Camomile Hixon (born Camomile Mary Weiss in 1970) is an American visual artist whose primary medium is
glitter
Glitter is an assortment of small, reflective particles that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkle ...
and paint on
canvas
Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...
. Her works range from large-scale
installations and environments to ''The Search for the Missing Unicorn'', an interactive street art project that has reached over 120 countries.
Early life and education
Hixon was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and raised in
Milford Milford may refer to:
Place names Canada
* Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia
* Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia
* Milford, Ontario
England
* Milford, Derbyshire
* Milford, Devon, a place in Devon
* Milford on Sea, Hampshire
* Milford, Shro ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
. She studied filmmaking and philosophy at
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of Ne ...
.
Career
She moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
to work in the film industry as an executive for Sanford-Pillsbury Productions. During that time, Hixon developed independent film projects and focused on music; composing, singing and recording. She also studied the classical music of
North India
North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...
under Guruji Mala Ganguly including voice in Sanskrit/Bengali and harmonium. After a number of years, Hixon returned to New York City with her husband, Dylan, and two sons.
Glitter paintings
In 2010 Hixon made the first Glitter YES painting for a party and the mood in the room was unusually joyous. Art dealer, Latifa Metheny of Tria Gallery couldn't help but notice and offered her a solo show on the spot. ''Sparkle'' followed in April 2010, an exhibition of paintings featuring words, punctuation, flowers, and fireworks. This show was a near sellout and another show, ''Scintilla'' followed a few months later at the same space on West 25th St in
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. Tastemakers Bob and Cortney Novogratz took notice by acquiring two pieces for their townhouse in the West Village and featuring her art on two episodes of the internationally syndicated HGTV show ''Home by Novogratz''. Hixon's work was also featured on the nationally syndicated
Wendy Williams show
''The Wendy Williams Show'' (often shortened to ''Wendy'') is an American syndicated talk show created and hosted by Wendy Williams, and produced by Wendy Williams Productions, along with Perler Productions. The show is distributed by Debmar-Me ...
in 2011. Hixon has since exhibited glitter paintings in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and on three separate occasions in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
with Giant Mango Gallery as well as in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
with Velvinoir Gallery. Shows and works on view in the U.S. include
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
at
Bergamot Station
Bergamot Station Arts Center is a Santa Monica facility housing many different private art galleries and appears in most tourist guides as a primary cultural destination. Opened September 17, 1994 as Bergamot Station the campus-like complex is ...
with Frank Pictures Gallery,
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
at Gallery Noir,
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
with Stephanie Breitbard Fine Art and
Washington D. C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
at Dalton Pratt. Her museum shows include the
American Textile Museum,
Lowell ,
The Lyman Allyn Museum of Art,
New London
New London may refer to:
Places United States
*New London, Alabama
*New London, Connecticut
*New London, Indiana
*New London, Iowa
* New London, Maryland
*New London, Minnesota
*New London, Missouri
*New London, New Hampshire, a New England town
* ...
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, and
The Cornell Museum of Art,
Delray Beach
Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States Census. Located 52 miles (83 kilometers) north of Miami, Delray Beach is in the ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
.
The Missing Unicorn Project
The search for the Missing Unicorn began in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in the Fall of 2010 when Hixon and a team posted thousands of fliers that read: Missing Unicorn~ Large female with friendly disposition last seen entering
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
at West. 72nd St. If seen, please call and leave a message. Denizens of New York City participated by leaving thousands of phone calls to the dedicated phone-line as the project went viral.
New York Magazine, MSNBC and ''The Los Angeles Times.
'' covered the story and famed fashion photographer
Terry Richardson
Terrence Richardson (born August 14, 1965) is an American fashion and portrait photographer. He has shot advertising campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Aldo, Supreme, Sisley, Tom Ford, and Yves Saint Laurent among others, and also done work for ma ...
took an art photo of the poster.
People from over 120 countries and in various languages have contributed to this ongoing interactive
street art
Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art.
Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant graff ...
piece by leaving messages on the Unicorn Hotline, uploading images of their sightings on missingunicorn.com and downloading the poster to begin their own searches.
Hixon believes in the power of dialogue to defuse conflicts and promote understanding among cultures around the world, and she sees the ''Missing Unicorn Project'' as an olive branch for the 21st century, capable of disarming people, so they may focus on their likenesses as they tell stories of joy, hope, and the possibility of unrequited dreams fulfilled. The notion of infinite possibility for one's self and the world is symbolized by
the Unicorn.
Unicorns in Residence Providence
Unicorns in Residence Providence 2015 represents a partnership with Camomile Hixon and the major institutions of
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
to bring imaginative play to its citizens through the arts.
The public is invited on an interactive search for the ''Missing Unicorn'' and to be inspired by unicorn art throughout the city. A number of unicorn related exhibitions have taken place and are being hosted by the partners:
Brown University Libraries
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...
,
RISD Museum
The Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD Museum) is an art museum integrated with the Rhode Island School of Design, in Providence, Rhode Island, US. The museum was co-founded with the school in 1877, and still shares multiple build ...
,
RISD Library, Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Art, Culture and Tourism, Partnership for Providence Parks,
Providence Athenaeum
The Providence Athenaeum is an independent, member-supported subscription library in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. The building is open to the public, but only members can check out items from the collection.
The ...
,
Providence Children's Museum The Providence Children's Museum is a non-profit children's museum in Providence, Rhode Island. The museum is located at 100 South Street in the city's Jewelry District.
In 1976, the museum was founded as the "Rhode Island Children's Museum", the ...
, Providence Community Libraries, and
Providence Public Library. The Project is being curated by RISD Museum Board Member Helene Miller.
Super-sized flower installations
Hixon's enormous
kinetic flower sculptures are made of
PVC,
cellophane
Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose. Its low permeability to air, oils, greases, bacteria, and liquid water makes it useful for food packaging. Cellophane is highly permeable to water vapour, but may be coated w ...
and other materials including copper wire and feathers. Her first such installation, ''Windblown Lavender 2011'' was installed across the façade of the
Lyme Art Association
Lyme Art Association (LAA) is a non-profit art organization established in 1914, with roots going back to 1902. The organization maintains a historic art gallery located at 90 Lyme Street in the Old Lyme Historic District, Old Lyme, Connecticut. T ...
,
Old Lyme
Old Lyme is a coastal town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The main street of the town, Lyme Street, is a historic district with several homes once owned by sea captains. Lyme Academy of Fine Arts is located in Old Lyme and ther ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
.
The Children's Museum of the Arts in
SoHo
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develop ...
commissioned a 15’
Dandelion Plant made of cellophane for their lobby in 2012. For
Armory Art week, as part of the Armory sponsored lecture series, Hixon exhibited ''Fly Away Dandelions,'' an installation that filled a gallery with dandelion seed heads made of brass wire and cellophane.
Head in The Clouds installation (2015)
For
Brown University's 250th Anniversary, Hixon was invited to fill five floors of Brown's Granoff Center for the Creative Arts Building with wire mesh clouds. The cloud formation was seen floating through the building at an oblique angle with corresponding video projection on five large screens and a ''GroudCloud'' environment where the viewer was invited to climb into a cloud and read
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
.
Exhibitions
Hixon exhibited nine glitter paintings on canvas entitled ''Textile Studies'' at the American Textile History Museum, Lowell MA in 2010.
Hixon was invited by
the Central Park Conservancy in November 2010 to exhibit two life-sized glitter unicorns in
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
as part of the Missing Unicorn Project. These works were on view during
the NYC Marathon.
The Lyman Allyn Museum of Art in New London, CT hosted Hixon's ''Unicorn Stampede'' in 2013, consisting of an environment with 24 life-sized glitter unicorns, elaborate lighting and music composed and sung by Hixon
The Cornell Museum of American Art in Delrey Beach FL is currently exhibiting a group show entitled "Bling: Art that Shines" featuring Hixon,
Damien Hirst
Damien Steven Hirst (; né
Brennan; born 7 June 1965) is an English artist, entrepreneur, and art collector. He is one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) who dominated the art scene in the UK during the 1990s. He is reportedly the United Kingd ...
and others through July 2015
Maison 24, a high-end gift shop on
Park Ave
Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenu ...
and 58th St. regularly invites Hixon to design windows using her glitter paintings.
Media Appearances
891 ABC Adelaide, two radio interviews in AustraliaNovember 24, 2010
September 10, 2011 Episode HHBN-103H
National Talk Radio Ireland, Camomile met with Sean Moncrieff September 19, 2012
News Channel 8 interview with Ann NybergNovember 13, 2013
References
Notes
External links
Camomile Hixon website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hixon, Camomile
Living people
Hofstra University alumni
American pop artists
1970 births