Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl Maeder.
Cheryl was born in Elmwood Park, New Jersey, June 18, 1949. In her early 20s, she moved to Zurich, Switzerland, where she studied photography at Zurich University of the Arts. After 8 years in Switzerland, she returned to United States & opened her studio in San Francisco, where she photographed international advertising & fashion campaigns. She transitioned from photographing fashion models to photographing real women. She wanted to celebrate the beauty of women in all shapes & sizes. Her photography work became the inspiration for the global Dove Campaign on “Real Women, Real Beauty” which transformed the way women are perceived in the media. In 2005, she relocated her studio to the Miami area & deeply immersed herself into filmmaking & fine art. Her investigations into video & installations expanded her world. Through the exploration of new technologies, opportunities for creative collaborations have occurred for large-scale installations.
In 2007, she created Gardenhouse, combining her love for art and design. Gardenhouse expresses a designed lifestyle, blurring the line between indoor and outdoor living. She fuses her aesthetic with her own take on modern colors, textiles and finishes to create her signature collection. Gardenhouse has been featured in over 25 national magazines including InStyle Magazine, Best of Home Elledecor.com, Architectural Digest, Luxe Magazine as Stylemaker, Southern Living Magazine among others.
Her work is in the permanent collection-Frost Museum, exhibited-The Louvre Museum, Paris, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Cooper Union, New York & Norton Museum, Palm Beach, Fl. Her work is exhibited at major art fairs-Art Miami, Scope Art Fair, New York, Art London, Art Shanghai; and solo exhibition at Miami International Airport. She was recently selected by PBS for Project Filmmaker, South Florida, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Being an Artist is not an easy path. There has been both victories, and, of course obstacles, When you choose the path of an Artist, it is not a comfortable one. This also is what gives what I do its Greatness. I love to create in both my art and design. Nothing gives as much pleasure as creating. It is where I live, and it is so very rewarding and exciting. I have no room for failure, every thing that happens in the work that I do both in my art and design, leads to the next step. I would not have chosen another path.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Cheryl Maeder Photography & Gardenhouse story. Tell us more about the business.
I own two businesses, Cheryl Maeder Photography and Gardenhouse. I am a Visual Artist/Filmmaker and a designer of a home decor design line, Gardenhouse. My work has been exhibited at permanent museum collections, and exhibited and collected internationally. I have been featured in Luxe Magazine as a Stylemaker, as well as being featured in Modern Luxury Magazine. Gardenhouse has also been featured in major magazines, such as, InStyle, Architectural Digest, Elledecor.com, among others. What sets my work apart from others is my uniqued style in both art and design. Being born in New Jersey, moving to Switzerland in my early 20s for eight years, returning to the US to San Francisco to start my businesses and then to Southeast Florida, I have experienced many cultures and have incorporated this into my aesthetics in how I view the world.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
There is no such thing as luck. It is all about hard work and perseverance. I keep putting myself out there into the world and I very much believe in synchrodestiny. That if you work hard and are open then opportunities will appear. It does not happen overnight and is not based on luck.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.maederphotography.com and www.gardenhousedecor.net
- Phone: 415.845.6832
- Email: maeder@maederphotography.com and gardenhousedecor@bellsouth.net
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
