Joan Livingstone (born 1948) is an American contemporary artist, educator, curator, and author based in Chicago. She creates sculptural objects, installations, prints, and collages that reference the human body and bodily experience.

Education

Livingstone earned a bachelor of arts degree from

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades ...

in 1972, followed by a master of fine arts degree from

Cranbrook Academy of Art The Cranbrook Educational Community is an education, research, and public museum complex in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. This National Historic Landmark was founded in the early 20th century by newspaper mogul George Gough Booth. It consists of Cr ...

. She was a stage and graphic designer at the Portland Shakespeare Company from 1969 to 1972.

Career

Artist

Livingstone's work often abstractly reflects the human body, especially as is related to the history of women artists. In her early work, she often used suture-stitch to create visceral forms out of industrial felt that she then hardened with

epoxy resins Epoxy is the family of basic components or cured end products of epoxy resins. Epoxy resins, also known as polyepoxides, are a class of reactive prepolymers and polymers which contain epoxide groups. The epoxide functional group is also coll ...

. Her more recent work incorporates found objects, metallic leaf, and hand-made paper. Her later fiber arts work was larger in scale and took on more conceptual meaning. Livingstone has held solo exhibitions at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Alfred University. Her work is held in the permanent collections of: *

The Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

, Illinois * Boise Museum of Art, Idaho * Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, Hawaii *

, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan * Dennos Museum Center, Traverse City, Michigan * Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan *

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, New York, New York *

Museum of Contemporary Art Museum of Contemporary Art (often abbreviated to MCA, MoCA or MOCA) may refer to: Africa * Museum of Contemporary Art (Tangier), Morocco, officially le Galerie d'Art Contemporain Mohamed Drissi Asia East Asia * Museum of Contemporary Art Shangha ...

, Chicago, Illinois * Northern Illinois University Art Museum, DeKalb, Illinois *

Racine Art Museum The Racine Art Museum (RAM) and RAM's Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts are located in Racine, Wisconsin, U.S. The museum holds the largest and most significant contemporary craft collection in North America, with more than 9,500 objects fro ...

, Racine, Wisconsin *

Portland Art Museum The Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon, United States, was founded in 1892, making it one of the oldest art museums on the West Coast and seventh oldest in the US. Upon completion of the most recent renovations, the Portland Art Museum becam ...

, Portland, Oregon * Robert L. Pfannebecker Collection, Lancaster, Pennsylvania Livingstone has received a number of awards for her work, including: * Chairman's Award, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2014) * American Craft Council Fellowship (2001) * Illinois Arts Council Artist Fellowship (2000, 1989, 1986) * Virginia A. Groot Foundation, Illinois, Individual Artist Grant (1998) * Faculty Enrichment Grant, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1984, 1988,1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997) * National Endowment for the Arts, Individual Artist Fellowship (1979, 1986, 1993) * The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Artist's Fellowship (catalog) (1990) * The George A. and Eliza Gardner Howard Foundation Artist's Fellowship, Brown University, RI (1989)

Educator

Livingstone has worked as an educator at several institutions, including the Kansas City Art Institute,

, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Beginning in 1983, she held several positions at SAIC, including Dean of Undergraduate studies and professor emerita in the Department of Fiber and Material Studies.

Writer

In 2007, Livingstone, with John Ploof, co-edited an anthology, ''The Object of Labor: Art, Cloth, and Cultural Production''. The book includes essays and artist pages examining the effect of globalization on practices and depictions of labor in the arts through the lens of textile production.

Select exhibitions

2015 * "Oddments," John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI * "marvels and oddment(s)," Clough-Hanson Gallery, Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee 2006-7 * “Joan Livingstone: Membranes, Margins, Disruptions,” traveling exhibition, Fosdick Nelson Gallery, Alfred University, NY; Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery, Bowling Green State University, Ohio; Jack Olson Gallery, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 2005 * “Re/Locations,” MNGallery, Chicago, IL 2004 * "Migrations," Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR 2002 * "Visual Perspectives: 14 Years of the Virginia A. Groot Awards," Groot Foundation Space, Chicago * "In the Material World," Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL (4 One Person Exhibitions) 2000 * "Jane Lackey, Joan Livingstone," Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 1999 * "Embodiment," Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR 1998 * "Limits of Capacity," Dennos Museum Center, Traverse City, MI * "Sum Greater Than the Parts: Contemporary Sculpture," Rockford Museum of Art, Rockford, IL 1997 * "resistSTANCES," Sybaris Gallery, Royal Oak, MI (also 1994, 1992) * "Joan Livingstone: Sculpture, Prints and Collages, 1990-1997," Jack Olson Gallery, NIU Art Museum, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL * "Assemblage," Center Galleries, Center for Creative Studies, Detroit 1996 * "Collages, Prints, Sculpture," Cabell Center for the Arts, The Catlin Gable School, Portland, OR 1995 * "Sculpture," Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR "Chicago Prints," Shinsegae Gallery, Seoul, Korea (catalog) 1992 * "Organic Sensibilities," The Center Galleries, Center for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI * "Few and Far Between," Rockford Art Museum, Rockford, IL 1990 * "Joan Livingstone: New Sculpture," Artemisia Gallery, Chicago (Also 1988) 1985 * "Sculpture Textile," 12th Biennale Internationale de la Tapissierie, Musee Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Palais de Rumine, Lausanne, Switzerland 1984 * "American Fiber: A New Aesthetic, Diverse Works," Houston, TX 1982 * "Dimensions: Felt," Charles and Emma Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA

Publications

2015 * Susan Snodgrass, “Toward Textiles,” Textile: Cloth and Culture, Vol. 13, Issue 3, pp. 306–313 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14759756.2015.1102489). * Joel Parsons, marvels & oddment Clough-Hanson Gallery, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN (exhibition catalog). * Eileen Townsend, Joan Livingstone's “Marvels and Oddments,” Memphis Flyer, November 23, 2015. * Karen Patterson, “Joan Livingstone: Oddment ” Toward Textiles (on-line catalog), John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI. 2011 * Nadine Fiedler, “Joan Livingstone: Artist and Art Educator,” The Caller, Summer, Portland, OR. 2010 * Janet Koplos,

Bruce Metcalf Bruce Metcalf (born September 30, 1949 in Amherst, Massachusetts) is an American artist who uses different materials including wood, metal, and plexiglass for his works. Education He received his B.F.A. in Crafts/Metalsmithing in 1972 at Syr ...

, eds., Makers, Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, pp, 428-429. 2008 * Polly Ulrich, “Corporeal Dynamics,” Surface Design Journal, Vol. 32, No. 2, Winter, pp. 26–31. 2007 * Joan Livingstone, John Ploof, eds., The Object of Labor: Critical Perspectives on Art, Cloth, and Cultural Production, Boston: MIT and Chicago: SAIC Press. * Grace Glueck, “Fun with Studio Crafts: When the traditional gets quirky,” New York Times Art Review, Friday, January 12, 2007. * Mary Gustaitis-Beyer, “Turning Home at Trackhouse,” ArtBlog, June. * Shannon Stratton, “Migrations,” Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR. 2006 * Membranes•Margins•Disruptions (exhibition catalog: essays by Judith Leemann, Shannon Stratton; Sharon McConnell, curator), Alfred, NY: Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, School of Art and Design, Alfred University. 2003 * Victor Cassidy, “Focus: Joan Livingstone,” Sculpture Magazine, April. * Sunita Patterson. “Is Fiber’s Foundation Firm?” Fiberarts Magazine, Vol. 30, No. 2, Sept/Oct. 2002 * Gerry Craig, James Elkins, James Yood, Portfolio Collection Vol 10: Joan Livingstone, Winchester, England: Telos Art Publishing. * John Brunetti, In The Material World, exhibition catalog, Evanston Art Center, IL. 2001 * Otto G. Ocvrik ... t al. Art Fundamentals: Theory & Practice, Ninth Edition (NY:McGraw-Hill) p. 224 * Ruth Lopez, “Livingstone’s Body of Work,” Chicago Tribune, December 30 . 2000 *

Jenni Sorkin Jenni Sorkin (born August 29, 1977) is an American art historian, curator, and educator. She is best known for her writing in art criticism, and for highlighting work by feminist artists and artists working in fiber and associated crafts. B ...

, “Jane Lackey/Joan Livingstone,” New Art Examiner. 1999 * James Elkins, Pictures of the Body: Pain and Metamorphosis, CA: Stanford University Press, pp. 148–149. 1998 * Gerry Craig, “Reviews: Joan Livingstone,” Sculpture, Vol. 17, No. 7, September. * Jaqueline Shinners, Limits of Capacity, exhibition catalog, Dennos Museum Center, Traverse City, MI. * Gerry Craig, “Reviews: resistSTANCEs,” Fiberarts Magazine, Vol. 25, No. 1, Summer. * Mark Newport, “The Masculine in Fiber,” Surface Design Journal, Vol. 22, No. 3, Spring. 1997 * Joyce Fernandes, Joan Livingstone, exhibition catalog, Northern Illinois University Art Museum, DeKalb, IL. 1996 * Joan Livingstone and Anne Wilson, The Presence of Touch, exhibition catalog, SAIC Galleries, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL. 1995 * Gerry Craig, “Imagination and Sensation,” Fiberarts Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 3, Nov/Dec. * Mark Newport, “Points of View,” Fiberarts Magazine, Vol. 21, No. 4, Jan/Feb. 1994 * Layne Goldsmith, “On Marking Progress in Creative Discovery,” Surface Design Journal, Vol 19, No 1 Fall. * Sandy Harthorn, Fabricated Nature, exhibition catalog, Boise Museum of Art, ID. 1993 * James Yood, “A Sequence of Forms,” The New Art Examiner. * Elizabeth Broadrup, “Re-envisioning Craft,” Macquette, International Sculpture Center, November. 1992 * John Brunetti, “Joan Livingstone,” The New Art Examiner, December. * Alice Thorson, “Modern concerns inspire dramatic modern sculpture,” The Kansas City Star Sunday Art Section, February 9. * Margo (Shermeta) Mensing, International Contemporary Fiber Art: Now, exhibition catalog, Sonje Museum of Contemporary Art, South Korea. * W. Logan Fry, “Multiple Directions: Contemporary Works in Felt,” Fiberarts Magazine, March/April. 1991 * Kathryn Hixson, “Chicago in Review: Joan Livingstone,” Arts Magazine, February. * Margo Shermeta, “Contemporary Sculpture: A Question of Elegance,” Fiberarts Magazine, Vol 18, No 1. * Carol Dickinson, “Crossovers: Exploiting the Possibilities,” Fiberarts Magazine, Summer. * Pamela Scheinman, “New Ends: The Medium as Message,” Fiberarts Magazine. 1990 * Buzz Spector, “Chicago: Joan Livingstone,” Art Issues, #15. 1989 * Devin Golden, “Armor,” The New Art Examiner, September. 1988 * David McCracken, “Gallery Scene: Expression is fiber artists’ common thread,” The Chicago Tribune Friday Section, July 29. * Jeff Abell, “Imagining Form,” The New Art Examiner, Vol 15, No 7, April. 1985 * Diane and Elmer Taylor, “Twelfth International Biennial of Tapestry,” Fiberarts Magazine, Nov/Dec. 1981 *

Jack Larsen Jack Harter Larsen (born January 13, 1995) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He played college baseball for the UC San Diego Tritons. The Seattle Mariners signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He has ...

and

Mildred Constantine Mildred Constantine Bettelheim (June 28, 1913 – December 10, 2008) was an American curator who helped bring attention to the posters and other graphic design in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in the 1950s and 1960s Biography Co ...

, editors. The Art Fabric: Mainstream, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. 1980 * Winifred Lutz, “Felting,” American Craft Magazine, Aug/Sept, cover, pp 2–9. * Patricia Malarcher, “Joan Livingstone,” Fiberarts Magazine, July/Aug. March. * Beverly Gordon, Feltmaking, New York: Watson-Guptill Publications. * Victoria Kirsch Melcher, “Kansas City: Sunspots and Night Ladders,” Art News, Nov. * Donald Hoffman, “Symbolic Emblems Luminous,” The Kansas City Star, Feb. 17.

References

Additional sources

*Adrian, Dennis (1993) "Joan Livingstone," ''American Craft Magazine'', Vol. 53, Issue 3, June–July 1993, pp 40–45. {{DEFAULTSORT:Livingstone, Joan 1948 births Living people Portland State University alumni School of the Art Institute of Chicago faculty Cranbrook Academy of Art alumni Cranbrook Academy of Art faculty Kansas City Art Institute faculty Artists from Portland, Oregon Artists from Chicago 20th-century American women artists 21st-century American artists American women academics 21st-century American women