Meridith Passabet
My work comes from my exploration of bittersweet, conflicting emotions. I use "confetti" as a universal sign of celebration that I can paint within incongruous environments. Painting confetti gives me unlimited possibilities to investigate the formal elements that I find the most engaging: color, flat shapes, and spatial ambiguities. The question I always return to is if my paintings reflect an optimism about finding joy in the face of the terrible things that are always occurring around the word, or if the "celebration" is insincere, just a superficial prop to disguise the reality?
Meridith Passabet was born in Connecticut in 1980. She received a BFA in Painting from the University of Connecticut in 2002 and went on to earn an MFA in Visual Art from Mason Gross School of Art, Rutgers University, in 2005. Her work has been shown in galleries and alternative spaces in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Meridith currently lives in Stratford, CT.
Education
Mason Gross School of Art, Rutgers University, MFA, Art, 2005
University of Connecticut, BFA, Art, 2002
Teaching Experience
TA-Relief Printmaking, Mason Gross School of Art, Rutgers, New Brunswick, NJ, 2004
TA, Painting, Parts 1 and 2, Mason Gross School of Art, Rutgers, New Brunswick, NJ, 2005
• Under the supervision of department heads, developed syllabus, taught classes, and graded students
Employment
Image Editor-Retoucher, Sotheby's Auction House, 2005-present
Editing, retouching and color-correcting photos for high-profile institutions
Demonstrated ability to manage production workflow processes and liaison with departmental leadership to deliver exceptional work across print and digital channels
Exhibitions
Small Works Exhibition, Rye Arts Center, Rye NY, 2016
Anticipation, Concepto Hudson, Hudson, NY 2016
Interior, Concepto Hudson, Hudson, NY 2015
OPEN (C)ALL: The Artist’s Studio, BRIC, Brooklyn, NY 2015
The Dam Show, Reservoir, Queens, NY 2014
Dystopian Delight, MR Fine Art, New York, NY, 2012
Salon Show, Greenpoint Gallery, Brooklyn, NY 2011
What’s Left, MR Fine Art, New York, NY, 2009
kNOw FUN, Hello My Name is Gallery, New Haven, CT, 2008
All Small Things, White Space Gallery, New Haven, CT, 2007
Necessary Objects, White Space Gallery, New Haven, CT, 2007
Out Like a Lamb, A Group Show, The Church, Brooklyn, NY, 2007
Real Party Benefit Auction, Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT, 2007
Sotheby’s Employee Show, Sotheby’s Auction House, New York, NY, 2006
New Prints Show, Curated by Kiki Smith, IPCNY, New York, NY, 2005
Fresh Meat, Shore Institute of Contemporary Art, Long Branch NJ, 2005
Benefit Auction, Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT, 2005
MFA Thesis Exhibition, Mason Gross School of Art, New Brunswick, NJ, 2005 Night of 1,000 Drawings, Artists Space, New York, NY, 2004
Mason Gross Faculty/Grad Show, New Brunswick, NJ, 2004
One Inch Show, Jonathan Gabel Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, 2003
Slide Slam, Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT, 2003, 2005
Annual Employee Show, Christie’s Auction House, New York, NY 2003
A Victorian on Lower Main, Six Emerging Artists, Windham Arts Collaborative, 2002 BFA Thesis Exhibition, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 2002
Awards
Teaching Assistant Competitive Funds Award, 2004 Nominated for Joan Mitchell MFA Fellowship, 2005 Nominated for Dedalus Foundation Fellowship, 2004 Julia Ash Memorial Award, 2002
University of Connecticut Faculty Award for BFA Thesis Show, 2002 Connecticut Women’s Scholarship for Painting, 2001
Talent Scholarship, University of Connecticut, 2000, 2001