Project Description

b. 1955, Pittsburgh, PA

Judith Kruger, born 1955, is an American visual artist whose paintings, prints and mixed media works address Human-Environment connectivity and their shared vulnerabilities. She is recognized internationally for her advocacy of natural painting materials and historic, ecological processes.

Judith’s solo exhibitions include Drawing Ground, MLT Gallery-Wisdom House, Litchfield, CT, Mingled Terrain, Richardson Art Museum, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC (2018), An Alchemic View, Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, Connecticut (2015), Touching Rain, Hammond Museum, North Salem, NY (2015) Outside In, Bentley Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona (2014) and New Paintings at Morrison Gallery, Kent, Connecticut (2013). Group exhibitions include Agawami Museum Hall, Tokushima, Japan, Sato Museum, Tokyo, Japan, Mass MoCA, North Adams, MA, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT, John and Robyn Horn Gallery, Penland, NC, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, IL, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL, Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH, Gallery G, Hiroshima, Japan, Pallazo Dell’Annunziata, Matera, Italy, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL and The Muckenthaler Cultural Center, Fullerton, CA.

Judith’s work is held in private, public and corporate collections: some of which include Hammond Museum, North Salem, NY, Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT, Jefferson Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, Savannah College of Art and Design, Hong Kong and Phipps Conservatory’s Center for Sustainable Landscapes, Pittsburgh, PA.

In 2008, Judith initiated the course Nihonga: Then and Now at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and was awarded a grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs to teach her course Getting the Dirt on Paint in the Chicago Public School System. Her painting workshops and studio residencies, based on these courses, are currently garnering an international following. In 2011, Judith was awarded a Target Professional Development grant. She is a recipient of a Mass MoCA Assets for Artists matching grant (2016) and most recently, a Connecticut Office of the Arts Fellowship grant (2019).

Additionally, between 1977 and 2007, Judith collaborated with artisans in over a dozen countries on applied art and design manufacturing projects. During this time, she travelled extensively throughout Japan, India and Thailand researching the historic, scientific and artistic applications of inorganic and organic pigments. She has served as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board of Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Syracuse University Chicago Arts Council Board and Chicago’s Ravenswood ArtWalk Board. Her fundraising efforts, which mobilized the creativity of hundreds of artists and designers in the Chicago area, resulted in the donation of significant funds to UCLA AIDS Institute to further AIDs research.

Judith currently resides in Northwest, CT. Her studio is located in an old hosiery mill, 125 miles north of New York City, at the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains.

Although my work broadly addresses human-environment connectivity, it is best experienced formally as its own visual language. I continually record and investigate transient light, weathered surfaces, impermanent shadows and depth of space and place. Pulverized organic and inorganic minerals and plants, natural binders, oxidized meal, plant fibered paper, wood and linen each embody an inherent, visceral beauty. When intentionally layered, alchemically altered and juxtaposed, their context shifts from an obvious familiar to a lesser-defined, ambiguous state. This indiscernible, yet deeply rooted, abstraction collectively signifies the preciousness, fragility and transience of all phenomena.

EDUCATION
2011
Master of Fine Arts – Painting, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
1973-1977
BFA Illustration, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
1975-1976
St. Martin’s College of Art (UK)
2001-2008
Extensive global natural pigment research-Nihonga including Canada, India, Japan, Mexico, Thailand, USA Mentorship and private study with Makoto Fujimura (Nihonga), Hiroshi Yamamoto (Nihonga), Makoto Hashimoto (Nihonga pigment production)
AWARDS, GRANTS, AND HONORS
2019
Connecticut Office of the Arts Fellowship Grant
2016
Mass MoCA, Assets for Artists Matching Grant, Midas Corporation
2014
SEEDS Arts and Education, Scholar in Residence, Laguna Beach, CA
2011
Hajime Kondo Nihonga Materials Recipient, Harry Lynn, Gig Harbor, WA
2011
Painting Memorial Endowed Scholarship, Savannah College of Art and Design
2011
Target Professional Development Grant, Savannah College of Art and Design
2011
CAA Conference Travel Grant, Office of Graduate Studies, Savanna College of Art and Design
2011
Art Basel-Miami Grant, School of Fine Arts, Savannah College of Art and Design
2010
Josh Yu Chinese Painting Scholarship Award, Savannah College of Art and Design
2009-11
Combined Academic/Portfolio Honors Scholarship, Savannah College of Art and Design
2008
NAP Grant, Department of Cultural Affairs, Chicago, IL
1976
Most Outstanding Student Award-Illustration, Syracuse University
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2019
Drawing Ground, Marie Louise Trichet Gallery, Wisdom House, Litchfield, CT
2018
Mingled Terrain, Richardson Family Museum, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC
2016
Morrison Gallery, Kent, CT
2015
An Alchemic View, Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT
2015
Touching Rain, Hammond Museum, North Salem, NY
2014
Outside In, Bentley Gallery, Phoenix, AZ
2013
Judith Kruger, Morrison Gallery, Kent, CT
2011
WanderLust, Fahm Gallery, Savannah, GA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2020
Pigment, Bentley Gallery, Phoenix, AZ
2019
COA Fellowship Recipients Exhibition, Hans Weiss Newspace Gallery, Manchester, CT, Curator: Susan Classen-Sullivan
2019
Patterns of Influence: Artists Who Teach, The Painting Center, New York, NY, Curators: Andrea Kantrowitz, Sue Collier, Barbara Laube (catalogue)
2019
Complicit: The Erasure of The Body, Yale School of Divinity, New Haven, CT
2019
Ondate/Waves, Officina 15, Bologna, Italy and Centotto Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Curator: Paul D’Agostino, PhD
2018
Soil and Dirt, Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio, Curator: Jason Franz
2018
Exquisite Palette, Tacit Art Gallery, Collingwood, VIC, Australia
2018
Scientific Methods: Art + Science, Blue Spiral 1 Gallery, Asheville, NC, Curator: Candace Reilly
2018
I Dwell in Possibility, John and Robyn Horn Gallery, Penland, North NC, Curator: Kathryn Gremley
2018
Black Box traveling exhibition, Saarbrucken, Germany, Viesalm, Belgium, Metz, France, Luxemburg, curated by boeckercontemporary, Heidelberg, Germany
2017
Art on Paper, Bentley Gallery, Phoenix, AZ
2017
First Look I New to the Collection, Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT
2017
People, Places, Things, Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY
2016
Connections, Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY
2015
AIMPE (Awagami International Miniature Print Exhibition), Yoshinogawa City, Tokushima, Japan
2015
Palm Springs Art Fair, Bentley Gallery, Palm Springs, CA
2015
Juried Members Exhibition, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT, Curator: Sharon Butler
2014
Washi: Printmaking with Paper of Fukui, Muckenthaler Cultural Center, Fullerton, CA
2014
Beat, Phipps Conservatory Center for Sustainable Landscapes, Pittsburgh, PA
2014
Winter Group Show, Morrison Gallery, Kent, CT
2014
Mentees, Smoyer Gallery, Roanoke College, Roanoke, VA
2013
Summer Abstract Paintings – 4 Person Show, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, IL
2013
Arte Internazionale, Pallazo Dell’Annunziata Matera, Italy, Curated by Pino Nicoletti (catalogue)
2011
An Exchange with Sol LeWitt, MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA, Curator: Regine Basha, (catalogue)
2011
Space Bound, Mr. Beast Gallery, Savannah, GA
2010
Michael David, Rachel Darnell, Judith Kruger New Works, Bentley Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2010
Ten Over The Moon, Moon River Gallery, Savannah, GA
2010
Bridge, Contemporary Chinese painting exhibition, Alexander Hall Gallery, Savannah,GA
2010
Savannah Biennale, Highpoint, NC
2009
Small Works Exhibition, Gutstein Gallery, Savannah, GA
2009
Art Chicago, Perimeter Gallery
2009
Ancient Modernity: New Culture, Akemi Cohn and Judith Kruger, TAC, Highland Park, IL
2008
Beyond Boundaries 2; Beneath the Surface, Frontier Gallery Hane, Tokyo,Japan
2008
Tradition and Transformation, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
2008
Insights Into a Culture, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL
2007
Beyond Boundaries; The Works of Fumie Ando, Judith Kruger, Miki Oikawa, Tokyo, Japan
2007
0x0=0, curated by Kasumi Kitada including Makoto Fujimura, Hiroshi Senju, Robert Kushner, Pamela Moore, and others, Gallery G, Hiroshima, Japan
2007
Group Exhibition, Ogilvie Pertl Gallery, Chicago, IL
2006
Artists invite Artists, ARC Gallery, Chicago, IL
2004
Permanent installation, Kiya Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2004
National Arts Foundation, Skokie, IL
2003
Considering Peace, Sato Museum, Tokyo, Japan
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
The Amsterdam, Port Washington, NY
Awagami Museum Hall of AWA, Tokushima, Japan
HCI Equity, Washington DC
IAM, Tokyo Japan
Jefferson Hospital, Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Kiya Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Neiman Marcus, Dallas, Texas
Pepper Hamilton, Philadelphia, PA, Harrisburg, PA
Phipps Conservatory Center for Sustainable Landscapes, Pittsburgh, PA
Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA and Hong Kong, China
Numerous private collections: Canada, Australia, China, Cyprus, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Thailand, USA
PUBLICATIONS
2019
Ann Landi, Vasari 21
2016
Stone Canoe, Issue 10
2016
Point and Line Blog, Artist Feature
2015
Carolyn Edlund. The Healing Power of Art, Artsy Shark
2014
Deborah Ross, Visual Art Source, Judith Kruger at Bentley Gallery
2013
The Country and Abroad, April/May Issue
2013
Sherry Saunders. Judith Kruger Interview, The Art Founder’s Project
2013
Tonia Shoumatoff. The Millbrook Independent Arts Page Review
2013
ARTnews, Judith Kruger Paintings at Morrison Gallery (ad), April 2013 issue
2013
Rino Cardone. Pallazo Dell’Annunziata, Arte Internazionale, Matera, Italy
2011
Allison Hersh. Art and Soul: Material Girl, Savannah Morning News
2010
Studio Visit magazine, Volume 14 juried artist
2009
Judy Bean. Savannah Art Examiner
2009
Shaila Wunderlich. Judith Kruger’s Nihonga paintings: inspiration for Klay,Chicago Tribune
2008
Elle Décor, October issue
2008
Time Out Chicago, October-November issue Tondro, Casandra. Judith Kruger, artist feature, Organic Matters
2008
Casandra Tondro, Organic Matters blog artist feature
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
College Art Association
Japan America Society of Georgia
Nikawa Bunka Kenkyu-kai (Nikawa Research LabTokyo), USA invited member (2011)
National Women’s Caucus for Art
Women’s Caucus for Art (GA)
LECTURES, PUBLIC SPEAKING, AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2019
Curator, Pigment, Bentley Gallery, Phoenix, AZ
2019
Juror, Seeing the Unseeable, Atlantic Gallery, NY, NY
2019
Visiting Artist, 92nd Street Y, NY, NY
2019
Visiting Instructor, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
2019
Visiting Instructor, Cullowhee Mountain Arts, Lake Logan, NC, Snow Hill, MD
2019
Residency Instructor, Mass MoCA Master Abstraction Workshop-in-Residence, North Adams, MA (October)
2019
Visiting Instructor, Pacific Northwest Art School, Whidbey Island, WA
2019
4Visiting Instructor, Wisdom House, Litchfield, CT
2018
Visiting Instructor, Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts, Victoria, BC
2018
Visiting Artist, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC
2018
Visiting Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Spruce Pine, NC
2018
Visiting Instructor, Pacific Northwest Art School, Coupeville, WA
2017
Teaching Artist in Residence, 2 Master Abstraction Workshop Residencies, Studios at MassMoCA, North Adams, MA
2017
Visiting Instructor, Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts, Metchosin, BC
2017
Scholar-in Residence, Seeds, Anneliese School, Laguna Beach, CA
2008-2016
Instructor, Nihonga, Ecological Painting throughout USA
2016
Visiting Faculty, Pacific Northwest Art School, Coupeville, WA
2016
Scholar-in Residence, Seeds, Anneliese School, Laguna Beach, CA
2015
Lecturer, Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT
2015
Presenter, Association of Environmental Studies and Science Conference, University of California, San Diego, CA
2015
Lecturer, Hammond Museum, North Salem, NY
2010-2014
Instructor, Judith Kruger Studio Summer International Painting Residency
2013
Ravenswood ArtWalk, Advisory Board Member, Chicago, IL
2011
Presenter, The Gofun Project, SECAC, Savannah, GA
2011
Teaching Assistant to Jason Hoelscher, Water-Based Media, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
2010
Panelist, ART, Performing Arts Department, Savannah College of Art, Savannah, GA
2010
Teaching Assistant to Sandra Reed, Oil-Based Media, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
2009-2010
Ravenswood Artwalk, Honorary Board, Chicago, IL
2009
Judge/Awards Presenter: Women’s Works, Northwest Area Arts Council, Woodstock, IL
2008-2009
Syracuse University, Chicago Arts Council Board Member
2007-2009
Asian Art Council member, Art Institute of Chicago
2008
Adjunct Faculty, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
2008
Lecturer, Midwest Sumi-e Society, Judith Kruger Studio, Chicago, IL
2008
Presenter, IAM Encounter Conference, New York, NY
2008
Lecturer, Beyond Boundaries, Frontier Gallery Hane, Tokyo, Japan
2008
Freelance Product Design Consultant, Dinex International, Glastonbury, Ct
2008
Judge, IIEE 2008 Young Entrepreneurs Conference, Lincolnshire, IL
2007
Lecturer, Chicago Arts Council, Conger/Kruger Studio Visits, Chicago, IL
2007
Lecturer, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, IL
2007
Panelist, Art Symposium, 0x0=0, gallery G, Hiroshima, Japan
2007
Lecturer, Beyond Boundaries 2, Frontier Gallery Hane, Tokyo, Japan
2003-2007
Licensed Designer, Carlisle Home Products, Oklahoma City, OK Concept, research, product development, vendor selecting-hiring-managing-sourcing and branding of Judith Kruger Studio signature tableware and textile collections, Japan, Thailand, India
2002-2006
Dean’s Advisory Board Member, Syracuse University, College of Visual and Performing Arts, Syracuse, NY
1985-2006
Principal, Colorworks Design, Ltd., Highland Park, IL Licensing-product development, global sourcing of Judith Kruger designed product. Selected Clients: Crate & Barrel, Marshall Field’s, Neiman Marcus, Spiegel, J.C. Penny,Dansk, Paradise Shops, Paris Presents, Grainware, Carlisle Foodservice Products, Euoceramica, Mikasa, NFL, Philippe Deshoulières, Block China, Sadek, Mottahedeh,Wilton-Armetale, Silvestri, Fieldcrest Canon, Domestications, Martex, MGM Grande, C R Gibson, Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Opera Guild, MGM Grand, Marriott Hotels, Ravinia Festival, United Airlines
2004
Visiting Artist, 5th Year Interactive Design, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
2002-2004
Co-innovated and produced Cirque: a multi-sensory happening raising more than 1/4 million dollars to fund AIDS research (UCLA Aids Institute). Mobilized and managed the collective creativity and energy of a group of nearly 100 artists, architects, designers and vendors to impact the global AIDS pandemic, Chicago, IL
2003
Juror, 2D media: Old Town Art Fair, Chicago, IL
2002-2003
Visiting Artist, College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL
1995-1996
Freelance Monthly Design Columnist, Home Section, Daily Herald, Chicago, IL
1983-1985
Principal, Kruger Design Associates, Boca Raton, FL Design, licensing-product development, Selected Clients: Burdines, South Florida Symphony, Miami University, Yoga College of India, General Houseware’s Corp, Toscany, Fitz and Floyd, Sigma, Stotter, George Briard, Copco, Contempo
1981-1983
Creative Director, TA Creations, NYC, Design, art direction and sourcing of stationery, giftware products
1979-1982
Freelance Illustrator/designer, New York, NY Selected Clients: ABC TV, WKRC TV, Scholastic Books, New York Times, Parent’s Magazine, Diabetes Forecast Magazine, Grey Advertising, Bloomingdales, Barney’s, Milton Bradley
1980-1981
Art Director, SSC&B Lintas Worldwide, NYC, Cover Girl, Noxell, Martini and Rossi
1977-1979
Art Director, WKRC TV, Cincinnati, OH, illustration, design for on-air newsroom graphics
1977-1978
Illustrator/Designer, Cato Johnson-Young & Rubicam, Cincinnati, OH

Visual Art Source –  Bentley Gallery
Nihonga refers to a traditional method of Japanese painting through the use of mineral pigments. This process has guided Judith Kruger’s work for more than a decade. Bentley Gallery proudly unveils Outside In, the artist’s first solo exhibition in Phoenix. 

The Art Founders Project – Artist Interview
American abstract painter Judith Kruger emphasizes a human-environment connection in her work. In an interview with Sherry Saunders, Kruger recounts her introduction to the process of Nihonga, a traditional Japanese style of mineral painting she was introduced to while in Kyoto. Kruger also discusses her re-contextualization of this process in the contemporary art world.

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