cm, Author at CYNTHIA MASON

MARCH 2018: Headed to Jentel Artist Residency this Spring

So excited to return to Jentel Artist Residency in Banner Wyoming this Spring!

jentelarts.org

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JUNE 2-25, 2017: Solo Exhibition at 621 Gallery

Excited for my solo show at 621 Gallery in Tallahassee! Opens June 2: www.621gallery.org/2017/05/fragile-state/

Fragile State

An Exhibition by Cynthia Mason

June 2 – 25, 2017

Opening Reception Friday June 2, 6-9 pm

www.621gallery.org/2017/05/fragile-state/

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JUNE-JULY 2017: SKYWAY A Contemporary Collaboration

I am excited to have work in the SKYWAY show at Tampa Museum of Art this summer! See below for more details:

SKYWAY: A Contemporary Collaboration, opening June 2017

This exhibition is not only a celebration of artistic practice in the Tampa Bay area, but also an exercise in collaboration as it is shared between three institutions: the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota; the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg; and the Tampa Museum of Art. Working together, curators from these institutions will provide context for the diversity of art being made in Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas, and Sarasota Counties. Works in the exhibition will be selected from an open call by museum curators and a visiting juror.

For more information: skywaytampabay.com

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MARCH 10-11, 2017: Fine Arts Society of Sarasota Creators & Collectors Tour

I am excited to be a part of the Fine Arts Society of Sarasota Creators & Collectors Tour in the GalleriaGalleria. Below are the details:
- March 10 - March 11
- 10am - 4pm at Ringling College of Art and Design
- Purchase your tickets at fineartssarasota.org

A write up all of the participating artists: facebook.com/Fine-Arts-Society-of-Sarasota-65185840375/

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JANUARY 3 2017: creativepinellas.org, Junk Mail Sculpture Grid Awareness: An Interview with Cynthia Mason

Junk Mail Sculpture Grid Awareness: An Interview with Cynthia Mason
Interview on creativepinellas.org

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Draped Structure, linen, porcelain, air dry clay, ink, 14k gold wire, wood, styrofoam and wire

JANUARY 13-FEBRUARY 17, 2017: Introductions 2017, Trestle Gallery, Brooklyn NY

I am thrilled to announce my work 'Draped Structure' will be in the group show Introductions 2017 curated by Julie Torres at Trestle Gallery in Brooklyn NY.

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JULY 2-AUGUST 13, 2016: Solo exhibition at alt_space Gallery, Atlantic Center for the Arts

alt_space3
I am excited to announce my solo exhibition Implosion / Explosion at alt_space, Atlantic Center for the Arts. Please join me at the opening reception on Saturday, July 2, 2016 from 4 - 7 pm.

Opening Reception Date: Saturday July 2, 2016, 4 - 7 PM
Exhibition Dates: July 2 – August 13, 2016

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JULY 16-SEPTEMBER 25, 2016: All Florida Invitational at Boca Raton Museum of Art

July 16-September 25, 2016
All Florida Invitational at Boca Raton Museum of Art
bocamuseum.org

The Boca Raton Museum of Art’s annual All Florida exhibition, which has been presented at the Museum since 1951, has long been a hallmark for artists in the Sunshine State. Artists creating in all media eagerly await the opening of the show’s submission period year after year, now they can look forward to an invitation. As an institution founded by artists, a more appropriate way to honor and present the artists in the state is to adapt the format to introduce an artist-centered curatorial selection committee. Participants in this year's All Florida Invitational were selected by a panel of five internationally-recognized, Florida-based artists. Each of these distinguished artists then selected five early-career artists also working in our state. The All Florida Invitational brings the work of the artist-selection committee alongside the work of the artists they believe show great promise.

The All Florida Invitational 2016 presents works by:

Elisabeth Condon, Tampa and Brooklyn
Michael Covello, Tampa
Cindy Mason, St. Petersburg
Shawn Pettersen, Sarasota
Claudia Ryan, Bradenton
Carmen Tiffany, Miami

Edouard Duval-Carrié, Miami
Emilio Martinez, Miami
Kerry Phillips, Miami
Vickie Pierre, Miami
Onajide Shabaka, Miami
Nina Surel, Miami

Christopher Harris, Orlando
Anthea Behm, Gainesville
Jay Flynn, Pensacola
Jon Perez, Orlando
Christina Poindexter, St. Petersburg
Jamilah Sabur, Miami

Carol Prusa, Boca Raton
Carola Bravo, Miami
Amy Gross, Delray Beach
Carlene Muñoz, Miami
Jill Lavetsky, Lake Worth
Bonnie Seeman, Ceramics

Sergio Vega, Gainesville
Kate Helms, Tampa
Sean Miller, Gainesville
Michelle Kelly Rogers, Florida
Marla Rosen and Eddie Negron, Miami
Jack Stenner, Gainesville

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JULY 2-AUGUST 28, 2016: Inspired Lines, Appleton Museum of Art

July 2-August 28, 2016
Inspired Lines: Drawing Biennial 2016
The Appleton Museum of Art is devoting its 2016 Biennial exhibition to the art of drawing and will exhibit colored pencil, graphite and other drawings with an emphasis on works at least 18 x 24 in. and larger. The juror for this exhibition is Alison Ferris, Senior Curator at the Des Moines Art Center.
appletonmuseum.org

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JANUARY 5-FEBRUARY 13, 2016: Solo Exhibition, Space Markers at Englewood Art Center

January 5-February 13, 2016
Solo Exhibition 'Space Markers' at Englewood Art Center in Sarasota, Florida
ringling.edu

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MAY 9-JUNE 28, 2015: All Florida Juried Exhibition, Morean Arts Center

May 9 - June 28, 2015
All Florida Juried Exhibition, Morean Arts Center In St Petersburg, Florida
moreanartscenter.org

The Morean invited artists from the Sunshine State to vie for nearly $2,500 in prizes. Wallace Wilson, Director of the School of Art and Art History at USF selected 59 pieces from over 350 entries. Visitors will discover new talent as well as see recent work from familiar artists in this exhibition.

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JUNE 13-JULY 5, 2015: Prepare Now, The Front in New Orleans

June 13-July 5, 2015
Group exhibition 'Prepare Now' at The Front in New Orleans, Louisiana
nolafront.org

EyeSplice Collective
Prepare NOW
In this group exhibition, EyeSplice Collective members creatively examine the weather. Whether it is the personal experience of observing a clearing storm, the tenuous reality of living in a drought state, or charting the wind patterns of a small town in West Virginia, each member of the Collective explores her relationship to the sky. In an age of alarmist, shouting headlines on the Weather Channel alongside the actualities of climate change, this exhibition seeks to balance the chaos of public knowledge with the intimacy of personal experience.

EyeSplice Collective was formed in 2012 by Megan Hildebrandt as a group of highquality, allfemale international artists. Coming out of a mostlymale MFA program, Hildebrandt was starved for female talent, rigor, and community. Since the inception of EyeSplice, the collective has exhibited, lectured, and show films in a variety of venues: The Cultural Center of Spain in Panama, The Mom Gallery in Austin, The Radiator Gallery in Queens, HEREarts Center in Manhattan, and the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg, FL.

Maria Raquel Cochez
Megan Hildebrandt
Sara Holwerda
Lauren Alyssa Howard
Sarah Kelly
Magnolia Laurie
Cynthia Mason
Ellen Mueller
Megan Piontkowski
Christine Sajecki

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SEPTEMBER 13-OCTOBER 26, 2014: Spatial Disruption, Morean Arts Center

September 13-October 26, 2014
Group Show 'Spatial Disruption' at the Morean Arts Center in St Petersburg, Florida
moreanartscenter.org

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AUGUST 25-OCTOBER 5, 2014: The 29th Tallahassee International, FSU Museum of Fine Arts

August 25-October 5, 2014
The 29th Tallahassee International, FSU Museum of Fine Arts in Tallahassee, Florida
https://mofa.fsu.edu/29th-tallahassee-international-2/

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painted constructions, the grind shines bright in your eyes

JULY 19-AUGUST 17, 2014: Expanding Mode, Concepto Hudson

July 19 - August 17, 2014
Expanding Mode, Concepto Hudson in Hudson, New York
conceptohudson.com

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MAY 2-JUNE 6, 2014: Practical Feminism, Radiator Gallery, NY

May 2 - June 6, 2014
Practical Feminism, Radiator Gallery in Queens, New York
http://www.radiatorarts.com/practical-feminism/

Open Fridays and Sundays 1-6 pm or by appointment

OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, May 2nd, 6-9 PM

Artists: Maria Raquel Cochez, Michelle Hagewood, Megan Hildebrandt, Sara Holwerda, Lauren Howard, Sarah Kelly, Magnolia Laurie, Cynthia Mason, Ellen Mueller, Briana Phelps, Megan Piontkowski, Christine Sajecki

Curated by Eyesplice Collective Organized by Megan Piontkowski

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Many of us have had feminist theory classes in which we read and discussed fascinating ideas, but often found them inapplicable to everyday life. While theory is important and certainly has its place, I am most interested in the practical side of feminism. What do we say to street harassers? How do we respond to a family member or close friend who says something offhandedly sexist? How do we deal with the insidious undercurrent of sexism that pervades our lives? And maybe most difficult of all, how do we handle internalized sexism? Creating a new world order is not without its difficulties.

After thinking long and hard about these subjects, I have come to the conclusion that confrontation is the short answer. Being mindful of your personal safety, tell others that you do not agree with them, and explain why if possible. This is easier said than done, but it’s a good strategy to aspire to. I most often find the discomfort of confrontation to be preferable to the feeling of powerlessness. I would also add that pervasive insidious sexism discourages women from being confrontational, which is just another facet of the problem. We all need to look into ourselves and confront the sexism within. It’s more productive to ask ourselves “am I being sexist?” than to say, “I am not sexist” and leave our inner workings unquestioned and thus unchanged.

Eyesplice Collective is a group of artists working in similar veins in a variety of media. The artists are spread out across Baltimore, Brooklyn, Chicago, West Virginia, Austin and Panama. The collective was founded in 2012 by Megan Hildebrandt who chose artists whose work she felt drawn to and with whom she had built friendships in educational institutions and artists residencies. All the artists in the group happen to be women… Or do they just “happen” to be women? When forming the group, Hildebrandt had just graduated from an MFA program made up almost entirely of men. Maybe she craved the camaraderie that women provide for each other, or perhaps she was just drawn to the work of female artists.

Practical Feminism is a collection of the work of these 12 female artists who show the ways individuals deal with feminism on a practical level. For example, Sara Holwerda inverts the idea of a lap dance in a video in which a chair, an object, stands in for a man. Megan Hildebrandt’s delicate cut paper work meditates on her child as both a part of herself as well as a separate individual. Maria Raquel Cochez’s photographs offer the viewer a difficult set of questions when confronted with her photographic diptych of self-portraits, which show her body with breast implants as well as after they were removed. Magnolia Laurie’s work explores metaphors of survival and persistence in the face of perpetual hurdles and backtracking, something every feminist can relate to. And finally, my own work uses semaphore flags to spell out things I wish I had said to men in response to street harassment.

But wait, you may ask, what does this work do to fix the problem of sexism? How does this art exhibition help the world? I would respond that it is definitely helping the artists who make it, and hopefully some of our viewers as well, and I think that in it self is important.

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