Today we’d like to introduce you to Claudia DeMonte.
Hi Claudia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was born in raised in NYC.. in Astoria, Queens (the most ethnically diverse county in the US. I was raised by art-loving community activists who exposed me to all museums and cultures. Since receiving my M.F.A. in l971 from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, I have exhibited my work internationally in over 100 one-person and 500 group exhibitions.
These include exhibitions at the Corcoran Museum, Mattatuck Museum, Fort Worth Museum, Tucson Museum, Flint Institute of Art, Mobile Museum, Mississippi Museum of Art, the American University Museum, and the Tallinn Kunsithoone in Estonia. For over 40 years my work has focused on the evolving roles of women in contemporary society. Grants I have received include from, among others, the NYFA, and the Agnes Gund Foundation. I have been a juror for both the Fulbrights and the Prix de Rome.
My public commissions include the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Percent for an Art sculpture commission for the Queens Supreme Court Plaza, for which I received an NYC design award, a ceramic mural for P.S. 51 in Queens for the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Percent for Art Program and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs for the Clarendon Public Library in Brooklyn.
I am a Professor Emerita from the University of Maryland and a Distinguished Scholar/Teacher. I received an Honorary Doctorate from the College of Santa Fe. My interest in women’s issues led to an installation, “Women of the World: A Global Collection of Art,” in which I asked one woman artist in each of 177 countries to make artwork that meant ‘woman’ to them. The resulting exhibition traveled to 22 venues around the world. My “Real Beauty” project challenges our concept of ‘beauty’.
In the fall of 2009, a monograph was published by Pomegranate on my work that accompanied a four-year museum tour to nine venues. I am listed in Who’s Who in American Art as well as Who’s Who in America. The Archives of American Art has completed an oral history of my life and includes my papers in their permanent collection. I am married to the Sculptor Ed McGowin.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My transition into adulthood coincided with the birth and growth of the women’s movement. So my struggles were those of most women artists. GETTING SEEN. At the time few women were included in any exhibitions. I tried to support the Guerrilla Girls, who helped us on ALL levels to be heard.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
All artists have two jobs, being an artist and finding a way to support that!! One of the great gifts of my life was being a Professor (University of Maryland). My work started out being autobiographical but changed to dealing with universal ideas of ‘woman’.. and in Work in series.. each on a unique topic.
I often used nontraditional materials in my early work. I feel the work I have done with women in 177 countries (including my WOMEN OF THE WORLD: A GLOBAL COLLECTION OF ART was early on in thinking Globally. My best know work are my sculptures dealing with women’s roles in Contemporary Society
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I also follow through on leads/opportunities. I was blessed to have great Professors and Mentors… and I try to be a mentor to my students and younger artists. I think my focus on my work, with good work habits, has aided in my success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.claudiademonteart.com
- Instagram: @claudiademonte
- Facebook: @claudia demonte
Image Credits
Firooz Zahedi, Pauline Shapiro, and Jean Vong
