Artists Statement
My previous work aimed to confront sports as cultural metaphors for sex. Interested in the goal-seeking nature of both, perhaps through sports, we are simply mimicking the effort of procreation. In the sports arena, however, the private act becomes a public spectacle reinforced by cheering crowds, company endorsements and fame. These panty paintings explore the still male-dominated nature of this industry. They reverse this domination by locating the sporting event in the very private space of women’s undergarments. At the same time these paintings suggest women’s bodies as the playthings of men, they also trivialize and, literally, minimize the sporting event they depict. The fields become subsumed by the larger context of the panties, which are depicted larger than life-size. Here, these sports turfs undergo a privatization though context, heightened by the metaphor of grass as human hair. The paintings use and explore the dichotomies such as concealing/revealing, public/private and macro/micro as a way to reframe our cultural obsessions with both sports and sex.
My recent work continues to explore sexual euphemisms, turning now to those involving sex and jewelry. How would “The Family Jewels” or “Pearl Necklace” manifest themselves visually as opposed to in the spoken or written word? Further, if they are displayed as we might see them at a jewelry counter, what would they say about the marketing of “jewelry” and the cultivation of desire? To help answer those questions, I borrow strategies from jewelry display, such as the velvet bust and ring stand. The euphemistic jewels are surrounded by grass, acting as a metaphor for human hair; specifically pubic hair. All of these choices are intended to arouse desire, laughter and discomfort in the viewer. More importantly, they ask if it is acceptable for women to covet images and actions that have been labeled by many feminists as demeaning to women. In addition to exploring the dialectic of attraction and repulsion, the work asks who these euphemisms are for, to whom are they targeted, where they came from, and what they mean today.
My current research involves a feminist retelling of the fairy tale. Often using humor, the work investigates the lack of agency for women in these classic stories. Using the traditional format of the still life allows me to create a visual reinterpretation of the narrative in a single image. For instance, a single missing slipper just out of its packaging allows a contemporary viewer to be the Cinderella that bought her own missing slipper. At the same time, it is my intention for my audience to question the very concept of agency, action and desire. These works seek to challenge the literary gender trope of the “damsel in distress” by repositioning the imprisoned, poisoned, sleeping, tentative female protagonist with one of agency and self-direction. In addition to the continued lack of potentiality for women, I am interested in the social construct of women as indecisive or fussy, as seen in “Goldilocks” and the “Princess And The Pea”. The work aims to poke holes in what is contemporarily called “Princess Culture.” I am inspired by the social media site: “Self-Rescuing Princess Society” and in books such as “Cinderella Ate My Daughter”, both of which are helping to question and rewrite the story.
CV
Education
2003 MFA State University of New York at Stony Brook
1999 Post Baccalaureate The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
1998 BFA Michigan State University (cum laude)
Professional Experience
2013-2018 Assistant Professor of Art, Georgia Southern University. Courses taught:
Drawing 1
Drawing II
Drawing III
Two Dimensional Design
Panting II
Painting IV (Independent Study)
Master of Fine Arts Studio
2009-13 Instructor of Art, University of Southern Indiana. Courses taught:
Drawing I
Drawing II (Drawing and Composition)
Figure Drawing I, II, III, IV
Color and Design
Painting I, II, III, IV, Special Projects
Landscape Painting
2005-09 Adjunct Professor, Central Michigan University. Courses taught:
Drawing I-Introductory Drawing
Painting I-Introductory Painting
Color and Composition
Two Dimensional Design
Introduction to the Arts
Art Criticism
2005 Adjunct Professor, Western Michigan University. Course taught: Object Drawing
2004-05 Adjunct Professor, Saginaw Valley State University. Course taught: Introduction to the Visual Arts
2001-03 Instructor of Record, State University of New York at Stony Brook. Course taught: Introductory Painting
Awards
Scholarship
2017 Certificate of Recognition, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition’s Wide Open 8, Brooklyn, NY
2017 Honorable Mention, 34thNational, Texas Visual Arts Alliance, Houston ,TX
2016 Award of Excellence, Texas Visual Art Association National Exhibit, Mesquite , TX
2015 Painting Award, California Open, TAG Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2015 2ndPlace – 2D, At The Walker Exhibition, 2015, Walker Art Gallery, Garnett, KS
2013 Third Place, Horizon: Contemporary Landscape Exhibition, Community Arts Center, Danbury, CT
2009 Honorable Mention, National Juried Exhibition, Lancaster Country Art Assoc., Lancaster, PA
2009 Second Place, A Fine Line, Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, VA
2006 Auditorium Gallery Exhibition Award, 46thAnnual Greater Michigan Art Exhibition, Midland Center for the Arts, Midland, MI
2006 Third Place, Gulf Coast National Juried Art Competition, Texas Artists Museum, Port Arthur, TX
2006 Northwood University Artist Award, 46thGreater Michigan Art Exhibition, Midland Center for the Arts, Midland, MI
2006 Award of Merit, 19thNational Juried Art Exhibit, South Cobb Arts Alliance, Mableton, GA
2003 Dorothy Peiper Memorial Purchase Award, State University of New York at Stony Brook
Exhibition Record
International Group Shows
2017 The FLETCH3ER Exhibit: Socially and Politically Engaged Art, Reece University, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
Juror: Dr. Anita Kunz
2015 Vying 2105: Art Basel Exhibit, Viophilia Gallery, Miami, FL
Juror: Ivette Cabrera
2014 NEXUS International Juried Exhibition,Arts Guild of New Jersey, Rahway,NJ
Juror: Dorrie Papademetriou
Nationally Juried Group Shows
2018 Emerald Coast National Juried Fine Arts Exhibition, Mattie Kelly Arts Center Galleries, Northwest Florida State College, Niceville, FL
Juror: Dennis Harper
2018 Waterloo Arts Juried Exhibition, Waterloo Arts, Cleveland, OH
Juror: Ray Juaire
2017 Southern Miss 2017 National Juried Painting Exhibition, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
Juror: Peter Van Dyck
2017 Fight or Flight, The Painting Center, New York, NY
Jurors: Alix Bailey, Barbara Marks and Patricia Spergel
2017 Wide Open 8, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, Brooklyn, NY
Juror: Cara Manes, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
2017 34thNational, Texas Visual Arts Alliance, Houston, TX
Juror: Rachel Cook
2017 Valdosta National 2017, Dedo Marannville Fine Arts Gallery, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA
Juror: Bryce Speed
2016 Texas Visual Art Association National Exhibit, Mesquite Art Center, Mesquite, TX
Jurors: Andrea Karnes and Gabriel Ritter
2016 I Witness: Activist Art and Social Movement Politics, Bradley University Art Galleries, Peoria, IL
Jurors: Krista Wortendyke and Margaret LeJeune
2016 Ceres 12th National Juried Exhibition, Ceres Gallery, New York, NY
Juror: Carmen de Valle Hermo, Assistant Curator of Collections at The Solomon Guggenheim Museum
2016 Contemporary South, Visual Art Exchange, Raleigh, NC
Juror: Kristin Fleischmann Brewer
2015 Trending! Contemporary Art Now”,Women’s Caucus for Art, Online Gallery
Juror: Elizabeth Garvery
2015 28thAnnual September Competition, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA
Pat Musick and Jerry Carr
2015 Sense of Place, Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, Augusta, GA
Juror: Annette Cone-Skelton
2015 California Open, Tag Gallery, Santa Monica, CA | Painting Award Winner
Juror: Jim Morphesis
2015 Navigating the Natural, Visual Art Exchange, Raleigh, NC
Juror: Nicole Pietranton
2015 64 Arts National Exhibition, Buchanan Center for The Arts, Buchanan, IL
Juror: Frank Saliani
2014 5thAnnual Juried Exhibition, Gallery 110, Seattle, WA
Juror: Scott Lawrimore
2014 11thNationally Juried Exhibition, Ceres Gallery, New York, NY
Juror: Michele L’Heureux
2014 Landscape At The Edge: Contemporary Views, Hera Gallery, Wakefield, RI
Juror: Lauren Hinkson
2014 A Natural Affair Online Exhibition, Linus Galleries in Pasadena, CA
2014 Common Knowledge, Non-Fiction Gallery, Savannah, GA
Jurors: Heather Macrae-Trulson, Sam Bryer, Naimar Ramirez and Ben Tollefson
2013 Horizon: Contemporary Landscape Exhibition, Community Arts Center. Danbury, KY
Juror: Boris Zakic
2013 Structure Online Exhibition, Arc Gallery
Juror: James Bacchi
2012 14thBiennial Oklahoma: Centerfold, 2012, Leslie Powell Gallery, Lawton, OK
Juror: Kristy Deetz
2012 XL-XS: Extra Large and Extra Small Formats, Maryland Federation of Art, College Park, MD
Juror: Barry Nemet
2011 From Our Perspectives, Oakland Community College, Farmington Hills, MI
Juror: Shiva Ahmadi
2011 14thNational Juried and Invited Contemporary Exhibition, The Western Colorado Center for the Arts, Grand Junction, CO
Juror: Michael Chavez
2011 Half the Sky, Tall Grass Arts Association, Park Forest, IL
Juror: Sabrina Raaf
2011 24h Annual Northern National Art Competition, Nicolet Art Gallery, Rhinelander, WI
Juror: Dennis Wojtkiewicz
2011 Hidden Cities, New Century Artists Gallery, New York, NY
Juror: Lisa Phillips
2010 National Art Encounter 2010, The von Liebig Art Center, Naples, FL
Juror: Denise Gerson
2010 National Small Oil Painting Exhibition 2010, Wichita Center for the Arts, Wichita, KS
Juror: Aaron Morgan Brown
2010 Feminist Art of Indiana, New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art, New Harmony, IN
Juror: Esther Adler
2010 National Art Exhibition 2010, Visual Arts Center, Punta Gorda, FL
Juror: Peter Trippi
2010 13thNational Juried Competition, Gallery West, Alexandria, VA
Juror: Jack Rasmussen
2009 Juried Fine Arts 2010, Mills Pond House Gallery, St. James, NY
Juror: Joan Young
2009 Third National Juried Exhibition, Prince Street Gallery, New York, NY
Juror: Susanna Coffey
2009 National Juried Exhibition, Lancaster County Art Association, Lancaster, PA
Juror: Bruce Samuelson | Awarded Honorable Mention
2009 Home, Attleboro Arts Museum, Attleboro, MA
Juror: Nick Capasso
2009 A Fine Line, Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, VA
Juror: Hubert Jackson | Awarded Second Place
2007 39thAnnual Visual Arts Exhibition, Visual Arts Society of Texas, Denton, TX
Juror: Karen Kunc
2007 10thNational Juried Art Exhibit, Baker Arts Center, Liberal, KS
Juror: Stephen Wicks
2006 46thAnnual Greater Michigan Art Exhibition, Midland Center for the Arts, Midland, MI
Juror: Patte Loper | Awarded Solo Show
2006 New Directions, Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY
Juror: Sara Reisman, Curatorial Fellow, The New Museum of Contemporary Art New York, NY
2006 Fall Show, American Juried Online Art Salon
2006 Gulf Coast National Juried Art Competition, Texas Artists Museum, Port Arthur, TX
Juror: Johnnie Liliedahl | Awarded Third Place
2006 All Area Exhibit, Studio 23, Bay City, MI
Juror: Jessie Dominguez, Professor of Art at Central Michigan University
2006 3rdAnnual National Exhibition, Art League of Northern California, Novato, CA
Juror: Frances McCormack
2006 Annual Small Works Exhibit, Tri-County Arts Council, Cobleskill, NY
Juror: Lori Bookstein
2006 19thNational Juried Art Exhibition, South Cobb Arts Alliance, Mableton, GA
Juror: Marcia Goldenstein | Award of Merit Received
2006 Particular Places, Creative Arts Center, New Haven, CT
Juror: Bernard Chaet
Solo Shows
2007 Blacktop/Greentop, Midland Center for the Arts, Midland, MI
Solo show awarded in 2006
Publications
2018 “Prescribed Syllabi in Art Foundations: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”FATE In Review, vol. XXXIX, 2017-2018
2015 Two works: “Getting To Third” and “First and Ten; Do it Again” selected for inclusion in the print catalog for “Trending! Contemporary Art Now”
2015 Three works: “Pearl Necklace”, “Getting to Third” and “First and Ten; Do It Again” selected for inclusion in the online and in-store magazine Fresh Paint
2002 “The Femme Fatale as Seen by Beardsley, Rops and Huysmans” Art Criticism, vol. XVII, 2002
Bi-annual Journal Edited by Donald Kuspit and Published by Stony Brook University
Grants
2014 10 Paintings. Research Scholarly Pursuit Award: $5,000. Georgia Southern University
2012 Three Paintings To Be Shown Nationally. College of Liberal Arts Faculty Development Award: $3,075.00. University of Southern Indiana
Presentations
Invited
2016 Artists’ Lecture, Georgia Southern University, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA
2016 Artists’ Lecture,Visiting Artist, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL
2012 Liberal Arts Faculty Colloquium, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, IN
2010 Feminist Art Symposium, New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art, New Harmony, IN
Conferences
2018 Paper accepted for presentation: “Outcomes of an Adherence to Analog Painting in a Digital World: The Joy of Delayed Gratification, A Stronger Sense of Self Esteem and a Reconnection with Human Nature”, SECAC conference, Birmingham, AL
2017 Panel Host: “Prescribed Syllabi in Art Foundations: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”
2017 Paper Presentation: “Prescribed Syllabi in Art Foundations: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”,FATE conference, Kansas City, MO
Departmental/University Service/Community Service
Departmental
Scholarship Committee
MFA Committee
Undergraduate Committee
2D Committee
University
Faculty Senate
General Education Core Curriculum Committee
Graduation Host and Reader
Volunteer for Operation Move In
Winner of Outstanding 2015-2016 Academic Program Assessment Report (for BA Studio)
Community
Ogeechee County Fair Art Exhibit Judge
Arts Fest Volunteer (community arts festival)
Professional Affiliations
CAA – College Art Association
FATE – Foundations in Art Theory and Education
SECAC – Southeastern College Art Association
Website
sarah-bielski.squarespace.com