Elizabeth Myers Castonguay

CreationArtStudio.com

STATEMENT

I have known since I was a small child that I would be an artist. I have always had a need to address those issues that affect our lives and our very existence.

For almost a decade after September 1, 2001, I sought to artistically break down barriers between diverse groups of people. This was something that I have been involved in socially for a lifetime. A celebration of the diversity of humanity is key to unlocking the door to peace in a world plagued by prejudice, hatred, and war.

The work evolved to speak of the fragile interrelationships between humanity and our ‘Endangered’ world (2010-present). The paintings often depict the human form monochromatically with the endangered flora and fauna in full color to establish greater equality between humanity and the over 41,000 endangered species on Mother Earth. These species are as important to nature’s fine balance as humankind, if not more so. Since clothing connotes an era or culture, the figures are generally undraped to show the universality of the problems we are facing and the need for a global partnership. This is necessary for the world to be a healthy place for future generations.

My paintings are created to work on a myriad of levels and to speak in a universal language. I try not to sensationalize or be confrontational because I want my viewers to internalize, reflect, and see the face of a world that we have painted. Within the work there is urgency but also an element of hope.

Elizabeth Myers Castonguay, MFA
CreationArtStudio.com

Instagram: e.m.castonguay

Education:

MFA American University, Washington, D.C.
BFA University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (Professors Rackstraw Downes & Neil Welliver, NYC artists)
BA Gettysburg College (Professor Ingolf Qually, MFA and BFA from le)
Art Institute of Ridgewood (former Ridgewood Art Barn, Art Students League Instructors)

Teaching:

Art Institute of Pittsburgh (Life Drawing, Graphic Design, 2012-2016)
Carnegie Mellon University / School of Drama (Adjunct Professor, Drawing, ‘09,’10)
Carnegie Mellon University /Pre-College Program (Painting & Drawing, 2003-2013)
Carnegie Museum of Art (Adult Figure Painting and Drawing, 1998-2013)
International Workshops

Associations by jury:

Salmagundi Art Club (NYC)
National Association of Women Artists (NYC)
Pastel Society of America (Associate Member / NYC)
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh

Selected exhibitions:

2023Crary Museum Art Gallery, Solo Exhibit, Curator: Thomas Paquette, Warren, PA., Oct 2023
2022Salmagundi Art Club, Juried Biannual Members Auction Exhibit, March / April 2022
Ceres Gallery, Solo Exhibit, ‘Tapestry of Nature II (Endangered)’, Chelsea, NYC, Mar.31- April 23, 2022 
Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, 26th Annual Juried Exhibition, Juror: Thomas Paquette, Ligonier, PA, Ned J. Nakles Memorial Award / Second Place Award, Nov.2021 thru Jan.2022
2021Spinning Plate Gallery,Group A, Juror: Prof. Patricia Bellan-Gillen,Carnegie Mellon Univ.,Pittsburgh,June 2021
Ceres, ArtsyPachamama (Mother Earth) Artsy Exhibit, NYC, May 2021
Salmagundi Art Club,Juried Annual Members Exhibit, D.Wu&Elsie Ject-Key Memorial Award, NYC, May, ‘21
ArtHouse, Curator: Marcene Glover, Johnstown, PA, May 2021
Salmagundi Art Club, Juried, ‘Black & White’ Exhibit, NYC, March, 2021
Salmagundi Art Club, Juried ‘Figuratively Speaking’ Exhibit, NYC, Feb.2021
2018Salmagundi Art Club, Annual Members Exhibition, Henry Nordhausen Memorial Award, NYC
2018Ceres National Open Competition, Juror: Sara Softness,Asst.Curator, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Award, Chelsea, NYC
2018Salmagundi Art Club, Juried 100th Anniversary Exhibit & the Annual Juried Group Exhibits, NYC
2017Thompson Gallery, Curator:Todd Bartel,Gallery Director,Cambridge School of Weston,MA, ‘Seeing Complementaries’ will also be used advertising
2017Denise Bibro Gallery, Boros V Exhibit, Curator: Denise Bibro, Chelsea, NYC
2017Sylvia Wald / Po Kim Gallery, ‘The Vision’, Medal of Honor for Painting & Elizabeth Stanton Blake Memorial Award National Association of Women Artist Annual Exhibit, NYC
2017Salmagundi, Juried Group Nautical Exhibit, NYC
2017Ceres Gallery, Group Exhibition, Chelsea, NYC
2016the Mansion at Strathmore, Juried Group Exhibit ‘Rise Up’, Honorable Mention, Bethesda, MD
2016Salmagundi Art Club, Juried Group Exhibit, ‘Urban’, NYC
2016Carnegie Museum of History, (Discoverers Group), Artist’s Talk and Presentation of ‘Endangered’ work, Curator: Dr. Richard Moriarty, Pittsburgh, PA.
2015Salmagundi Art Club, Winter / Spring Exhibitions, NYC
2015Borelli Edwards Gallery, Gallery Solo Exhibition, ‘Endangered / Between the Lines’, Pittsburgh, PA
2014Morris Museum of Art, Juried Group Exhibit (NAWA), Morristown, NJ
2014Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, PA
Juror: Barbara Jones-Westmoreland Museum of American Art
2014Sylvia Wald/Po Kim Gallery, NYC
2014Point Park University, Juried Group Exhibit (NAWA), Pittsburgh, PA
Juror: Sarah Hall, Director of Curatorial Affairs, Frick Museum of Art
2014Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Instructors Exhibition, PA
2014Salmagundi Art Club, Juried Group Exhibit, Noble Nocturnes, NYC
2013Viridian Gallery, Juried International Competition, First Place International Award, NYC
Juror: Dr. Elisabeth Sussman, Curator, Whitney Museum of American Art, First Place International Award
2013Borelli Edwards Gallery, Solo Exhibit, ‘ENDANGERED’, Lawrenceville, PA
2013Williamsburg Art and History Center, Curator: Yuko Nii, Annual Exhibition, Brooklyn, NYC
2013Viridian Gallery, International Photography Director’s Choice Exhibit, Chelsea, NYC
2012Westmoreland Museum of Art, Juried Group Biennial and Artist’s Talk, Greensburg, PA
2011Amarillo Museum of Art, National Juried Figure Drawing Competition, First Place National Award, TX
Juror: Martha Mayer Erlbacher, MFA Department Head / New York Academy of Art & Professor of Anatomy
2011St. Vincent’s University Museum Gallery, Invitational “20 x 2 Notable Regional Artists”, PA
2011Sylvia Wald and Po Kim Gallery, NAWA, Audrey Hope Shirk Award (2011), SOHO, NYC
2011Village Studio, Delray Beach, Honorable Mention, Florida
2011Carnegie Museum of Art, 2-Minute Film Competition, Pittsburgh, PA
2010Carnegie Museum of Art, Annual Juried Group Exhibit (AAP), Pittsburgh, PA
Jurors: Al Miner (Curatorial Asst. Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C., and Donald Miller, Art Critic
2010Salmagundi Art Club, Artist’s Talk with Digial Presentation of Work, NYC
2010Point Park University, “Four Artists”, Curated, Pittsburgh, PA
2010University Exhibits, Traveling, (AAP), Juror’s Award, PA
2010World of Artists, ‘International Women’s Exhibit’, Beacon, NY
2010Cultural Trust, AAP Presidents Choice Exhibition, Invitational, Pittsburgh, PA
2010Art Institute of Pittsburgh, 100th Anniversary AAP Group Exhibit, PA
2010National Arts Club Gallery, NAWA Annual, Jeffrey Childs Willis Memorial Award, NYC
2009State Museum of Pennsylvania, ‘Art of the State Juried Exhibit’, Harrisburg, PA
2008Fein Gallery, Generation to Generation, AAP Juried Group, Pittsburgh, PA
2007Frank Melega Art Museum, Solo Exhibit, Brownsville, PA
2007American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, Juried Group Exhibit, Washington, D.C.
2007Mendelson Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA., Solo Exhibit, ‘US’
Regina A Quick Center for the Arts Museum, St. Bonaventure University, Solo Exhibit, St. Bonaventure, NY
2006State Museum of Pennsylvania, Juried Group Exhibit, Harrisburg, PA
Juror: Susan Fisher Sterling, Chief Curator, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington,D.C.
2006Dimensions 2006, National Juried Exhibit, First Place National Award, Winston-Salem, NC
Juror: Brooke Davis Anderson, Director and Curator of the American Folk Art Museum, NYC
2006Westmoreland Museum of Art, Biennial AAP Exhibition, Greensburg, PA
Juror: Virginia Mecklenburg, Curator, Smithsonian American Art Museum
2006Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Juried Group Exhibition, First Place Award, Ligonier, PA
2005Carnegie Museum of Art, AAP Group Juried Exhibit, Pittsburgh, PAC
Juror: Douglas Fogle, Curator, Carnegie Museum of Art
2005Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, Juried Group Exhibit, New Castle, PA
2004Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Solo Exhibit, Pittsburgh, PA
Juror: Liz Thomas, Assistant Curator, Carnegie Museum of Art
2004Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, Group Juried Exhibit, New Castle, PA
Juror: Kurt Shaw, Art Critic, Pittsburgh Tribune Review
2003Ceres Gallery, Invitational from 2002 National Exhibition Artists, NYC
2002Ceres Gallery, National Juried Art Exhibition, NYC
Juror: Charlotta Kotik,Curator of Contemporary Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Chairperson/Dept. Painting & Sculpture

Selected awards:

2021-2Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art (Ligonier),Juror:Thomas Paquette, Award,Nov.2021-‘2
2021Salmagundi Art Club, Annual Juried Exhibition, D.Wu&Elsie Ject-Key Memorial Award, NYC, May, 2021
2018Salmagundi Art Club, Annual Exhibition, Henry Nordhausen Memorial Award, NYC
2018Ceres National Art Competition, Award for “Finished?(Endangered body of work)”,
Juror: Sara Softness, Assistant Curator, Brooklyn Museum of Art
2017Sylvia Ward / Po Kim Gallery, Medal of Honor for Painting & Elizabeth Stanton Blake Memorial National Association of Women Artists,128th Annual Members Exhibit
Jurors: Susana Torruella Leval, former VP and President Elect of the Association of Art Museum Directors and former board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Monica D.Church, Associate Director of the James W. Palmer ’90 Gallery, Vassar College. Linda Weinstraub former Director of Bard College Museum and author of several books on contemporary art.
2016Strathmore Mansion, Honorable Mention, Bethesda, Md.
2014Salmagundi Art Club, Auction Exhibit, Patrons Award
2013Viridian Gallery, Juried International Competition, NYC
Juror: Dr. Elisabeth Sussman, Curator, Whitney Museum of American Art, First Place International Award
2011Amarillo Museum of Art, National Juried Figure Competition, First Place National Award, Texas
Juror: Martha Mayer Erlbacher, MFA Department Head / New York Academy of Art, Professor Anatomy
2011Sylvia Wald and Po Kim Gallery, NAWA Annual Exhibition, Audrey Hope Shirk Award, NYC
2010National Arts Club Gallery, NAWA Annual Group Juried Exhibition, Jeffrey Child’s Willis Award, NYC
2010Pennsylvania Traveling University Exhibit, AAP, Juror’s Award
2010Village Studio, Group Juried Exhibit, Honorable Mention, Delray Beach, Florida
2006Dimensions 2006, National Juried Exhibit, First Place National Award, Winston-Salem, NC
Juror: Brooke Davis Anderson, Director and Curator of the American Folk Art Museum, NYC
2005Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Juried Group Exhibition, First Place Award, PA
2005Artistic Merit and Community Activism:
Congress of the United States of America
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania State Senate

Selected reviews:

Arts Magazine, Lavelanet, France, Fall 2020
How Art Healsa book by Andra Stanton MSW. May, 2021. Other
works by author: Dimension Cloth: Sculpture:  by Contemporary Textile
Artists, Schiffer Publishing. The paintings: ‘Finished? (Endangered body
of work)’ and  ‘Ivory-Billed Woodpecker (Endangered body of work)’
are included.
With Eyes Open, by Todd Bartell, Paperback catalogue,122 pages,
‘Seeing Complemetaries’, a painting about   human diversity was
chosen for the Front Cover, July 2018
http://www.highbrowmagazine.com/7477-national-association-women-artists-celebrating-years-art (March, 2017)
https://artsy.net/post/thenawa-visions-and-revelations-at-point-park-university 4/3/14
http://www.arttimesjournal.com/pdfs/Art_Times_Sept_Oct_2012.pdf
http://mazurkraemer.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/business-spotlight-elizabeth-myers-castonguay-accomplished-pittsburgh-artist/
http://www.pittsburghsocietyofartists.org/correspondence/093011.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/patrailsofhistory/sets/72157620248812574/detail/?page=4
http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/ECastonguay0418.aspx
http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/08090/868486-58.stm
http://www.pittsburghartistregistry.org/elizabethcastonguay
http://www.niagarapumphouse.ca/instructors.html
http://www.feinartgallery.com/newshow.php?SID=13
http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/museums/s_95718.html#axzz2EyADqbPE
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/art-architecture/westmoreland-museum-biennial-showcases-101-local-artists-638118/
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sectionfront/life/benefit-to-aid-orphanage-627771/
http://old.post-gazette.com/localnews/20040115castonguay0115fnp2.asp
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/castonguay-family-wins-heinz-award-389760/
http://www.pittsburghartistregistry.org/content/portfolio.php?view=worksample&id=3692&a=elizabethcastonguay
http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/lifestyles/outabout/s_517433.html#axzz2EyADqbPE
http://www.stvincent.edu/newsDetail.aspx?id=2147484596
http://www.wmuseumaa.org/museum/getexhib.cfm?ID=68
http://www.questia.com/library/1G1-65357509/creative-framing-techniques-complement-artist-s-wo
http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0503/0503profiles.html
http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0503/0503profiles.html
http://www.nawafl.com/newsletters.html
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/music/2do-things-to-do-in-the-coming-week-643804/
http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/gettysburgcollegeclub/message/43
http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/?page=all&city=902c5a60-27c6-464b-bcb4-a468ec201c15
http://jaysonsamuel.com/artists/castonguay_e/
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/art-architecture/art-notes-high-heat-fails-to-burn-out-heritage-festival-fans-644160/
http://old.post-gazette.com/magazine/20010501diversity4.asp
http://www.subtletea.com/elizabethcastonguay2006b.htm
http://www.melegaartmuseum.org/Frank_L_Melega_Art_Museum/2008_Past_Exhibitions.html
http://bloglebo.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html
http://www.thenawa.org/sites/default/files/2011%20award%20winners.pdf
ttp://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_776864.html#axzz2EyADqbPE
http://en.wordpress.com/tag/elizabeth-castonguay/