CAROL SCHWARTZ

Sculpting mostly in wood, Carol Schwartz uses hundreds of pieces of wood laminated together to construct colorful, larger-than-life human forms. Appearing individually or in couples, their polychromatic, textured surfaces give them a vibrant energy. Their compelling frontal stance is reminiscent of the Ancient Asiatic sculpture that has influenced them.

For the last nine years, Carol has been a sculptor, working in her Union City, NJ studio. Prior to becoming a sculptor, she spent 17 years working as an architectural designer.

Carol Schwartz is a 2007 recipient of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts fellowship in sculpture. She is a graduate of Pratt University and the Art Students League in New York, NY. While at the League, Carol served on the board of directors as Vice President.

Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions
2013 “BODYworks,” a new leaf gallery | sculpturesite, Sonoma, CA
2012-2013 “Body Double: The Figure in Contemporary Sculpture”, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, MI
2012 “HEADS UP! The Human Head Interpreted by 7 Sculptors”, a new leaf gallery | sculpturesite, Sonoma, CA
2012 ArtPrize, Grand Rapids MI
2012 “Part and Parcel”, Arts Guild New Jersey, Rahway, NJ
2011 “Humble Beginnings”, Gallery at 14 Maple, Morristown, NJ
2011 “Body Language”, a new leaf gallery l sculpturesite, Sonoma, CA
2009 “Constructions in the Sunken Garden”, Mack - Cali Atrium, Jersey City, NJ
2009 New Jersey Fine Arts Annual “Local Life” at The Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ
2009 New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship Exhibition at the Visual Art Center of New Jersey, Summit, NJ
2008 “Exposure”, Ceres Gallery, New York, NY
2008 “Lifecycles 3D”, The Beacon, Jersey City, NJ
2008 “Body Parts”, Arts Guild of Rahway, Rahway, NJ
2007 “I Will Survive”, Atlanti Care, Atlantic City, NJ
2007 Bill Lowe Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2007 Bill Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2007 The Noyes Museum of Art, Oceanville, NJ
2006 “The Family Experience, Deconstruction and Reconstruction”, Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee, FL
2004 Gallery International, Juried Show, Baltimore, MD
2004 Roshkowska Galleries, One Person Show, Windam, NY
2004 Ceres Gallery, National Juried Show, New York, NY
2003 “New Kid on the Block”, Rotunda Gallery, Jersey City, NJ
2003 “Paper Ball”, Jersey City Museum, Jersey City, NJ
2002 “Small Works Show”, Arts Students League, New York, NY
1998 “Small Works Show”, Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ

Awards
2007 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts
2007 Special Honorable Mention, Margo Harris Hammerschlag Competition in Sculpture
2004 First Place in Sculpture, National Juried Competition, Ceres Gallery NYC, Awarded by Museum of Modern Art curator Fereshteh Daftari
Allen Tucker Scholarship
Full Scholarship, Pratt Institute

Publications
2008 Star Ledger Features, Nov. 15
2007 YouTube Video “Formidable Women”
2006 JCVibe online Magazine, Interview with artist, Oct. 2006
2006 The Jersey City Reporter, Oct. 2006
2006 The Weehawken Reporter, Oct. 2006
2005 Union City Reporter, Oct. 2005
2004 Arts and Entertainment, Windam Journal, June 2004
2003 Jersey City Reporter, Oct. 2003

Professional Memberships and Affiliations
International Sculpture Center
National Association of Woman Artists
National Sculpture Society
Newark Arts Council
City Without Walls
Pro Arts

Work Experience
2001-2009 Working Artist, Union City New Jersey
1984-1997 Director of Real Estate and Planning, Quest Diagnostics
Architecture and Space Planning

Education and Professional Training
Arts Students League: 4 Year sculpture certificate
Pratt Institute, BFA in Architecture/Interior Design
Putney School of Art, London, England, Drawing, Painting and Pottery

I see present day women as an army of warriors, defining and establishing themselves proudly as women. My women face the world head on. They are large in size and powerful. They are standing on heavy legs that are slightly parted. They will not be manipulated. It is, however, with the softness of a woman that they defiantly meet the world. They are dressed in girly, flirtatious fashion and it does not diminish who they are.

Generally in art, I do not enjoy the explicit, I prefer the suggested. It allows me to think, imagine and participate in a way that I cannot if I am told too much. The people are not posed. They are in normal posture. They are caught at unguarded moments, alone or with someone. They are unaware of their body positions, they are just being themselves. Their weight for the most part is evenly distributed, and there exists no false exaggeration of motion. They are firmly anchored to the ground and to their lives. The finish is kind of a metaphor for how we live our lives, always in a process of growth and change and, sadly, even deterioration. The surfaces of my work reflect that.