Carolyn Swiszcz American, b. 1972
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Backyard (Clothesline), 2023
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Night Laundry, 2023
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Parking Lot Bonsai, 2023
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Pink Triad, 2023
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Tree From the Past, 2023
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Vapes, 2023
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Winchell's Donut House 1, 2023
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Burger Time 2, 2022
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Harmon Park, 2022
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Infinity, 2022
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Tree (Wentworth Avenue), 2020
Since 2007 Carolyn Swizcz has exolored a colorful odyssey through the bright ruins of American consumerism. She creates variations of the shop-front's facade, interior, and signs. Small businesses are a frequent subject of her mixed-media paintings, and she expresses her peculiar attachment to them using various printmaking and collage techniques. "Art-making helps me find mystery and purpose in daily life," she says.
Born and raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Carolyn Swiszcz attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design where she earned a BFA in printmaking in 1994. Swiszcz's work has been exhibited at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Drawing Center, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Miyako Yoshinaga Gallery in New York, and Steven Zevitas Gallery in Boston. She also publishes a bi-monthly mail-order zine, Zebra Cat Zebra.
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Backyard (Clothesline), 2023
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Night Laundry, 2023
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Parking Lot Bonsai, 2023
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Pink Triad, 2023
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Tree From the Past, 2023
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Vapes, 2023
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Winchell's Donut House 1, 2023
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Burger Time 2, 2022
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Harmon Park, 2022
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Infinity, 2022
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Tree (Wentworth Avenue), 2020
Education
| 1972 | Born in New Bedford, MA |
| 1994 | BFA - Minneapolis College of Art and Design |
Selected Solo Exhibitions
| 2018 | New Suburban Mysteries - Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Minneapolis |
| 2016 | You Build Your Own Chapels, Groveland Gallery, Minneapolis |
| 2015 | Inventory, Minnesota Artist Exhibition Program, Minneapolis Institute of Arts |
| 2011 | A Thin Place, Miyako Yoshinaga, New York |
| New Work, Steven Zevitas Gallery | |
| 2009 | Minnesota Miracle, Miyako Yoshinaga, New York |
| From West St. Paul to Tokyo, Shonandai Gallery, Tokyo | |
| Innovation Road, Franklin Art Works, Minneapolis | |
| 2007 | Walk Between the Raindrops, Ambrosino Gallery, Miami |
| 2006 | Shelf Life, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Minneapolis |
| 2005 | Brick and Mortar, Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston |
| New Work, Wendy Cooper Gallery, Chicago | |
| 2004 | American Surplus, gallery co, Minneapolis |
| 2003 | New Work, Ambrosino Gallery, Miami |
| On the Ave, ArtWorks! at Dover Street, New Bedford, MA | |
| 2001 | Signs and Wonders, Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND |
| Street Level, Ambrosino Gallery, Miami | |
| 2000 | Dime Tours, NFA Space, Chicago |
Two-Person Exhibitions
| 2011 | Binocular City (w/Karen Brummund), Johnson Gallery, Bethel University |
| 2003 | Long Afternoon (w/Celeste Nelms), Minneapolis Institute of Arts |
Selected Group Exhibitions
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2019 |
Miyako Yoshinaga Gallery 20th Anniversary Exhibition, May |
| 2016 | Project 1612 Film Festival, Chicago |
| Brick x Brick, Minnesota Museum of American Art, St. Paul | |
| 2015 | The Moment. The Backdrop. The Persona., Girls Club Collection, Ft. Lauderdale, FL |
| 2014 | Near and Far: Contemporary Landscape Painting, St. Catherine University, St. Paul |
| 2011 | Highpoint Editions - Decade One, Minneapolis Institute of Arts |
| 2010 | 2009 McKnight Artists Fellowship Exhibition, MCAD Gallery |
| 2007 | I’d Rather Be Drawing, Dennis Morgan Gallery, Kansas City, KS |
| 2005 | My Perspective, Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston |
| 2004 | Getting to Know You, Wendy Cooper Gallery, Chicago |
| 2003 | Shangri-La, Islip Art Museum, East Islip, NY |
| 2001 | Selections, Winter 2001, The Drawing Center, New York |
| 2000 | National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts Fellowship Exhibition, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. |
| Quality Control, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis | |
| 1999 | There's No 'I' In Team, NFA Space, Chicago |
| 1998 | Five Jerome Artists, MCAD Gallery, Minneapolis |
Awards
| 2009 | McKnight Artist Fellowship |
| 2007 | Artist Initiative Grant, Minnesota State Arts Board |
| 2002 | Bush Foundation Fellowship, St. Paul, MN |
| 1997-00 | National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts Fellowship in the Visual Arts (FIVA), Miami, FL |
| 1999 | Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Assistance Fellowship |
| 1998 | MCAD/Jerome Foundation Fellowship, Minneapolis, MN |
Collections
Cleveland Clinic General Mills
Girls Club Collection, Ft. Lauderdale, FL Microsoft
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Historical Society Minnesota Museum of American Art Minnesota Vikings
Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND
Other
Publisher of Zebra Cat Zebra, a bi-monthly zine delivered by mail, since May 2017
Visiting Artist, Highpoint Editions at Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Minneapolis, 2005 and 2017
”West St. Paul” video shown in conjunction with Worlds Away: New Suburban Landscapes at Walker
Art Center, Minneapolis, 2008
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Backyard (Clothesline), 2023
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Night Laundry, 2023
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Parking Lot Bonsai, 2023
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Pink Triad, 2023
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Tree From the Past, 2023
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Vapes, 2023
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Winchell's Donut House 1, 2023
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Burger Time 2, 2022
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Harmon Park, 2022
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Infinity, 2022
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Tree (Wentworth Avenue), 2020
New American Paintings, Midwest Edition, May/June 2010
Boston Globe, 01/06/06, "Landscapes, From the Quiet to the Kitschy" by Kate McQuaid
Art In America, review of American Surplus at gallery co, March 2005, by Michael Fallon
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Carolyn SwiszczBackyard (Clothesline), 2023watercolor monoprint, and colored pencil on paper22 x 30 in
55.9 x 76.2 cm -
Carolyn SwiszczCone, 2023acrylic, monoprint, and pencil on paper25 x 15 in
63.5 x 38.1 cm -
Carolyn SwiszczEyelash Extensions, 2023watercolor monoprint, relief print on paper18 x 14 in
45.7 x 35.6 cm -
Carolyn SwiszczNight Laundry, 2023acryllc, monoprint, and collage on paper29 x 60 in
73.7 x 152.4 cm -
Carolyn SwiszczParking Lot Bonsai, 2023watercolor monoprint, collage, monoprint on paper, and unmounted canvas (two separate panels)40 x 51 in
101.6 x 129.5 cm -
Carolyn SwiszczPink Triad, 2023acrylic on paper15 1/4 x 19 1/2 in
38.7 x 49.5 cm -
Carolyn SwiszczTree From the Past, 2023watercolor monoprint on paper30 x 15 in
76.2 x 38.1 cm -
Carolyn SwiszczVapes, 2023monoprint, acrylic, rubber stamp on paper and unmounted canvas16 x 15 1/2 in
40.6 x 39.4 cm -
Carolyn SwiszczWinchell's Donut House 1, 2023watercolor monoprint, collage on paper17 1/2 x 15 1/4 in
44.5 x 38.7 cm -
Carolyn SwiszczWinchell's Donut House 2, 2023watercolor monoprint and collage15 x 15 in
38.1 x 38.1 cm -
Carolyn SwiszczBurger Time 2, 2022watercolor monoprint on paper40 x 30 in
101.6 x 76.2 cm -
Carolyn SwiszczHarmon Park, 2022acrylic, monoprint, rubber stamp, and watercolor monoprint on paper (three separate panels)51 x 81 in
129.5 x 205.7 cm -
Carolyn SwiszczInfinity, 2022watercolor monoprint and monoprint on paper30 x 44 in
76.2 x 111.8 cm -
Carolyn SwiszczTree (Wentworth Avenue), 2020acrylic, collage, and monoprint on paper52 x 35 in
132.1 x 88.9 cm
