STATEMENT

My work deals with the human dimensions of social issues. In the late 1990’s, I was particularly concerned about the lack of positive images of older women in our youth-oriented culture and how the media constantly bombards women of all ages with images of femaleness that bear no relation to what they see in the mirror. I began to explore the reality of the older woman’s body, bringing to the fore what we don’t want to see. The body is not idealized, but shown as it is, with all its wrinkles, lumps and bumps, imprinted with life’s experiences, its pains and joys.

Through classical references and the use of handmade cast paper with its rich textures, colors and lightness, I show the beauty of the aging woman’s body as well as its sensuality and grace. I normalize it, confronting the conventional biases about aging women and validating women’s experiences of themselves. 

 

Susan Grabel

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Susan Grabel 257 Oakland Avenue Staten Island, NY 10310 718-981-5851 s_grabel@yahoo.com www.susangrabel.com Selected Solo Exhibitions:
2006	Venus Emerging, Soho20 Chelsea Gallery, New York, NY
2005	Re-Printing Venus (in collaboration with Jenny Tango), Vlepo Gallery, Staten Island, NY
2004	Earth Venus: Sculpture to Collagraph, Art Lab Gallery, Staten IIsland, NY
2003	Venus Pinups (in collaboration with Jenny Tango), Williamsburg Art Nexus, Brooklyn, NY
2001	Project Venus: Reinventing Venus (in collaboration with Jenny Tango), The Elizabeth Foundation, Ceres Project Room, New York
2000	Reinventing Venus (in collaboration with Jenny Tango), Wagner College Gallery, Staten Island, N
1993	Among the Shadows, Prince Street Gallery, New York, NY
1990	Susan Grabel, Wagner College Gallery, Staten Island, NY
1989	Homeless in the Land of Plenty, Prince Street Gallery, New York, NY
Grants and Awards:
2007	Jentel Artist Residency Fellowship, Banner, Wyoming Excellence in Art Award, Council on the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island (COAHSI)
2005	Junefest Exhibition Grant, Council on the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island (COAHSI)
2004	Original Works Grant, Council on the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island (COAHSI)
2000	Encore Grant, Council on the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island (COAHSI)
1996	Snug Harbor Cultural Arts NYSCA Grant, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Staten Island, NY
1995	Staten Island Greater New York Arts Development Fund Regrant Award , Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island
Commissions and Public Works:
1996	Regarding Women, sculpture in lobby of the Center for Women’s Health at Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, NY
1991	The World's Kitchen, mural commissioned by the Staten Island Children's Museum, Staten Island, NY
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2011	100 Years of Women Rockin’ the World, ArtRage Gallery, Syracuse, NY Paperworks 2011, Arthaus Gallery, Staten Island, NY
2010	Chautauqua: A Continuum of Creativity, Denise Bibro Gallery, New York, NY Prince Street Gallery 40th Anniversary Exhibition, Prince St Gallery, New York, NY
2009	HUGEunHUGE , Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, Staten Island, NY Better Than Ever, Salena Gallery, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY; Dishman Art Museum, Beaumont, TX; Rowan University Art Gallery, Glassboro, NJ
2008	Exposure 2, Ceres Gallery, New York, NY Tending To One Place, Heritage Hjemkomst Center, Fargo, ND Fabulous Fiber, Monmouth Museum, Lincroft, NJ W.O.M.A.N., Gallery 6, Staten Island, NY
2006	25th Anniversary Friends of Dard Hunter, Canal Warehouse, Chillicothe, OH
2005	Friends of Dard Hunter - 2005, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT Sculpture New Hope 2005, New Hope Arts, New Hope, PA Fifty Eighth National Open Print Exhibition, American Color Print Society, Cheltenham Art Center, Cheltenham, PA Nude International 2005, Lexington Art League, Lexington, KY
2004	Women in the Middle, Union Art Gallery, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
2002	Tiles in America, Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, WY
2001	Straight from the Arts: Staten Island Artists Respond to the Attack on America, Art Lab Gallery, Staten Island, NY
2000	7 Representational Artists Approaches Using Paper, Soho20 Gallery, New York, NY
1999	Women's Work: What We Do, Art Lab Gallery, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Staten Island, NY
1998	Diverse Origens, Core New Art Space, Denver, CO
1997	Death, Dying and Mourning, Ceres, New York, NY Carving the Forces of Change, Artemisia Gallery, Chicago, IL
1996	Pulse Points, University Lutheran Church, Cambridge, MA Jewish Women Uncensored, Cragin Fife Gallery, Brookline, MA Reality Check: Cultural Questions and Political Commentaries, Sylvia White Gallery, New York, NY
1995	In Three Dimensions: Women Sculptors of the '90s, curated by Charlotte Streifer Rubinstein, Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art at Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Staten Island, NY Community for the Homeless, Broadway Gallery, Albany, NY Buoys: Marking the Place, Art Initiatives Renegade Space, New York, NY Reflections of our Jewish Identity, Univ. of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX
1994	Mother & Daughter Artists, Ms Foundation, New York, NY Doubly Talented, Krasdale Foods Art Gallery, Bronx, NY
1993	Clay on the Wall, The Eastern Washington University Art Gallery, Cheney, WA Family Ties, Krasdale Foods Art Gallery, White Plains, NY
1991	Giving Shelter, The BAUhouse, Baltimore, MD Mayday, M'Aidez, The Tallahassee Gallery, Tallahassee, FL
1990	Women in the Visual Arts 1990, Erector Sq Gallery, New Haven, CT
1989	Witness of the Time, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, MI Clayworks, QCC Gallery of Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY
1986	The Contemporary Woman in Art, WARM Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
1984	Artists Choice Museum: The First Eight Years, Artists Choice Museum, New York, NY Portraits: Form and Concept, First Women's Bank, New York, NY Visions 1984, Detroit Gallery of Contemporary Crafts, Detroit, MI
1983	Bodies and Souls, David Finlay Jr. Gallery, New York, NY Women's Perspective, Mill Gallery, Guilford Handcrafts Center, Guilford, CT
1981	2 Sculpture of the 70's: the Figure, Pratt Institute Gallery - Manhattan Center, Arkansas Arts Center, University of Oklahoma at Norman, Arizona State University at Tempe, Dartmouth College Museum
1979	Function Non Function, Towson State University, Baltimore, MD
1977	Women's Spatial Symbolism, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
1976	Artists Choice Figurative Art in New York, Bowery Gallery, New York, NY
1975	Works on Paper Women Artists, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Hackensack, NJ
Selected Reviews and Articles:
	Fressola, Michael, Playing Well Together, Staten Island Advance, March 8, 2009 Fressola, Michael, Body Work at Vlepo, Art Lab, Staten Island Advance, June 18, 2004 Sievert, Robert, Susan Grabel in the Studio, www.artezine.com, Number 10, May 2004 Fressola, Michael, Daring to be Beautiful, Staten Island Advance, November 5, 2000 Raynor, Vivien, Color Relationships in Valhalla, Family Ties in Krasdale, The New YorkTimes, November 7, 1993 Fressola, Michael J., Susan Grabel's 'Shadows illuminate isolation’, Staten Island Advance, March 12, 1993 Fressola, Michael J., Sculpture with a cause, Staten Island Advance, October 23, 1990 Langdon, Ann R., Review, New Works, Old Wisdom, The New Haven Advocate, March 26, 1990 Zimmer, William, Mansion and Former Factory Offer Varied Views of Women, The New York Times, March 18, 1990 Fressola, Michael J., Island Sculptor Depicts 'What's Out There', Staten Island Advance, Dec 7, 1984 Brenson, Michael, Portraits: Form and Concept, The New York Times, June 29, 1984 Heartney, Eleanor, Portraits: Form and Concept, Art News, November 1983, p. 184 Bass, Ruth, Alive and Well in the 70's, Art News, February 1981 Glueck, Grace, Art: Sculptured Figures of 70's at Pratt Gallery, The New York Times, Nov. 7, 1980 Kramer, Marjorie, Review, Womanart, Fall 1977
Education:
	Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York (B.A. 1963) Brooklyn Museum Art School, Brooklyn, NY, studied with Joseph Konzal, Tom Doyle, Fred Farr, Jolyon Hofsted, Stephen Karwoski (1961-1964)
Related Professional Activites:
	Visiting Artist (Life Modeling),Chautauqua Art School, Chautauqua, NY, 2001- 2009 Panelist, Better Than Ever, Long Island University Brooklyn Campus, Brooklyn, NY March 2009 Panelist, Tending to One Place, Mid-America Print Council Conference, Fargo, ND October 2008 Organizer, A Place at the Table, event in celebration of the opening of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY 2007 Museum Educator, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Staten Island, NY, Winter 2000, Winter 2001 Lecturer in Art (Art History Survey),Wagner College,Staten Island, NY, 2002, 2003 Visiting Artist, Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, WY, Spring 2002 Panelist, Visual Commentary on Culture and Nature, College Art Association conference, Boston, MA, February 1996. Panelist, Art as a Vehicle for Social Change, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 1994. Moderator, Cross-Generational Views of Feminism, Artists Talk on Art, Fulcrum Gallery, NY, March 1994 Panelist, The Artist as Juggler, Women's Caucus for Art national conference, Seattle, WA. Feb 1993 Panelist, Personal Power and the Women's Art Movement, SUNY, New Paltz, October 1992. Panelist, Artists on the Homefront, Women's Caucus for Art national conference, Chicago, IL. Feb 1992 Project Coordinator for Taking Art to Heart's art workshops for the residents of Hospitality House, a shelter for women and children, 1990 1993. Moderator, Homelessness: Causes and Solutions, Wagner College, Staten Island, NY, October 1990.
Professional Organizations:
	Staten Island Creative Community: Core group organizer and Exhibition Coordinator for Art by the Ferry festivals – 2008- 2010 Staten Island, NY, June 2008, June 2009, June 2010 Women's Caucus for Art: National Treasurer 1997, National Board Member 1995-1997, President NYC Chapter 1992 1995, Co-Chair 1994 WCA National Conference Feb 1994

 

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