Mary Valverde
Bio/CV: Mary Valverde (b. 1975) Queens, New York. Mary Valverde received her MFA at University of Pennsylvania in 2012 and her BFA from the School of Visual Arts, NY in 1999. Valverde teaches at Hunter College. Since 215 she serves as Commissioner (Sculptor seat) for the Public Design Commission of the City of New York and often contributes as an advisor to the NYC Depart of Cultural Affairs, Percent for Arts Program. Valverde is the 2021-22 Artist in Residence at The Latinx Project at NYU; 2021 CCSRE Mellon Art’s Practitioner Fellows, at Stanford University; 2023 forthcoming residence at the McCall Center for Art and Innovation in NC. Valverde has lectured at the Americas Society, NY; U.S. Latinx Forum; the Joan Mitchell Foundation; the US Latinx Arts Futures Symposium; Ford Foundation, and has exhibited her work at The Latinx Arts Futures Symposium; Ford Foundation, and has exhibited her work at The Latinx Project, BRIC, Smack Mellon, MoCA North Miami, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Art Center South Florida, El Museo del Barrio, The Queens Museum of Art among others.
Artist Statement: Valverde considers herself an interdisciplinary cultural practitioner with a focus on visual arts and cultural research. She centers her work and research as a visual artist on the historical and present-day connection between Indigenous and African communities in the Americas: the effects of forced migration, genocide, slavery; on-going evolution, adjustments, inventions, and shifts in culture. Her work is a testament of an aesthetic language, paying homage to Indigeneity and African Diasporas through the abstraction of traditional systems, codes and patterns.
Selected Exhibitions: 2023 AIR Exhibition, Mc Coll Center for Art. Charlette, NC (forthcoming) 2022 Encoded Marks, Unwinding Paths. The Latinx Project at NYU, NY X Marks the Spot, Laundromat Art Space, Miami, FL 2021 Latinx Abstract. BRIC, NY Mellon Arts Practitioner Fellowship at CCSRE, Stanford University, CA 2019 Gravity[tional]. Newark Arts Festival, NJ (curator) Chakana 2019.Walker House, NJ (public art commission)
I Come to this Place. Smack Mellon, NY
Females Occupying Space. Express Newark, Rutgers University, NJ 2018 Queens International: Volumes. Queens Museum of Art, NY. (Alumni commission) Monarchs. Southwest School of Art, TX
Monarchs. MoCA North Miami, FL
Post Modernism and Aesthetics. Korean Cultural Center, NY (Co-Curator, Essay) 2017 Hidden in Plain Sight, Jenkins Johnson Gallery, NY
Monarchs. Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, NE
CODED.Vol.1. Ongoing interdisciplinary panel series. Vol.1 & accompanying exhibition hosted by, AC Institute, NY
Seven Days. Publication Project. AC Institute Publications, NY 2016 The SESSIONS Project. The Melendez- Barnes Residence, NY US Latinx Arts Futures Symposium. Ford Foundation, NY
The Border Crossed Me. Bronx Arts Space, NY
Mujeres. Artworks Trenton, NJ JAMEO. No Longer Empty, NY 2015 Perfect Lovers. Bronx Art Space, NY
Dark Diction. Jack Performance Space, NY
TRIUMPH: Windows on Market Street. Aferra Gallery, NJ 2014 Third Space: Inventing the Possible. MoCA North Miami, FL PARABLES: Reverence is What Remains. Art Currents Institute, NY Ecuador Meets Berlin: Summerfest. Emerson Gallery, Berlin, Germany Know Who You Are at Any Age. BRAC, NY
Aljira at 30: Dream and Reality. New Jersey State Museum, NJ Studies for AXIS. Thomas Hunter Project Gallery. NY 2013 Outside The Box. Andrew Freedman Home. NY
Reflections on Identity: The Endurance of Ritual. Dixon Place, NY
Smoke Signals: ISTWA, Paisajes & Allegories. Art Center South Florida, FL 2012 MODEL. Art in Odd Places, NY Thesis. Crane Art Center. PA Corpus Corporum. Philomathean Art Gallery. PA 2011 Ritual. Art in Odd Places, NY
Spaces of Material Gesture. Adams Gallery, PA Deliberate Enigma. Morgan Gallery, PA 2010 Paradiso. Meyerson Gallery, PA
Variations on Notes. Abrons Art Center. NY Digression. Hendershot Gallery, NY
LUSH. Solar Gallery, NY
Hair Tactics. Jersey City Museum, NJ
The Arbitrariness of Signs. Momenta Gallery, NY Rompe Puesto, Bronx River Arts Center, NY 2009 Figure 8. El Museo Del Barrio, NY
Untitled (Land-Scape). Abrons Art Center, NY Mappings and Transformations. Corridor Gallery, NY CUMANANA. Salt Works Gallery, GA 2008 Work Space 2008. Cuchifritos Gallery, NY
Scorpius. ACP Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
In Between Time: Measures. Diaspora Vibe Gallery, FL Asi Somos. Local Project, NY 2007 S-Files 2007: El Museo Biennal. El Museo Del Barrio, NY Emerge 8. Aljira a Center for Contemporary Art, NJ Projects: 4 Rooms. Taller Boricua Gallery, NY
Black Rock. Aferra Gallery, NJ
Education: 2012 University of Pennsylvania, MFA (Dean’s Diversity Fellowship) 1999 School of Visual Arts, BFA 1997 Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY, AAS
Social: @therealmaryvalverde