bio
I’ve always been dissatisfied with bios I’ve written for two reasons. First, I’m afraid there isn’t much to say. This is an objection of insecurity rather than content. The second reason is more substantive: the bios I’ve written don’t offer anything that you couldn’t learn from my artist statement, my CV, or my work—especially the later.
My work is personal, even confessional sometimes. I can remember from a very young age wondering, “What is normal?”, or a terrifying variant of this inquiry, “Am I normal?” These were questions driven by a sense of isolation, a desire to belong, and a fear that I might not belong. I wanted to belong AND I also wanted to be special. It doesn’t get more common than that.
I aim for the common (which doesn't require much aim.) When I depict myself I often show—not someone who is special—but someone who desperately wants to be and wants, just as much, to belong. It’s a great thing to make fun of yourself, to laugh at fear and anxiety, to embrace discomfort to the extent that brutal self-criticism becomes ridiculous. In the Harry Potter stories, the way to defeat a fear-inducing boggart is to replace that fear with something that makes you laugh.
I love content and I love meaning, but asides and content aside, I continue to make my work because I can’t stop playing with design and form; for me, this is the dance and the music of art. (The other stuff is like lyrics.)
A few more things: I love the Harry Potter books, superheroes, David Sedaris, and cheese. I am intrigued by Judas and the necessity of his role of betrayal. Like many people, I was born in 1974.
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cv
education
- MFA, Sculpture, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 2000
- BFA, Studio Art, Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus, OH, 1997 (summa cum laude)
solo exhibitions
- Mind Conjures, Body Manifests (featured artist and juror), Dayton Visual Arts Center, Dayton, OH, 2006
- Related Forms, Cecilia Coker Bell Gallery, Coker College, Hartsville, SC, 2006
- Recent Work, Rosewood Art Gallery, Kettering, OH, 2005
- Physical Introspection, Hutson Gallery, The Carnegie, Covington, KY, 2004
- 10th Annual Matrilineage Symposium (presentation), Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 2001
- MFA Thesis Exhibition (two person show), Seigfred Gallery, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 2000
- BFA Thesis Exhibition, Kinney Gallery, Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus, OH, 1997
group exhibitions
- The Body Sublime, Parkland Community College, Parkland Art Gallery, Champaign, IL, 2007
- Sequences & Consequences, Carla Massoni Gallery, Chestertown, MD, 2006
- Parkland Art & Design Faculty Exhibition, Parkland Community College, Parkland Art Gallery, Champaign, IL, 2006
- Discoveries, Carla Massoni Gallery, Chestertown, MD, 2005
- Parkland Art & Design Faculty Exhibition, Parkland Community College, Parkland Art Gallery, Champaign, IL, 2005
- CraftSummer Faculty Exhibit, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 2005
- Faculty Exhibition, Columbus College of Art & Design, Canzani Gallery, Columbus, OH, 2004
- Spatially Inspired, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL, 2004
- InspireArte, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC, 2003
- Cute, Fuzzy, and Ferocious, www.tricyleshop.com, 2003
- The Figure 2002, Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 2002
- An Exhibit of Unmentionables, The Art Garage, Columbia, SC, 2002
- All Media IV International Exhibition, Period Gallery, Omaha, NE, 2002
- Realism 2002, Cultural Center of Fine Art, Parkersburg, WV, 2002
- Censorship, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL, 2002
- Speed Demons from Olympus, Cecilia Coker Bell Gallery, Coker College, Hartsville, SC, 2002
- Best Contemporary Art 2001 WWW National Juried Art Exhibition, Period Gallery, Omaha, NE, 2001
- Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences National Juried Competition, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences Gallery, Loveladies, NJ, 2001
- National Society of Arts and Letters Regional Small Sculpture Show, Cultural Center of Fine Art, Parkersburg, WV, 2001
awards
- Full Fellowship Award, Vermont Studio Center, 2003
- Best of Show, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences National Juried Competition, Long Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences Gallery, Loveladies, NJ, 2001
- 2nd Place, National Society of Arts and Letters Small Sculpture Competition, Cultural Center for Fine Art, Parkersburg, WV, 2001
- Honorable Mention, National Society of Arts and Letters Small Sculpture Competition, Cultural Center for Fine Art, Parkersburg, WV, 2001
- Skowhegan Peter B. Lewis Fellowship, 2000
- Regents Graduate/Professional Fellowship (Ohio Board of Regents), 1997–98
- Outstanding Graduate in Fine Arts, Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus, Ohio 1997
instructional appointments
- Adjunct Instructor, Parkland Community College, Champaign, IL, August 2005–present
- Instructor, CraftSummer, Miami University, Oxford, OH, June 2005 & 2007
- Adjunct Instructor, Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus, OH, January 2003–December 2004
- Instructor, Saturday Morning Art Classes, Columbus College of Art & Design, September 2003–December 2004
- Resident Artist, New Albany High School, Ohio, March–April 2004
- Visiting Assistant Professor of Art, Coker College, Hartsville, SC, January–July 2002
residencies & internships
- Resident, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT, 2003
- Intern, Chinati Foundation, Marfa, TX, 2002
- Resident, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME, 2000
select private & public collections
- Wright State University Galleries
- Carla Massoni
- Cindy & Charles Herndon
- Shirley Hudson
- Connie Campbell
- Cathy Yoshimura & Gerard Charles
- Mary Heider
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contact
Miriam Martincic
622 West Clark St. #6
Champaign, IL 61820
miriam.martincic @ gmail.com
pronunciation
Martincic is pronounced "mar-tin-sick". In Slovenian, with V-shaped accent marks above the C's, it sounds like "mar-teen-cheech"
Copyright © 2007. Miriam Martincic. All rights reserved.
