Judy Thomas began her formal art studies at the University of Iowa where she majored in painting, drawing and printmaking. In her junior year, she was one of 30 art students from around the country to be selected for the Yale Summer School of Art at Norfolk. After receiving her BFA from Iowa in 1982, Judy won a Harriet Hale Woolley fellowship to Paris to study with renowned printmaker S.W. Hayter at the Atelier 17.
In 1986, Judy moved to New York City to attend graduate school at Hunter College. After completing her MFA in Painting in 1988, she joined the mass exodus of young artists to Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The pioneering, renegade spirit of the early 90’s helped to shape the direction of her art. Turning away from painting, Judy began to create temporary, large scale sculptural works. These individual works were specifically created for the abandoned warehouse spaces along the waterfront in Brooklyn, as well as more accessible venues in the U.S. and Europe.
SITE SPECIFIC INSTALLATIONS
2007 ‘Rocks’, Outdoor Sculpture Show, Fulton Ferry State Park, Brooklyn, NY. Ursula Clark, curator
2005 ‘Doorway’, Pier Show VIII, Redhook, Brooklyn, NY
2004 ‘ENTANGLEMENTS’, Merce Cunningham Studio, New York, Laura Ward, Choreographer with Octavia Cup Dance Theatre
2001 'SMOKE RINGS', 'LeXXXichoreography', WAX, Brooklyn, NY, Laura Ward, choreographer
'SHELTER', Byrdcliffe Outdoor Invitational, Woodstock, NY
2000 'NETWORK', Statscript Pharmacy, New York, curated by Leslie Lund
'NESTING INSTINCT', Byrdcliffe Outdoor Invitational, Woodstock, NY, Catherine Callahan
1999 'BALES', Westbrook Artists Site, Madison County, Iowa, curated by Kevin Lair
'SUNSCREEN', UFO Technologies, Greenpoint, Brooklyn
1998 'BALL ROOM', 88 West Broadway, New York, curated by Brian Lynch
1997 'CATCH OF THE DAY', The Sculpture Barn, Pier Show V, Redhook, Brooklyn
1996 'BLUE SKYLIGHT', Art a la Carte, North Side Café, Brooklyn, curated by Wayne Dobson
'CATHEDRAL WEB', The Hanging Sculpture Garden at Newport Centre Mall, NJ
'GEODESIC ZONE', Jersey City Arts Summit, City Hall, Jersey City, NJ, curated by Robert Costa
'GEODESIC WEB', BWAC Empire Fulton Ferry State Park Sculpture Show, Brooklyn
'TROUBLE BALL', Soho Carnival Show, 8th Floor Gallery, New York
'LABYRINTH', Detroit Focus Gallery, Detroit, MI
'THE BLUE ARCHWAY', The Sculpture Barn, Pier Show IV, Redhook, Brooklyn
'ARCH', Pier Show IV, Redhook, Brooklyn
'GYPSY TREE', Art Around the Park '96, Tompkins Square Park, New York
1995 'FORM SEQUENCE', Art From Detritus II, Kansas City, curated by Vernita N.Cognita
'NEST', Sculpture Barn, Pier Show III, Redhook, Brooklyn
'WEB', Pier Show III, Redhook, Brooklyn
1994 'OVERFLOW', Art Around the Park '94, Tompkins Square Park, New York
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2008 ‘CREST HARDWARE SHOW’, Crest Hardware, Brooklyn, NY
2007 ‘RESIDUE’, Diesel Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2004 'SPRING FEVER', Teddy's Backroom Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Stuart Nicholson, Curator
2003 'LAST CALL', Right Bank Gallery, Brooklyn, curated by Sarah Barker
'COMFORT ZONES', Tenri Cultural Institute, Leslie Lund and Thalia Vrachopolous, Curators
2001 'BED', Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, curated by Carri Skoczek and Kei Anderson
2000 'ELEMENTS 2000', HEREART, New York, curated by Devorah Sperber
1999 'CREST HARDWARE SHOW', Crest Hardware, Brooklyn, curated by Gene Pool
1998 'CREST HARDWARE SHOW', Crest Hardware, Brooklyn, curated by Gene Pool
1997 'SMALL STATEMENT', Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn
'CURRENT UNDERCURRENT', Brooklyn Museum of Art
'WAREHOUSE', Five Years of the Sculpture Barn', Eighth Floor Gallery, New York
'LOOKING FOR THE PIECES', Isis Conceptual Laboratory, West Branch, Iowa
'4,200SF, 8 ARTISTS, W/VIEW', Metropolitan Towers, New York
'ARTMOVING PARASITIC TRILOGY: CLEMENTINE'S FUNGUS AND TEAM GALLERY', New York
1996 'POSTMASTERS VIRUS', artMoving in Soho, curated by Aron Namenwirth
'THE CENTRAL INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY SHOW', New York, curated by Gene Pool
'ART FROM DETRITUS: RECYCLING WITH IMAGINATION', Henry Street Settlement, New York
'INDEPENDENTS BIENNAL III', Galeria El Bohio, New York
'NATURAL TRANSFORMATIONS', Maria Feliz Gallery, Jim Thorpe, PA, curated by Leslie Lund
'THE BURNING BRA AND OTHER FEMINIST TALES', Smithtown Township Arts Council, Mills Pond House, St.James, NY curated by Norma Cohen
1995 'FOTOGRAVURE -THEN AND NOW', Danmarks Grafiske Museum, Odense, Denmark
'SMALL WORKS', Brooklyn War Memorial, Brooklyn, NY
1994 '5 BROOKLYN ARTISTS', Scandinavian-American Society, New York
1993 'EARTH ART', Sawtooth Galleries, Winston-Salem, NC
'ORGANISM', Williamsburg, Brooklyn
1991 'THE DECADE SHOW', Hunter College Art Gallery, New York
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sculptural Solutions for the Spirit, (Catalogue), Tenri Cultural Center, 2003
Foil Imaging: A New Art Form, Virginia Myers, Tenacre Print 2001
Sculpture Adventure, Poughkeepsie Journal, 2001
Artburger, WaterfrontWeek, Volume 4.19.01
Elements 2000, Sculpture Magazine, March 2001
Art in the Woods, Sunday Freeman, June 11, 2000
A Forest of Opposition, Woodstock Times, July 20, 2000
The Crest Hardware Show, Time Out New York, June 8-25, 1998
The Wonderous Webs of Judy Thomas, The Detroit News, June 26, 1996
Hanging Scuopture, The New York Times, September 15, 1996
Artburger, WaterfrontWeek, Volume 7.1.97
Artburger, WaterfrontWeek, Volume 6.24.96
Artburger, WaterfrontWeek, Volume 6.11.96
The Allure of Carnival, NY Soho Arts Magazine, July/August 1996
Art on Campus, AACC Campus Crier, February 1996
Detritus Show, FORUM Visual Arts Journal of Kansas City, Nov-Dec 1995
Crossings, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, 1995
Recycling with Imagination: Art from Detritus II, ATOA, New York, 1995
Time Capsule, Creative Time in association with S.O.S. Int'l, New York, 1995
In Three Dimensions, Women Sculptors of the '90s, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, 1995
RELATED EXPERIENCE
2003 Visiting Artist, Parsons School of Design, New York
1997 Instructor, Artist in the Schools, Brooklyn, New York
1996-97 Curator of Special Projects, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition
1995 Visiting Artist, Vestlandets Kunstakademi, Bergen, Norway
1992 Visiting Artist, Painting Department, University of Iowa
1989/90 Visiting Professor, International School of Printmaking, Calella, Spain
1985-86 Director, Arts Center, USMCA Mannheim, W. Germany, Civilian Status
1984-85 Display Artist, USMCA Mannheim, W. Germany, Civilian Status
1983-84 Gallery Manager, Fondation des Etats-Unis, Paris
EDUCATION
2000 University of Iowa, Foil Stamping Workshop with Iowa Print Group
1988 New York University, Color Print Atelier with Krishna Reddy
1986-88 CUNY Hunter College, New York City; MFA Painting
1983-84 Atelier 17, Paris, France; Studies with S.W. Hayter
1981 Yale Summer School of Art at Norfolk, Connecticut
1978-82 University of Iowa, BFA Drawing
HONORARIUMS/AWARDS
1996 Jersey City Dept. of Cultural Affairs and Pro Arts for sculptural installation
Detroit Focus and CAID for sculptural installation
Main Line Art Center for sculpture installation, Patrick Murphy, Juror
Pascal Art Gallery at Anne Arundale Comm. College for sculptural installation
1987 William Graf Travel Grant to Sweden, Hunter College
1986 Harriet Rutter Eaglesen Scholarship, Hunter College
1983-84 Harriet Woolley Scholarship, Fondation des Etats-Unis, Paris, France
1981 Ellen Battell Stoeckel Fellowship, University of Iowa
1979-82 Ford Foundation Scholarship, University of Iowa
1979-82 Mary Sue Miller Memorial Scholarship, University of Iowa
Media:
• Sculpture
• Painting
• Drawing
• Printmaking
• Photography
• Design/Media Arts
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