SHerry karver
California based artist Sherry Karver earned her MFA from the Newcomb School of Art at Tulane University and has shown in major cities including London, New York, Chicago, Santa Fe, and Los Angeles. Notable shows among her long exhibit history are The National Jewish Museum in D.C., The Morris Graves Museum of Art, Los Angeles Center for Digital Art ( curated by Peter Frank). Her work reflects on human individuals experiencing life in a “sea of sameness,” by combining various materials with the artist’s original photographs taken in high foot-traffic areas.
RESUME
Education
M.F.A. Tulane University, Newcomb School of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana
B.A. Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Professional Teaching Experience
1987 - Current Laney College, Oakland, California, Art Instructor
1986 Chabot College, Hayward, California, Drawing Instructor
1985-1988 University of California, Berkeley, California, Art Instructor, A.S.U.C. Studio
1981-1984 California State University, Chico, California, Assistant Professor
1980-1981 San Diego State University, San Diego, California, Visiting Assistant Professor
1979 Summer University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Visiting Instructor
1979 Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, Art Instructor, Glass technician
Exhibitions: Invitational Solo (Selected)
2017 Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee
Susan Lanoue Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts
2015 Sue Greenwood Fine Art, Laguna Beach, California
Susan Lanoue Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts
2014 Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London, England
Martha Schneider Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
2013 Kim Foster Gallery, New York, New York
Rarity Gallery, Mykonos, Greece
2011 Kim Foster Gallery, New York, New York
Peninsula Museum of Art, Belmont, California
2010 Lisa Harris Gallery, Seattle, Washington
Sue Greenwood Fine Art, Laguna Beach, California
2009 Kim Foster Gallery, New York, New York
2008 Sue Greenwood Fine Art, Laguna Beach, California
Kim Foster Gallery, New York, New York
Lisa Harris Gallery, Seattle, Washington
2007 Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, California
Morris Graves Museum of Art, Eureka, California,
2006 Sue Greenwood Fine Art, Laguna Beach, California
2005 Lisa Harris Gallery, Seattle, Washington
2004 LewAllen Contemporary Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Kidder Smith Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts
Sue Greenwood Fine Art Gallery, Laguna Beach, California
2003 Lisa Harris Gallery, Seattle, Washington
2002 LewAllen Contemporary Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2001 Lisa Harris Gallery, Seattle, Washington
2000 LewAllen Contemporary Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Olga Dollar Gallery, San Francisco, California
1999 LewAllen Contemporary Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
1998 Olga Dollar Gallery, San Francisco, California
1996 Hebrew Union College, New York, New York
1995 Berkeley Hillel, Reutlinger Center, Berkeley, California
1993 Joy Horwich Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
1992 Marin Civic Center, First and Third Floor Galleries, San Rafael, California
Exhibitions: Group Shows, Invitational and Juried (Selected)
2016 Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, California
Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, “Electron Salon”, Los Angeles, California
Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, TeXtMe, Santa Ana, California
Visual Arts Alliance, Houston, Texas
Black Box Gallery, Narrative – People, Places, and Things, Portland, Oregon
2015 Laguna Art Museum, “Palette to Palate”, Laguna Beach, California
Kim Foster Gallery, “Heavy/Lite”, New York, New York
Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, ‘Electron Salon’, Los Angeles, California
2012 Peninsula Museum of Art, Visions and Visionaries, Belmont, California
Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, curated by Peter Frank, Los Angeles, California
Monmouth Museum, Photography, Lincroft, New Jersey
Triton Museum, California Photography, (Juror, Brian Taylor), Santa Clara, California
Rarity Gallery, Salon Show, Mykonos, Greece
Lisa Harris Gallery, “Wandering”, Photo Exhibit, Seattle, Washington
2011 Orange County Contemporary Art Center, “Deep”, Curated by Grace Kook Anderson, Santa Ana, California
Performance Art Institute, Curated by Hanna Regev, “Surveillance”, San Francisco, California
2010 Kim Foster Gallery, “Anonymous” curated by Dominick Lombardi, New York, New York
Cerritos College, “inscription:Text-Image-Action”, Norwalk, California
Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, New York
2009 Axiom Gallery, Riders on the Train Project, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara University, “New Media”, Santa Clara, California
2008 Islip Museum of Art, “Text Messaging”, Long Island, New York
2007 Ft. Collins Museum Of Contemporary Art, Ft. Collins, Colorado
2006 Kim Foster Gallery, New York, New York
University of Wisconsin, “SuperVision”, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
LewAllen Contemporary, “Diptych “ exhibition, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2004 Reversing Vandalism, San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco, California
2005 Kidder Smith Gallery, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
2003 Greenwood/Chebithes Gallery (Inaugural exhibition), Laguna Beach, California
Center for Photographic Art, juried by Tim Wride and Barbara Sinsheimer, Carmel, California
2002 Jan Baum Gallery, “Figure It Out”, Los Angeles, California
2001 Diane Nelson Fine Art, Laguna Beach, California
2000 Crocker Museum of Art, Crocker-Kingsley 72st Biennial Exhibition, Sacramento, California
Triton Museum, Shenson Gallery, “Bittersweet Legacy”, Santa Clara, California
Lisa Harris Gallery, Seattle, Washington
1999 Olga Dollar Gallery, San Francisco, California
Gwenda Jay/Addington Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
1998 Crocker Museum of Art, Crocker-Kingsley 71st Biennial Exhibition, Sacramento, California
San Francisco Art Commission Galleries, San Francisco, California
Stanford University, Center for Integrated Systems, Stanford, California
1997 Triton Museum, Santa Clara, California
The National Jewish Museum, Washington, D.C.
Lisa Parker Fine Art, New York, New York
Pacific Rim Sculptors Exhibition, San Francisco, California
1996 University of Judaism, Platt Gallery, Los Angeles, California
The National Jewish Museum, Washington, D.C.
Joy Horwich Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
1995 Fletcher Ceramic Challenge, International Exhibition, Auckland, New Zealand
Exploring a Movement: Feminist Visions in Clay, Downey Museum, Downey, California
1994 Dorothy McRae Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
Downey Museum of Art, Ceramics Now 1994, Downey, California
1993 Jewish Museum, "About Face" Exhibition, San Francisco, California
Everson Museum of Art, 29th Ceramic National Exhibition, Syracuse, New York
1992 San Angelo Museum of Fine Art, 8th Annual Ceramic Competition, San Angelo, Texas
1991 ART of CALIFORNIA Magazine, Discovery Award Exhibition, Los Angeles, California
Downey Museum of Art, Ceramics Now 1991, Downey, California
1990 Oakland Museum, "Oakland's Artists", Oakland, California
Judah A. Magnes Museum, Berkeley, California, Personal Landscapes - Universal Visions
Published Recognition - Photos, Articles, & Reviews (Selected)
2017, March Nashville Arts Magazine, by Karen Parr-Moody
2016, September Ennyman’s Territory, Interview, Art and Life in the City
2015, June Cover and Review, ArtScene, (Southern California), by Daniella Walsh
2014, June NewCity Art by Michael Weinstein
2014, May What Will You Remember by Elin Spring
2013, May Galomagazine.com and Resource.com by Janet Alexander
2012, December Stepawaymagazine.com, Newcastle, England
2012, October Cover, Coast Magazine, Southern California
2011, November Galomagazine.com (Global Art Laid Out) by Nicole Bonosccuro
2010, August The Seattle Times, Review by Michael Upchurch
2010, September The Best of World Wide Mixed Media, Volume 1, Kennedy Publishing
2010, August Visual Art Source, Review by Laura Macomber
2009, October Examiner.com, Interviewby Lorenzo Dominguez
2009, September Cover, Coast Magazine, Orange County, California
2009, May-June Art Ltd. Magazine, “Under the Radar”, Review by Roberta Carasso
2008, September Orange County Register, Review by Roberta Carasso
2008, April New.York.Art.Crit: John Haber’s Art Reviews, “Rush Hour”, New York
2008, April Chelsea Flaneur, AndrewWerth.com
2007, February North Coast Journal, Eureka, CA, Review by Katherine Almy
2006, August American Art Collector, National Magazine, Arizona
2006, Summer Cover, Orange County Kids Magazine, Orange County, California
2006, January San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, San Francisco, California
2006, Winter LILITH Magazine, New York
2005, December HOMEOWNER HAIKU, Co-author w/Jerry Ratch
2005, September THE Magazine, Poetry/Photo Issue, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2005, Fall LILITH Magazine, New York
2005 Cover, CITY ECONOMICS by Brendan O’Flaherty, Harvard University Press
2005, Feb.-March THE Magazine, Photo Issue, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2004 Cover, LET’S DO, by Rebecca Meacham, University of North Texas Press
2004, July The Boston Globe, Boston, MA
2004, April SLATE, on-line magazine, Reversing Vandalism, by Lisa Davis
2003 100 ARITISTS OF THE WEST COAST, Douglas Bullis, Atelier Books
2003, August LOS ANGELES TIMES, Review by Bobbie Allen
2003 Cover, POPULATION CHANGE IN CANADA, Beaujot & Kerr, Oxford University
2003 SOCIOLOGY, John Macionis, Prentice Hall
2003 May SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, Review by Victoria Josslin
2002, Fall LILITH Magazine, New York
2002, May The New Mexican, Pasatiempo, Review by Lynn Cline
2002, June THE Magazine, by Jon Carver, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2002, June The New Mexican, Pasatiempo, Artwalker by Hollis Walker
2001, Dec.-Jan. ARTWEEK, Cover & Review, by Victoria Josslin
2001, Oct. ART ACCESS, Review by Molly Rhodes
2001 Cover, WILD DREAMS OF REALITY by Jerry Ratch, Creative Arts Books
2001 Cover, AGAINST ESSENTIALISM, by Stephen Fuchs, Harvard University Press
2001 Cover, The Green Hills Literary Lantern
2001 Bittersweet Legacy by C.Brody
2001, Spring Cover, LILITH magazine, New York
2000 NEW AMERICAN PAINTINGS, Pacific Coast edition
2000, Nov. THE magazine, Review by Diane Armitage, Santa Fe, NM
1999, April Santa Fean magazine
1998 NEW AMERICAN PAINTINGS, Pacific Coast
1998, April Sacramento Bee
1998, April Sacramento News & Review
1997, Fall, Spring 1996 LILITH magazine, New York
1997, October Oakland Tribune
1996, 1994, 1991 Ceramics Monthly
1994, Sept., 1993, 1990, April Artweek
Lectures, Workshops, Awards (Selected)
2017 Photography Juror, Alameda County Fair (Upcoming in May)
2016 Triton Museum of Art, Award Winner painting, Santa Clara, California
Visual Arts Alliance Award Winner, Houston, Texas
2015 Crocker Art Museum, Lecture, Sacramento, California
2014 Top two Finalist, Cherryland Fire Station, Cherryland, California
2012 Honorable Mention, Triton Museum, Photography show, Santa Clara, California
2007 Santa Cruz Museum Of Art, Lecture, Santa Cruz, California
Ft. Collins Museum of Art, Lecture, Ft. Collins, Colorado
2005 Short List Finalist, Los Angeles Metro Station Project, Los Angeles, California
2004 Short List Finalist, Oakland Airport Project, Oakland, California
2003 Chosen to be part of “100 Artists of the West Coast” by Douglas Bullis
1998 Crocker Museum of Art, Crocker-Kingsley Biennial, monetary award, Sacramento, California
1998 Pacific Rim Sculptors Group, Panel, San Francisco, California
1994 Silver Award in mixed media, Art Of California Magazine, Napa, California
Public / Corporate Collections & Commissioned Works (Selected)
My work is in over 175 private and corporate collections
Triton Art Museum Santa Clara, CA
Crocker Museum of Art Sacramento, CA
Rockford Art Museum Rockford, IL
Hyundai Corporation Seoul, Korea
Peninsula Art Museum Belmont, CA
Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History Santa Cruz, CA
City of Richmond, City Hall Richmond, CA
Earthcam Inc. Hoboken, NJ
Alameda County Art Commission Oakland, CA
Merck Pharmaceutical Philadelphia, PA
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Seattle, WA
Deloitte & Touche Seattle, WA
San Francisco City Hall, Asst. City Attorney San Francisco, CA
Copan Corporation Seattle, WA
Voyager Capital Seattle, WA
Rhoda Goldman Plaza San Francisco, CA
Corporate Net Leasing at City Commons Orlando, FL
United Airlines San Francisco, CA
Apple Corporation, Cupertino, CA
Adobe Corporation Mountain View, CA
Temple Sinai Oakland, CA
Kaiser Hospital Martinez, CA
AT&T Houston, TX
Temple Isaiah Los Angeles, CA
Pacific Gas & Electric San Ramon, CA
Kaiser Hospital Mountain View, CA
Harrison Museum of Art Logan, Utah
Boston Medical Center Boston, MA
Shoreline Office Center Mill Valley, CA
Willow Pass Rec. Center Concord, CA
DPR Construction Redwood City, CA
Life Scan Corporation Milpitas, CA
ESL Corporation Santa Clara, CA
Cal. State Teachers Retirement Assoc. Sacramento, CA
Kemper Tool Company Chino, CA
Bemidji State University Bemidji, MN
Louisiana Craft Council New Orleans, LA
Varian Corporation Palo Alto, CA
STATEMENT
My photo-based work originates from photographs I have taken on city streets in New York, Paris, Milan, and in iconic buildings such as Grand Central Terminal and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY. I am expanding and shifting the parameters of traditional photography by combining it with oil painting, narrative text, and resin surface on wood panels. By blending these mediums, it enables me to push beyond their conventional boundaries to create a new hybrid. These are one-of-a-kind works, not photo editions, and all of the color is hand-painted with oils.
I have always lived in large cities, so my work is informed by the multitude of issues we encounter living in a metropolitan area: loneliness and alienation in our fast-paced society, the concept of personal identity and the loss of it, the passage of time, the individual as part of the crowd, and how we can stand out from the ‘sea of sameness’, since we each have our own unique voice and stories to tell.
I began writing text over some of the figures in my photos as a way to personalize or individualize them, and make them stand out from the crowd. These brief stories about the people are from my imagination, based solely on their appearance or stance. By using text in my work, it adds another layer, and gives the viewer a chance to “experience” the artwork, and become part of the process by reading it. There is a light humor to my work but I ask the spectator to go further and deeper. I want them to dissolve the narrative and address the experience.
I superimpose these ”biographies” on top of the individuals, almost as if they are wearing their stories like an article of clothing. I try to give a little bit of history about the person; where they are from, their age, what they do, their hopes, their dreams, and often something embarrassing or personal that they would rather not have revealed. The figures are often caught in movement, conveying our individual journeys, where we are all "collectively alone".
I see a connection between photography and history, sometimes combining vintage B&W photos with my contemporary shots, and incorporating ‘ghost-like apparitions’. These figures represent the passage of time – all the people that have been in the exact same place but at a different moment – maybe only five minutes before, or ten years in the future. We are all connected in this time continuum, even if we aren’t aware of it. My work embraces the contemporary non-linear view of time with its randomness, spontaneity, and chance occurrences.
The concept of juxtaposing the past and the present, has led to my interest in photographing people among the ancient sculptures at the Metropolitan Museum, including giving anthropomorphic qualities to the sculptures themselves.
In my work the documentary nature of the B&W photograph merges with the painterly qualities of oil, establishing a dialogue between the two. I mount my black & white images on top of 2” deep wood panels, and hand paint them with numerous layers of oil glazes to build up the color. The final surface has a glossy UV resin coating so the viewer can see their own reflection, and become ‘part’ of the photo-based work.