Michelle Gagliano
Biography
Michelle Gagliano was born in Jamestown, New York, and currently resides in central Virginia. She has created a considerable body of work with projects including artist residencies, solo exhibitions, group shows, museum exhibitions, and private installations, including collaborative exhibitions with musicians, poets and authors. Gagliano is the recipient of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship award. Her work is held in numerous private and corporate collections nationally as well as internationally in both Europe and Asia. Gagliano’s art is a continuous engagement with experimentation of materials within the studio. Imaginary “natural” forms and textural patinas are melded in an exploration of surface alchemy, presenting the viewer with a breathtaking panorama that evokes universal themes and emotions.
Education
2018 MFA, Magna Cum Laude, American University, Washington D.C.
1990 BFA, Summa Cum Laude, Plymouth State College, Plymouth, NH
2023-2024
Forthcoming Exhibitions
A Casa, curated by Dr. Jo Melvin, Casa di Raffaello, Urbino, (solo), 2024
Letting Go, Galleria La Nica, Rome, Italy (solo), 2023
I could have been a Tree Instead, William King Museum, Abingdon,VA, ( 2 person exhibition), 2023 Raffaello in Blue, Angela King Gallery, New Orleans, LA, (solo), 2023
2022
Solo Exhibition
Transubstantiation of Shoe Polish, Ruffin Gallery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA Ethos of the Landscape, Angela King Gallery, New Orleans, LA
Rhapsody in Gold, Jardino, Milan, Italy
Group Exhibitions
On Cloud 9, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Dallas.
Turn on the Light, Memorial Exhibition in honor of Lyn Warren, LYDM, Charlottesville, VA 2021
Solo Exhibitions
Transubstantiation of Shoe Polish, Rome Art Week, Galleria La Nica, Rome, Italy
Roman Holiday, Galleria La Nica
Surroundings, Angela King Gallery
The Arriere Pays, Rawls Art Museum
Contemporary Sustainable Exhibition, Galleria La Nica, Arezzo & Rome, Italy
Once More to See the Stars, Galleria La Nica, Rome, Italy
Group Exhibitions
All The Little Things, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Houston, TX
Creative Contemporary West, Whistler Contemporary Art Gallery, Whistler, CA
Persephone Ascending, Chroma Projects
2020
Solo Exhibitions
Alchemy of Light, William King Museum, Abington, Virginia
Art for Arts Sake, Angela King Gallery, New Orleans
Group Exhibitions
Women Inspired, 6 Women, 6 Views, Angela King Gallery, New Orleans, LA
Celebrate, Made in America, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Houston, TX
Seeing 2020 Anniversary Show, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Dallas, TX
Light In Darkness, Les Yeux du Monde, Charlottesville, VA
Cool and Calm, Elisa Contemporary, Bronx, NY
2019
Solo Exhibitions
Radici/Roots, Galleria La Nica, Rome, Italy
Murmurations, Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville , VA
Uprooted, American Embassy, Rome, Italy
Calligraphy of Trees, Chroma Projects, Charlottesville, VA
Murmurations Traveling Exhibition, Capital One, Richmond, VA
2019
Group Exhibitions
Landscape Re Imagined, Les Yeux Du Monde, Charlottesville, VA
Celebrating Creativity: Works By Local Female Artists, UVA Darden School of Business, Charlottesville VA Ship of Fellows, Rawls Museum Arts, Courtland, VA
Richard Bland Student/Teacher Show, Capital One, Richmond VA
The Women Have it, Artists From Charlottesville and Beyond, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA Tiny Tiny Trifecta, Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA
2018
Solo Exhibitions
Landscape Lexicons, Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond VA
Language of Place, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va Contrastando, “Contrast Creates Action”, Galerie Grefti, Umbertide, Italy
Transitions, Second Street Gallery, Dove Gallery, Charlottesville, VA
2018
Group Exhibitions
A Path to Tranquility, Elisa Contemporary, New York, New York
Signs of Change, Participating Artist, Fralin Museum, University of Virginia
Flow, Site work with Linda Wachtmeister, Represented by Chroma Art Gallery, Charlottesville, VA Teeny Tiny Trifecta, Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA
Eight, Katzen Art Center, Washington, D.C.
Flight School, Baltimore International Airport, curated by Jack Rasmussen, Baltimore, MD New Abstractions, Angela King Gallery, New Orleans, LA
New Work, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Dallas, Houston, TX
Exhalation of Larks, Chroma Arts Projects, Charlottesville, VA
Michelle Gagliano’s art uses strong expressive movements to capture the essential forces of nature. Merging elements of art historical significance and techniques through a contemporary lens to create her artistic voice. The philosophical expansion of her work embraces the act of nature and sustainability in a way that is elastic beyond boundaries. Gagliano works vertically incorporating gravitational forces as handmade pigments are applied, elevating the transmission of the materials to the panel. Renaissance recipes, and unbridled experimentation in her studio practice focuses energy into the artwork which creates an unexpected dialog with the viewer. The studio is imbued by colors that embrace the earth elements. Gold is a constant in the studio, the sacred metal which holds broad symbolic powers throughout the history of the world. Several years of creation driven by the forces of nature have led to the artist’s innate desire to be in harmony with her universe. Born in Jamestown, New York, in 1964, Gagliano graduated with her M.F.A. at the American University in Washington D.C. Her resume also includes residencies at the Chautauqua School of Art and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Beyond her home state of Virginia, Gagliano has permeated the American art scene with extensive solo exhibitions and curated group shows throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Gagliano’s accolades are extensive, including the coveted Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship award and innovative, collaborative projects with musicians, published authors, and other artists. Her works continue to be curated into major private and corporate collections, both within the United States and abroad. The artist lives and works in Virginia.
Publications
2023 Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, contributing artist, Bond and Grace Publishers
2020 Once again to See the Stars, contemporary interpretation of Dante’s “Inferno”
By, Michelle Gagliano, Stuart Gunter. Still Point Press.