ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Alice Shapiro was influenced by Surrealist and Cubist art movements from early childhood. Her elementary school interactions with art were pivotal consciousness-raising experiences. She studied painting with Bob Huot at Hunter College after earning a degree in Advertising Art at SUNY Farmingdale. She began a career in Fine Art portraiture selling pastels, oils, and acrylics. During the 1980s her involvement in the NYC Art scene included exhibitions with The Storefront for Art and Architecture under the direction of Shirin Neshat and her husband, a two-person show in Helsinki, Finland's Cultural Art Center in Jaamsa, and New Jersey's City Without Walls gallery, among others. A year-long job at The Metropolitan Museum of Art provided an extensive education in Art History through artifacts and the Museum's permanent collections and groundbreaking exhibitions.

In 2022 she entered her first art residency and was awarded two grants during the 2½ year fulfillment. Since 2019 she has developed an oeuvre of digital art, video art, and handmade collage.

Exploring the style of Retrofuturism and experimental canvases, her new works focus on light, composition, and merging of mediuns in the context of Minimal Abstract, Dadaist, and digitally enhanced painting. She currently lives and works in Wilmington, Delaware.

ARTIST STATEMENT

IIn the late 1940s when Surrealism and avant-garde Cubism were waning by trickling down to Lower Middle Class suburban neighborhoods via home and garden magazine ads offering wall art prints, I first became aware of a different visual reality. This was before the Beatles came to America and changed everything. This was the time that everything came here, engendering a sort of magical attraction concept. It fostered a “privileged” mindset regardless of economic station. Food, clothing, and shelter simply appeared as if always there. A Garden of Eden for the imagination to prosper. Friends simply appeared. No concept of money exchange for goods. There was no understanding that one had to work for or chase those things. The world was my oyster. 

Nevertheless, at 13 the family moved and I thought I was confused. I learned to use my gifts of writing and artmaking as safe escapes. The world began to recognize my gifts but only a little at a time. Writing came easily to me but making art was my favorite way of experiencing joy. Art is my methodology for self-discovery because my ego wrestles with socialization. 

During 2022-2025 I believed I had found my artistic voice while fulfilling an artist residency. Yet, by moving on, metaphorically and physically, and leaving everything behind, a vast potential of new and wondrous creations arose in my broadened imagination. 

I am now in the experimentally transitional phase of creativity where one absorbs new understandings before a painting takes shape. Collective experience is different at present because I can observe the entire world going through the exact same inner process along with me. Now I am working on making my own sage butter and spiritually upleveling my art for mutual benefit.

RESUME

Born in 1946 in New York City, US.
Resides and works in Delaware, US.

Education/training:
1964-1966: Advertising Art/A.A.S., SUNY, Farmingdale, US.
1984-1986: Fine Studio Art, Hunter College, New York, US.

Selected solo exhibitions:
2024        The Pedestrians’ Newsletter, Digital Installation, NYC & NC, U.S.
2023        Digital. Minimal. Interactive., Smart Gallery, North Carolina, US.
2015        Trees, Tuoia Gallery, Georgia, US.
1988        Across the Miles, Jaamsa Cultural Center, Jaamsa, Finland (Two-Person).
1986        At Home, Friends Meeting House, NYC, USA (Collaboration with choreographer)

Selected group exhibitions:

2024       Group Exhibition, Cultural Center of Kinston, NC.
2023        Order and Chaos, Art-Collide, Finalist, Virtual, US.

2022        Generations, Broughaha Gallery, Virtual, Hong Kong..
2018        Member Exhibition, SAA Gallery, Bull Street, Savannah, Georgia, US.
2018        Group Exhibition, Savannah Hilton Head Airport Gallery, Georgia, US.
1986        Group Exhibition, Cork Gallery, Lincoln Center, New York, US.
1985        Group Exhibition, La Fenice Gallery, Venice, Italy.
1985        Group Exhibition, Broome Street Gallery, New York, US.
1985        Director's Choice, City Without Walls Gallery, Newark, New Jersey, US.
1984        Installation, Avenue A Japanese Restaurant, New York, US.
1983        Showcase Event, Timberwolfe Records, CBS TV Studios, New York, US.

Selected collections:
Museum of History and Art, Douglasville, Georgia, US.
Noble Insurance, Georgia, US.
Boys and Girls Club, Carrollton, Georgia, US.
Mr. And Mrs. Richard Ingoglia, Southampton,  NY, US.
Jaamsa Cultural Center, Jaamsa, Finland.

Selected press and bibliography:
Alice Shapiro, Why Collect Art? in Neuse News, Column (2024).
Raney Rogers, “The arts as something to do in Kinston” in Neuse News (2023).
Michael Parker, “June 15 ‘Artist Talk’ Focuses on Digital Art” in Neuse News (2023).           
Editor, “10 Questions with Alice Shapiro” Interview in Al-tiba9 Contemporary Art (2022).
David Allen Peters, “What use is this?” in The Two Percent  (2020).
Prof. Liu and Cat, “Don't Give Me No Bull ” in ArtProf.org livestream (2019).
Prof. Liu and Associate, “Joy” in ArtProf.org livestream (2019).
Linda Edwards, "Featured” in The Courier Newspaper (2020) at Savannah, Tennessee. 
Mila Andre, “Women at Work” in The Daily News (1991) at New York, US (Artist/Curator).
Mario Fratti, Le Donne-Artiste Celebrano Se Stesse in Oggi (1993), New Jersey, US.
Editor, "Ihmisia" in Luontoa Ja Elaimia, Koillis Hame, Finland.
Jukka Komppa, "Naiselliset Nyanssit Jamsan Hiidenkirnussa" in Keskisuomalainen, Finland.
Alice Shapiro, Saltian: to dance, unbound Content Press, New Jersey, US (2012).

Professional contributions:
1987: Board of Advisors, Anne Hammel and Dancers, New York, US.
1986: Administrative Assistant, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, US.
1986: Artist, Bookstore at Metropolitan Museum of Art Children's Workshop, New York, US.

Awards/Residencies

VISUAL ARTS: Grant - Herritage Street Project NC Billboard.; Grant - smART Kinston Artist Residency NC 2022-2025.

LITERARY AWARDS: Bill C. Davis Drama Award; Literary Titan Silver Book Award; Poet Laureate Emeritus, Douglasville, GA; Pushcart Prize Nominee 2X; Author: How I Escaped from Bloody Hell; Four Voices (a one-act tragedy); 4 poetry collections; Pamphlet (forthcoming).

FILM FESTIVALS

AWARD WINNER - 2024 and 2025:

Berlin Women Cinema Festival, Best Experimental- Hildegard - Nominee 

Munich Short Film Awards, Best Narrative Short - Hildegard - Semi-Finalist 

Hamburg Indie Film Festival, Best Short Experimental - s.e.l.f.i.e - Semi-Finalist 

 Religion Faith International Film Festival, Art House Film - Hildegard - Winner (Exceptional Merit)

 So You Think You Can Direct/Act Competition, Director - Hildegard - Winner (Exceptional Merit)

SELECTED 2024 and 2025:

LA International Cinema Awards, Best Experimental - Mophead Protecting Earth 

Cannes Short Film Festival, Short Short (under 5 minutes) - Nabuto (Mind Escapes Japan)