Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery, Stamford, CT InSitu Works, Online Marketplace, Backed by the Rockefeller Founda on, New York, NY Sleek Magazine, Online Representa on, Sleek Art-New York, NY/ Berlin, Germany
TEACHING EXPERIENCE 2016-present Assistant Professor of Pain ng and Drawing Converse College, Spartanburg, SC Responsible for teaching 2D Design, Drawing I-IV, Pain ng I-IV, Senior Seminar and Senior Exhibi on, serve as BFA Coordinator for the Department of And Design.
2015-2016 Adjunct Professor of Drawing, New York Film Academy, Miami Beach, FL Part- me Lecturer of Pain ng and Drawing, University of Miami, Miami, FL Art Instructor, Teens College, Miami Dade College, Pain ng and Drawing, Miami, FL 2012- 2015 Graduate Teaching Assistant (Instructor of Record) Drawing I, University of Miami, Miami, FL Art Center South Florida, Figure Drawing, Pain ng, and Summer Instructor, Miami Beach, FL 2012 Con nuing Educa on and Pre-College Instructor, Pain ng and Drawing, Lyme Academy College of Fine Art, Old Lyme, CT 2008-2009 Pre-College Instructor, Summer drawing intensive, Massachuse s College of Art and Design, Boston, MA
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 2010-2012 Senior Admissions Counselor, Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, Old Lyme, CT Responsible for recrui ng students locally and na onally through class presenta ons, por olio events and social media. Worked closely with applicants and families to counsel them through the admissions process. Review applicants for admission and merit based scholarships. 2008 Student Gallery Manager, Massachuse s College of Art and Design, Boston, MA Responsible for cura ng and preparing shows, maintained three on campus galleries at Massachuse s College of Art and Design. 2008 Exhibi ons Coordinator Intern, The New Art Center, Newton, MA Assisted with online public rela ons, installing community and public art displays. 2007-2008 Gallery Ar st Studio Projects (GASP Gallery) Intern, Brookline, MA Gallery Intern for gallery owner and ar st Maria Magdalena Campos Pons. Assisted customers and ar sts, installing and de-installing shows, clerical du es, and preparing for openings. LECTURES/ ARTIST TALKS 2017 Tri State Sculpture Conference, Presented on “Finding and Applying to Graduate Programs and Ar st Residencies, SC TALK 20, Hub Bub Ar st Residency, Spartanburg, SC 2016 Converse College, Spartanburg, SC 2015 Ar ficial Oasis, Box Contemporary Gallery, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 2014 Art Students League of New York, White Plains, NY Leo Twiggs Ar st Biography
Leo Franklin Twiggs (born 1934 in St. Stephen, South Carolina) is an American painter. He has presented over fi y one man shows during his career. Twiggs received his BA Summa Cum Laude from Claflin University in 1956, later studied at the Art Ins tute of Chicago and received his MA from New York University in 1964, where he studied with Hale Woodruff, the acclaimed African American painter and muralist. He received his doctorate in Art Educa on from the University of Georgia in 1970, the first African American to receive a Doctorate of Arts from the university. As Professor of Art at South Carolina State University from 1973 un l 1998, he developed the Art Department and I.P. Stanback Museum. Twiggs was named Professor Emeritus in 2000. He was the first visual ar st to receive the Verner Award (Governor’s Trophy) for outstanding contribu ons to the arts in South Carolina. Cedric Umoja Ar st Biography
Cedric Umoja was born in San Francisco, California, but is based out of Columbia, South Carolina.
The elements of Graffuturism, Neo- Expressionism, Afro- Surrealism, Comic sequencial art, Japanese manga and Afrofuturism have played a role in his ar s c development and can also be found in his work.
Cedric Umoja developed his style under the instruc on of Tony Cacalano, a Yale MFA and veteran Fine ar st, whose own teachers included Jack Tworkov, one of the founders of the now Famed New York school.
He has been influenced by the likes of Dondi White, Sam Kieth, Max Beckmann, Amedeo Modigliani, Rammellezee, Ernie Barnes, Sun Ra and Hans Hoffman.
Ar st Statement
Mama got us, We good! is a call to all black and brown people who seek protec on from the major corpora ons prac cing land commodifica on, grasping the land owned by genera ons of their Ancestors. The orisha Oshun is called upon to protect, aid and guide them from these intrusive/ destruc ve en es, among her many traits, using her nurturing , sweetness and ingenuity.
A Requiem for Ours places focus on the remembrance of loved ones passed while honoring them through ritual, as the African diaspora do around the world.
Our Hearts Pour Open is a spell, charged with divine energy. The words are armed and protected. The mourning of our loved ones calls for a simple remembrance with protec on in its resonance as homage is paid. Curriculum Vitae
SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2018 "That Old Black Gospel" Sumter County Gallery of Art, Sumter, SC 2016 “We Bleed, Too!” Goodall Gallery, Columbia College, Columbia, SC 2013 “Beyonder" Fab gallery, South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC 2011 “Deliverers of the Soulsonic force” Artsy Fartsy gallery, West Columbia, SC 2010 “Izness” Frame of Mind, Columbia, SC 2008 “Hope Floats” Richland County Public Library Wachovia Gallery, Columbia, SC 2006 “Rela onships” Sound Gallery, Columbia, SC
GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2017 "Face II" SCETV, Columbia, SC 2017 “Liba on” City Gallery, Charleston, SC 2017 “MNI WICONI” Tangent Gallery, Detroit, MI 2016 “Gallery Twenty-Two, Charlo e, NC 2016 “Afrofuturism” Fourth Wall Gallery, Charleston, SC 2015 “The Oneness” Fourth Wall Gallery, Charleston, SC 2015 “Future Perfect” Indie Grits Fes val, Columbia, SC 2015 “The Burning of Columbia” Tapp’s Arts Center, Columbia, SC 2015 “Graff and Graph” Fourth Wall Gallery, Charleston, SC 2013 “Civil rights Now” I.P. Stanback Museum, S.C. State University, Orangeburg, SC 2012 “Church and State” Democra c Na onal Conven on, Packard Place, Charlo e, NC 2011 “Heavy Feather Floats,” Tapp’s Center for the Arts, Columbia, SC 2011 “Stree sm” Homemade Genius Gallery, Abbeville, SC 2011 “3rd Annual Culture Ini a ve Celebra on,” AKA Crea ve Arts Space, Charlo e, NC 2011 “Carpe Noctem” 701 Center for Contemporary Art, Columbia, SC 2011 “Post Graffi ” Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC 2010 “Culture Ini a ve 2nd Year Anniversary Show” Dharma Lounge, Charlo e, NC 2010 “Red Bull Assembly Promoter’s Challenge” Dharma Lounge, Charlo e, NC 2010 “1st Annual Ar sts Show and Prove” Studio P.S., Charleston, SC 2009 “Unity in Sepia II” Richland County Public Library Wachovia Gallery, Columbia, SC
MURALS/OTHER 2018 "Unicorn" Hotel Trundle, Columbia, SC 2017 “23 Million Miles, Millwood Corridor, Columbia, SC 2016 “Duality” Mission District, San Francisco, CA 2015 “Maatriarch of Shambala” Mission District, San Francisco, CA 2013 “Un tled” FreeSpace-Tenderloin District, San Francisco, CA 2013 “Beyonder” FAB Gallery, Orangeburg,SC 2013 “The Great Conspirator and Its Six Minions” ChART Gallery, Charleston,SC 2012 “Un tled” Gervais Street Billboard, Columbia,SC 2012 “Un tled” Ar sta Vista, Columbia,SC 2011 “Un tled Gala Mural” Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia,SC 2010 “Urban Suite 101” Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia,SC Victoria Udondian Ar st Biography
Udondian received an MFA from Columbia University in New York City and a ended Skowhegan School of Pain ng and Sculpture, Maine, United state in 2016. She received a BA in pain ng at the University of Uyo, Nigeria in 2004. She won, Most Outstanding Produc on Award at the Na onal Arts Compe on in Lagos, 2013. Her works have been exhibited interna onally at Nigerian Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennial-An Excerpt, New York; Fisher Landau Centre for the Arts, New York; Historic Columbia Museum site, Columbia, South Carolina, US; Rush Gallery, New York; Flux Art fair, New York; Judith Charles Gallery, New York; Art 14 London Art Fair; Whitworth Gallery in Manchester and Centre for Contemporary Arts, Lagos. Ar st Residencies include Fine Arts Work Centre, Provincetown, US; Villa Straulli, Winthethur, Switzerland; Islinton Mill, Salford, Manchester; Fondazione di Venezie, Venice, Italy; Bagfactory Ar st Studios, Johanesburg, South Africa.
Ar st Statement
Before studying art, Udondian trained as a tailor and fashion designer. Her work is driven by her interest in tex les and the poten al for clothing to shape iden ty, informed by the histories and tacit meanings embedded in everyday materials. Drawing from her experiences growing up in Nigeria, she engages with West African tex les and repurposed Western material to inves gate how fundamental changes in fabric can affect one’s percep on of his or her iden ty, and ul mately a na on’s psyche. Curriculum Vitae
EDUCATION 2016 MFA Columbia University in the City of New York, New York, USA Skowhegan School of Pain ng and Sculpture, Skowhegan Maine, USA 2004 B.A. (Hons) Degree in Fine Arts (Pain ng), University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2017 Aka uke? Unknown! Hudson D Walker Gallery, Provincetown, Massachuse s Victoria-idongesit Udondian, Higgins Gallery, Cape Code Community College, Massachusse s 2014 ‘Tokunbo’ Pores, Villa Strauli Art Centre, Wintethur, Switzerland 2013 Green Badary, Badary open day, Lagos 2012 Open house, Victoria Udondian studio, Lagos, Nigeria 2009 Recent works, Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, Nigeria
TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS 2016 Kenedy and Udondian, Robert Blumenthal Gallery, New York, NYC 2011 Art enclosures/confine d’Arte, Casa dei Tre Oci, Guidecca 43, Venezia (cat)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2017 PAAM group show, Provincetown Associa on of Art and Museum, Provincetown, Massachuse s 2016 Palme o Curatorial Exchange, Historic Columbia Museum Site (Mann Simone site), Columbia, South Carolina MFA thesis Exhibi on, Fisher Landau Centre for the Arts, Queens, New York Africa: In Fashion and Fabric, Bronx River Art Centre, New York Flux Art Fair, Public Art, Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem, New York Medium Black, Rush gallery, Chelsea, New York Caught up in an upward spiral, Heath Gallery, Harlem, New York 2015 Outside the Box, Nigerian Pavilion at the 56th Venice biennial-An Excerpt, Venice - New York Columbia University MFA first year exhibi on, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery, New York Floa ng Point, Judith Charles Gallery, New York, NY 2014 Art 14 London Art Fair, (The Space) Olympia ground, London (Cat) Society of Nigerian Ar st at 50 Exhibi on, Omenka Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria 2013 Na onal Arts Compe on Exhibi on, Art21, Lagos, Nigeria (Cat) The Shadow of Memory, Ake Arts and Book fes val, Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, Nigeria A History of Contemporary Art in Ghana in the last five weeks, DEI Centre, Accra, Ghana 2012 We Face Forward: Art from West Africa Today, Manchester Arts Gallery/Whitworth Gallery, Manchester (cat) S A S, Bagfactory Studios, Fordsburg, Johannesburg, South Africa Female Ar st Exhibi on, Na onal Museum, Lagos, Nigeria 2011 Open day, Elsamere, Naivasha, Kenya Interna onal Arts Games, Vukovar, Croa a (cat) “An Bè`Ba Bili’, Andechshof , Innsbruck Austria. A Kilo of Hope, Yusuf Grillo Gallery, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Nigeria Energe c Women, King’s Theatre, Southsea, England 2010 ‘The Green Summary’ Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) Lagos (cat) 1st Interna onal Conven on on Arts and Development (CONADEV), Harma an Workshop Gallery, Lagos Interna onal Art Expo Nigeria, Na onal Museum, Onikan, Lagos (cat), Nigeria Who is Wearing My T-shirt? Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos, Nigeria 2009 African Regional Summit and Exhibi on on Visual Arts (ARESUVA), Interna onal Conference Centre, (ICC) Abuja Interna onal Art Expo Nigeria, (Joe Musa Gallery) Na onal Museum, Onikan, Lagos (cat) Open House, An Exhibi on of Contemporary Nigerian Art, Mydrim Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos Blossom, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Garki, Abuja Plight of Women, Na onal Museum, Lokoja (cat), Nigeria ‘Climate’, Havant Arts Ac ve, East Street, Havant, England 2008 Open studios, Workrit, Pankshin, plateau state 2006 Save the Child, Na onal Gallery of Arts (NGA), Uyo, Nigeria 2003 Nuxart Exhibi on, Arts Village, Abuja Bachelors degree Awards Exhibi ons, Department of fine/Applied Arts, University of Uyo, Nigeria
ARTIST RESIDENCIES 2017 Residency Fellow at Ins tuto Sacarta, Bahia, Brazil (in view) Ar st in Residence, Arthouse Founda on, Ikoyi, Lagos (in view) 2016-2017 Fine Arts Work Centre Fellow, Provincetown, MA, United States 2014 Ar st-in-Residence, Villa Strauli, Winterthur, Switzerland 2013 Asiko Art School Founda on for Contemporary Arts, Ghana, Accra, Ghana 2012 Ar st in Residence, Fordsburg Ar st Studios/The Bag Factory, Johannesburg, South Africa Visi ng Ar st residency, Islinton Mill, Salford, Manchester, United Kingdom 2011 Art Enclosures, Fondazione di Venezie, Venice Resident Ar sts; Wasanii Interna onal Ar st Workshop (Triangle Arts Trust), Elsamere, Naivasha, Kenya 2010 Triangle Arts Trust and Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos Ar st Residency, Stone House, Alakuko O a, Lagos, Resident Ar st: 12TH Harma an Workshop, Bruce Onobrakpeya Founda on, Agbara- O or, Nigeria
AWARDS/ SCHOLARSHIPS/ GRANTS 2015 Visual Arts Scholarship by Columbia University School of the Arts 2013 Most Outstanding Produc on Award, Na onal Arts Compe on, Lagos Nigeria 2012 Travel grant, Bri sh Council for Arts residency at Manchester Gallery, Manchester 2011 Travel grant, Kuona Trust, Centre for Visual Arts, Kenya for Wasanii Interna onal Workshop 2010 Travel grant, Na onal Gallery of Arts, Nigeria for Interna onal Arts Symposium/ Workshop, Bamako, University of Mali. 2009 Na onal Gallery of Art, Nigeria ‘Award for Exhibi on’: Second African Regional Summit and Exhibi on on Visual Arts (ARESUVA) Abuja, Nigeria 2004 Award: Best Gradua ng Pain ng Student, University of Uyo, Nigeria 2003 University of Uyo, Grants for workshop’ Interna onal Arts and Culture Summer Workshop, Ohio State University, Columbus in conjunc on with NGA, Nigeria, Lagos
ARTIST TALKS/PANEL AND WORKSHOP 2017 Container; Panel discussion at Rhode Island School of Design/ RISD, Providence, MA Ar st talk at Sea le Pacific University, Sea le, Washington Ar st talk at Cape Cod Community College School of the Arts, Bernstable, MA 2016 Trash Talk – Ar st Talk at Heath Gallery, Harlem, New York 2015 'Works in Progress' - a presenta on/discussion series organized by the Art History, MODA, and Visual Arts Department of Columbia University, NYC 2014 Ar st talk at Museum Bärengasse/ Gasthaus zum, Zürich. Ar st talk at University of Uyo Arts Department, Uyo, Nigeria 2013 Global Crit clinic (GCC); Founda on for contemporary Arts, Accra Pecha Kucha, Goethe Ins tute, Lagos Visual Arts Scholarship by Columbia University School of the Arts Teaching Assistant Tui on Fellowship 2012 Ar st talk at Tiwani Contemporary, London 2011 Global Crit Clinic, Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos 2010 Ar sts talk at the 2nd summer school, Na onal museum, Bamako 2009 African Regional Summit on Visual Arts; Interna onal Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja Na onal Art Symposium; Na onal Gallery of Art (NGA) and Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Na onal Conference on Visual Arts; NGA, Enugu, Nigeria 2008 African Regional Summit on Visual Arts; ICC, Abuja Resident Ar sts: A ershave’ Interna onal Workshop, (Triangle Arts Trust) Workrit, Pankshin, Nigeria 2002, 2003, 2004 Resident Ar sts; Interna onal Arts and Culture Summer Workshop, Ohio State University, Columbus in conjunc on with Na onal Gallery of Arts, Nigeria. Lagos
TEACHING EXPERIENCE 2016-2017: Temporary Art teacher, (2nd/6th and 8th grade) Provincetown school, Provincetown, MA 2015 Teaching Assistance to Jon Kessler “Sculpture 1” School of Art, Columbia University, NY 2014 Teaching Assistance to Sarah Sze, Kiki Smith and Valerie Hammons “Advanced printmaking” School of Art, Columbia University, NY
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 2014 -2015 Communica on Fellow, School of Art press, Columbia University, NY 2014 -2016 Neiman Lehroy Gallery fellow, School of Art, Columbia University, NY 2009 - 2014 Victoria Udondian Studio 2008 - 2009 Worksta on Communica on Limited; Graphic Ar st 2008 - 2012 Na onal Publicity secretary of Society of Nigerian Ar st (SNA) 2008 -2012 Member of Catalyst Women Arts and Science Portsmouth, Hampshire, Uk 2008 ll date Member of female ar st associa on of Nigeria (FAAN) 2009 Member, Visual Ar st Society Of Nigeria (VASON) 2006-2009 Assistant Secretary: Society of Nigerian Ar st (SNA) Akwa Ibom State chapter 2004 - 2005 Owena Press, Hope Newspaper, Akure (NYSC Scheme) Illustrator/Cartoonist 2001 - 2002 Qualitat Crea ons, Uyo, September- Industrial a achment (crea ve assistance)
COLLECTIONS Na onal Gallery of Art, Nigeria Fondazione de venezia, Venice Cape cod community School founda on
SELECTED PRESS PREVIEW/ INTERVIEWS 2017 Tal Zamir. Victoria Udondian fashions art out of fabric, Banner Newspaper, Provincetown, MA Jennyfer Ideh. Fabric of Society-Nigerian ar st Victoria Udonian’s thought-provoking fabric pieces have won her acclaim on an interna onal scale. Magazine interview. 2016 Sowole, Tajudeen. For Udondian, Time to Think Outside the Box with Installa on Route to (re)se lement: African American Communi es in South Carolina Pe y, Kelly. Historic Columbia explores Southern black culture and tradi on in new exhibit Hirsch, Joe. Africa: In Fashion and Fabric will run un l June 4 2015 Wilbanks, Carrl. Top Contemporary Ar st from Nigeria. On-line zine AdminVenice Biennial: Victoria Udondian, Nigeria 2014 Rede, Orlando. The second Hand Museum Art Base Africa. Victoria Udondian, Habitus Huge increase in art fair a endance numbers Sowole, Tajudeen. Tokumbo Pores...Exposing culture imbalance in African lace, The Guardian Newspaper, Daily Editor. Nigeria, May 24 Udondian, others storm Art Fair, 2013 Uhakheme, Ozolua. An ar st dialogue through texile. Nwachukwu McPhilips, Unveiling Udondian’s power of Tex le, Vanguard Newspaper Orebajo, Olushola. Preserva on of ar s c work Ekeh, Mary. Fabric Installa on Beyond Boundaries Meet The Ar st Bildende Kunst: Victoria Udondian aus Nigeria, Sowole, Tajudeen. At Pechakucha Lagos, convergence of genres breaks barriers Odulaja, Dayo. Udondian highlights importance of African fabrics in art Odulaja, Dayo. Udondian stakes further claim for the heights 2012 Bord, Bryony. Interview, Online zine, Corridor8 Balavage Catherine, We Face Forward: Art from West Africa Today Gore, Charles. We Face Forward: Contemporary Art and Music from West Africa We Face Forward: Art from West Africa Today The Prisma, Contemporary African Art in Manchester Clark, Duncan. “We Face Forward”–Contemporary Art and tex les in Manchester Sowole, Tajudeen. We Face Forward...Art, music of West Africa storm Manchester Otas, Belina,.We Face Forward: Art From West Africa Today, an exhibi on shown in Manchester and London during the Olympics, defines West Africa’s place in the global art world Conway, Helen. Myths in Manchester Hull, Duncan. Forget everything you think you know about African art... We Face Forward Flag Sowole, Tajudeen.Victoria Udondian... In Love with Kenyan Kikoi We Face Forward: Art From West Africa Today 2011 Ragazzi Francesco Urbano, Art Enclosure IV> Fondazione Venezia Scalise, Adriana. L’Africa è donna. E risiede in Laguna Sowole, Tajudeen. We build a bridge...Afro-Euro ar sts’ vision for the future, Guardian Newspaper, May11 2010 Adeola, Ronke. The Green Summary ‘Nigerian works are s ll undervalued’ Arts extra: Aug 07 Nnabuife, Chuka. Male domina on in arts, Udondian not in midated, Compass Newspaper, Mar 30 2009 Sowole, Tajudeen. An installa on message for motherland, Guardian Life magazine, Oct 12 Uhakheme, Ozolua. An installa on message to motherland, The Na on Newspaper; Arts for life, July 22 Ar st Diary, Victoria, the pride of excellence, Leadership Newspaper, Mar 21 Studio Visit: Why Arts? Next Magazine, Jul 30 Victoria, the pride of excellence, Leadership Newspaper: Ar st Diary, Mar 21