Janis Pozzi-Johnson, Visual Artist/Painter using abstract references in layered oils to water, sky, earth, and air working in Evanston/Chicago Illinois area

ARTIST'S STATEMENT In this work I translate my life’s experience with loss and unexpected regeneration into visual poetry. Belief and re-imagining, ambiguity and certainty, grief and grace, depletion and spiritual tenacity are the highly personal yet universal realities which compel my paintings. Through a language of undulating, nuanced surfaces, intimate interaction with the physicality of the paint, and hundreds of layers of color, my response to life’s mysteries takes form. The paintings are suffused with a strong sense of human presence and the inherent engagement of spirit. Abstract references to water, sky, earth and air rise to the surface within viscous color fields as visual metaphors for the often ineffable experiences of the human heart.
RESUME
SOLO EXHIBITIONS:

2012	Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2011	West Branch Gallery, “Extravagant Color”, Two-person show, Stowe, Vermont.
2009	Art 101, Bandon, Oregon.
2009	Rymer Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee.
2008	Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2006	Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2001	Catholic Theological Union, “Between Memory and Hope”, Chicago, Illinois.
1998	Belvedere College, Artist-in-Residence, World Council of Churches International Women’s Conference: “End of Decade in Solidarity with Women: Visions beyond 1998", Harare, Zimbabwe. As artist-in-residence, supervised 1200 women from 116 countries in the making of the painting “I have made a handprint, a sacred one” in conjunction with personal testimonies of violence against women.
1998	University of Zimbabwe, World Council of Churches 8th Assembly, “Images of the Compassionate Presence”, Harare, Zimbabwe.
1998	Galerie 50M2; “The Hagar Series”, Geneva, Switzerland.
1998	James Chapel, Union Theological Seminary, “Images of the Compassionate Presence”, New York, New York.
1997	Boldern Academy, “Weaving Wisdom in Liminal Times”, Zurich, Switzerland. Exhibit was part of a conference for European women: economists, sociologists, political scientists, theologians, and social activists discussing the future of the “new” Europe.
1995	Lutheran World Federation: International Consultation on Women, Geneva, Switzerland.
1994	Galerie 50M2, “Silence Restored”, Geneva, Switzerland.
1994	Galerie Ruine, Geneva, Switzerland.
1989	University Center Gallery, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana.
1988	Missoula Museum of the Arts, “A Living Portrait”, Missoula, Montana.
1982	Jane Addams Hull House Gallery, “A Living Portrait”, Chicago, Illinois.

GROUP EXHIBITIONS:

2011	West Branch Gallery, Stowe, Vermont.
2011	Art Chicago 2011, Merchandise Mart, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2011	Evanston Art Center, faculty exhibition, Evanston, Illinois.
2010	West Branch Gallery, Stowe, Vermont.
2010	Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2010	Art Chicago 2010, Merchandise Mart, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2009	Art Chicago 2009, Merchandise Mart, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2009	West Branch Gallery, Stowe, Vermont.
2009	Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2008	Art Chicago 2008, Merchandise Mart, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2007	The Rymer Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee.
2007	Art Chicago 2007, Merchandise Mart, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2006	Catholic Theological Union, Art Gallery, “Making a Place for Faith”, Chicago, Illinois.
2006	Noyes Cultural Arts Center, Evanston, Illinois.
2006	Chicago Artists’ Coalition “Around Town” exhibition.
2006	Art Chicago 2006, Merchandise Mart, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2006	Lill Street Art Center, faculty exhibition, Chicago, Illinois.
2005	Evanston Art Center, faculty exhibition, Evanston, Illinois.
2005	Art Chicago 2005, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2005	Palm Beach3 Contemporary, Palm Beach, Florida.
2005	Lill Street Art Center, faculty exhibition, Chicago, Illinois.
2004	Gallery Mornea, Evanston, Illinois.
2004	Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2004	South Bend Regional Art Museum, “Waterworld”, South Bend, Indiana.
2003	Evanston Art Center, faculty exhibition, Evanston, Illinois.
2003	Lill Street Art Center, faculty exhibition, Chicago, Illinois.
2003	Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2003	NeoCon World Trade Fair 2003, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, Illinois.
2003	Art Chicago 2003, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2002	Lill Street Art Center, faculty exhibition, Chicago, Illinois.
2001	Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
2001	Galena Art Center, Galena, Illinois.
2001	“Paper”, Vanier Galleries, Scottsdale, Arizona.
2001	NeoCon World Trade Fair 2001, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, Illinois.
2001	Art Chicago 2001, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
1996	“Visions and Images of AIDS”, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
1996	Galerie Weber, Geneva, Switzerland.
1995	Galerie Weber, Geneva, Switzerland.
1994	Galerie Weber, Geneva, Switzerland.
1993	Galerie Weber, “Variations Contemporaines”; Geneva, Switzerland.
1993	Musee Athenee, Geneva, Switzerland.
1992	Galerie Weber, Geneva, Switzerland.
1989	Bigfork Art Center, Bigfork, Montana.
1988	Missoula Art Museum, Missoula, Montana.
1983	Italian Cultural Center, Chicago, Illinois.
1982	Italian Cultural Center, Chicago, Illinois.
1976	Evanston Art Center, Evanston, Illinois.
1975	Evanston Art Center, Evanston, Illinois.
1975	Patmos Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
1974	Evanston Art Center, Evanston, Illinois.

CURATORIAL EXPERIENCE:

2011	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, “in darkness buried deep”, Chicago, IL.
2011	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, “Dream Big”, Chicago, IL.
2010	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, “Coram Deo”, Chicago, IL.
2010	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, “Searching for Sanctuary”, Chicago, IL.
2010	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, “Down to Earth”, Chicago, IL.
2010	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, “Spirit Women and Story Pots”, Chicago, IL.
2009	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, “Humanity and the Divine Imprint”, Chicago, IL.
2009	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, “Invisible Threads”, Chicago, IL.
2009	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, “A Search for Healing”, Chicago, IL.
2009	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, “Here On the Pulse of this New Day”, Chicago, IL
2008	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, “Crossed Borders/Crossed Cultures, Chicago, IL.
2008	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, “Beauty: A Celebration”, Chicago, IL.
2008	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, “One Breath/One World”, Chicago, IL.
2007	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, “A Trio de Voces”, Chicago, IL.
2007	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, “Peace: A Visual Essay”, Chicago, IL.
2007	Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union; “Here I Stand”, Chicago, IL.
2000	Ruine Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland. Group exhibition with multi-cultural artists and students from Turkey, Switzerland, Kenya, Canada, the Philippines, Russia, Israel, France, Greece, Great Britain, and the United States.
1999	International School of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. Multi-cultural group exhibition.
1998	Ruine Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland. Multi-cultural group exhibition.
1997	Ruine Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland. Multi-cultural group exhibition.
1996	Ruine Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland. Multi-cultural group exhibition.

GALLERY REPRESENTATION:

2009	West Branch Gallery, Stowe, Vermont. http://www.westbranchgallery.com
2007-present	The Rymer Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee. http://www.therymergallery.com
2000-present	Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois. http://www.perimetergallery.com
2001-2004	Vanier Galleries, Scottsdale and Tucson, Arizona.
1994-1998	Galerie 50M², Geneva, Switzerland.
1992-1996	Galerie Weber, Geneva, Switzerland.

EDUCATION:

1972-1976	A.F.A., American Academy of Art, Chicago, Illinois.
	Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois.
	School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
	Alfred Adler Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.

SELECTED COLLECTIONS:

	Collection of Karen Keland, Chicago, Illinois.
	Collection of Kathleen & Gerhard Bette, Board Member, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois.
	Collection of Susy & Ed Ritts, former Director of the Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque, Iowa.
	The Andre L’Huillier collection, Geneva, Switzerland.
	Winston & Strawn LLP Law Firm, South Carolina, New York City, New York.
	Kadlec Architecture & Design, 900 North Michigan Avenue Building, Chicago, Illinois.
	Monticello Trust Ltd., Geneva, Switzerland.
	Fonds Cantonal de Decoration et d’Art Visuel de Geneve, permanent art collection city of Geneva, Switzerland.
	Reformed Church of America, New York, New York.
	The Chicago Public Library, Chicago, Illinois.
	Private collections in North America, Europe, Africa, and Brazil.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

2009	Artist-in-Residence, Artula Retreat, Bandon, Oregon.
2007	National-Louis University, adjunct professor, Fine Art Department.
2001-present	Evanston Art Center, Evanston, Illinois.
2001-2006	Lill Street Art Center, Chicago, Illinois. Observational and figurative painting and drawing.
2001	Studio 1123, Evanston, Illinois. Painting.
1999	Boldern Academy, Poetry reading and art action as part of a European conference entitled “Millennial Celebration of Resistant Women”, Zurich, Switzerland.
1997-2000	The International School of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. Painting and drawing.
1997	Guest lecturer at Boldern Academy in Zurich, Switzerland in conjunction with solo exhibit “Weaving Wisdom in Liminal Times” to a conference for European women: sociologists, political scientists, economists, theologians and social activists discussing the future of the “new” Europe.
1995	Guest lecturer at Bossey Institute in Bossey, Switzerland to a group of women theological PhD candidates on my series of paintings “Images of the Compassionate Presence”.
1991-2000	Studio classes, Geneva, Switzerland.
1986-1990	University of Montana, College of Technology, Missoula, Montana. Figure painting and drawing.
1988-1990	Children’s Art Workshop, Missoula, Montana. Founder and director of children’s art center.
1987-1990	Very Special Arts Montana, Missoula, Montana. Led art workshops for developmentally challenged adults and children.
1989	University of Montana, Missoula, Montana. Co-designer of teacher training curriculum for course on teaching the arts to differently abled persons.
1987-1990	Sussex School, Missoula, Montana. Art instructor, first through eighth grades.
1989-1990	Young Audiences (Art-in-the-Schools); Missoula, Montana. Art instructor.
1989-1990	University of Montana Affiliated Program Satellite, Missoula, Montana. Conducted art workshops for developmentally challenged adults.
1989	Missoula Museum of the Arts, Missoula, Montana. Art instructor.
1988	Missoula County High Schools, Missoula, Montana. Visiting lecturer/teacher, sponsored by Missoula Museum of the Arts.
1981-1982	Truman College, Adult Continuing Education Department, Chicago, Illinois. Art instructor.
1975-1976	Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago, Illinois. Figure drawing.
1975-1976	YMCA, Evanston, Illinois. Figure Drawing.
1973-1974	Outdoor muralist, Chicago, Illinois. Commissioned by Chicago Public Library to design and execute outdoor murals. Project called for organizing, training, and supervising the work of neighborhood children and adolescents from two rival Chicago street gangs.
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