PHILOMENA MARANO
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Photo: Hazel Hankin
BIO
Artist Philomena Marano is a daughter of Brooklyn. She holds a BFA from Pratt Institute, is an intimate of the visual poetry of Coney Island, created the winning poster for the first Spirit of Brooklyn poster competition, and is a master of papier collé, the elegant cut paper technique she learned as a studio assistant to preeminent artist Robert Indiana.
Marano’s acclaimed series, “American- Dream-Land,” a decades-spanning project of papier collé originals and limited edition prints, penetrates the soul of Coney Island to reveal its twin promises of candy-colored paradise and gritty raw excitement. Her ornate compositions are cut out of “color-aid” paper - a type of paper coated with vibrant screen printers ink, the same paper which Romare Bearden frequently incorporated into his collages.
Marano’s work has been exhibited by Tabla Rasa Gallery, ACA Galleries, Prince Street Gallery, Smart Clothes Gallery, the Municipal Art Society, the Museum of the City of New York, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and the Coney Island Museum among others in the New York area and at the George Krevsky Gallery in San Francisco and are also represented in private, corporate and museum collections including the Brooklyn Museum.
“American Dream-Land” and Marano’s work as a co-founder (with artist Richard Eagan) of the Coney Island Hysterical Society were featured in Charles Denson’s award winning book “Coney Island Lost and Found” (Ten Speed Press, Berkeley/Toronto, 2002). Additional publications featuring Marano and “American Dream-Land” include Amusing the Zillion, 24/7 Magazine, the New York Times, the Daily News and others.
Her current work expands into the larger city, exposing elements of urban life: the underappreciated grace of an out-of-the-way tire shop; the disquieting lure of an exit sign at night. In addition to creating papier collé images for this examination of the city’s overlooked beauty, she is also working on a cut-paper animation, “Take Me There,” a fantasy inspired by both her early train rides to Coney Island and a proposal for the Franklin Avenue subway. The “Take Me There” trailer is posted for viewing on You Tube.
Born in Brooklyn, NY
Lives & works in Brooklyn, NY
and in Sarasota, Florida
CV
Born 1952
EDUCATION
1969 - 1974 Pratt Institute, School of Fine Art
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2022 SIGNS & WONDERS solo show ,Art Center Sarasota
2020-2021 AMERICAN COLLAGE 1935-present
Ringling College of Art & Design, FL.
DeLand Museum of Art, FL.
2020 The Razor's Edge -solo show
Art Center Sarasota, Sarasota, FL.
2019- MADE FRESH Art Center Sarasota
INTRO 2 GAZE Modern, Sarasota, FL
2018- Collection of the NYU/Langone Art Program
West Brighton Center, Brooklyn, NY
NEW MODERN Art Center Sarasota, juried
merit award
ELSEWHERE Art Center Sarasota, juried,
Honorable mention
BIG FUN ART, juried show, Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, Dowell, MD.
FLORIDA'S FINEST, Art Center Sarasota
2017- Summer Show, ACA Galleries NY, NY
FIRST IMPRESSIONS Art Center Sarasota, juried show
2nd place award
5 CENTS TO DREAMLAND, permanent exhibit,
Coney Island Museum, NY
2016- BROOKLYN'S BIG TENT SHOW
Shapeshifter Gallery, Brooklyn , NY
2015-2016- BOARDWALK RENAISSANCE:
HOW THE ARTS SAVED CONEY ISLAND
City Lore Gallery, NYC NY
2015- ASSUMING IDENTITY
NYIT Gallery, NYC NY
- DRAWINGS & PRINTS @ PRINCE STREET
Prince Street Gallery, NYC NY
- THE BIG ONE-O, Tabla Rasa Gallery, 10th Anniversary
Tabla Rasa Gallery, Brooklyn NY
- BREUCKELEN, Tabla Rasa Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2014 -PAPER UNBOUND, WAH Center, Brooklyn, NY
2014 - OPEN STUDIO WORKSHOP ARTISTS, RONI HENNING
Berkeley College, Brooklyn, NY
2013- THRILLS, Smartclothes Gallery, NYC, NY
2013 - TOPSY TURVY, ARTISTS & THE AMUSEMENT UTOPIA,
Deutsche Bank, NYC, NY.
2012- COLLAGE & ASSEMBLAGE, St Joseph's College, Brooklyn
ART OF THE CONEY ISLAND HYSTERICAL SOCIETY
440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2011 THE FINE ART OF BASEBALL, George Krevsky Gallery, SF
FRAGMENTS, 1915-2011, MODERN & CONTEMPORARY COLLAGE, ACA Galleries, NY
AAF , with Tabla Rasa Gallery, NY
CHILDISH THINGS, Tabla Rasa Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2010- URBANESSENCE, NYIT Gallery, NY
2009- NEW YORK: THEN and NOW, ACA Galleries, NY
2009- AMUSEMENT PARK SCIENCE, The Children's Museum of Manhattan, NY (solo show)
2008- IMAGINE CONEY ISLAND, Municipal Arts Society, NY
2008- CONEY ISLAND MAYBE, Puffin Room, NY
2008- 22nd INTERNATIONAL JURIED SHOW, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
2006- CONEY ISLAND DREAMERS, Bklyn Public Library
2005- (still) UNDER THE INFLUENCE, Coney Island Museum
(solo show)
2004- CUT UPS, Marymount College, NY
2004- CRACK OF THE BAT, the Art of Baseball, George Krevsky Gallery, SF
2003- NOSTALGIA & DECAY, Coney Island, NY
1999- WONDERS NEVER CEASE, WAH Center, Brooklyn, NY
1997- AMUSING AMUSEMENTS- MetLife Windows Program, Grand Central Station, NY
1996- RIDE AGAIN, Contemporary Visions of Coney Island,
(co-curated w/Paul Bridgewater, Elsa Mott Ives Gallery, NY
1992- NEW WORK NEW YORK, Albright-Knox Museum,NY
1991- A SPARK OF GENIUS, General Electric Center, Schenectady, NY
1991- AMERICAN-DREAM-LAND, DTW Gallery, NY (solo show)
1990- CONEY ISLAND FASCINATION, La Mama Galleria, NY
(solo show)
1988- CUT IT OUT, Bridgewater/Lustberg , NY
1988- BILLBOARDS, Littlejohn-Smith Gallery, NY
1987- BRONX MUSEUM OF THE ARTS/ AIM
1986- ENGAGING OBJECTS, the PARTICIPATORY ART OF MIRRORS, MECHANISMS & SHELTERS, The Clocktower Gallery, institute of Art & Urban Resources, NY
1985- 5 CONEY ISLAND HYSTERICAL SOCIETY ARTISTS,
La Mama Galleria, NY
SPECIAL PROJECTS
2015 PARACHUTE Literary Arts/ created hand painted signs for "Poem-A-Rama,"
2015 Book cover design for "Genuine Gold" by Ann Attacker
2014 "TAKE ME THERE" animated short collaborated with Mary Nittolo/ The Studio NY, with music by Carol Lipnik
Coney Island Film Festival
2006/1999- Finalst, MTA Arts for Transit
2005- PARACHUTE PAVILION, COMPETITION / Van Alen
Institute, Collaboration w/Philip Tusa, architect
2004- DREAMWORKS, production of "The Terminal "
2003- Awarded 1st Place, 'Spirit of Brooklyn"poster
1993- WORD SANDWICHES, Scholastic Books
1991- FRIDA, Puppet renderer/ American Music Theater Festival
production, Philadelphia PA, & BAM, Majestic Theater
1989- MR. ROGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD, asst to designer
Bill Stabile, "Josephine the Short-Necked Giraffe"
1981- Co-founded the CONEY ISLAND HYSTERICAL SOCIETY
1981- ASK NBC NEWS, Broadcast graphics for national
Children'a News Show
1975-77- ROBERT INDIANA, Studio Assistant, Project:
THE MOTHER OF US ALL
TEACHING
HISTORIC SPANISH POINT, Sarasota Florida
Visiting artist/ cut paper collage workshop, 2018
STUDIO IN A SCHOOL
Early Childhood Program Teaching Artist and
Mentor for inner city public school teachers
ASAP (After School Enrichment Program)
New Utrecht High School , Brooklyn NY
BCUE /BROOKLYN CENTER FOR THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT
created original after- school children's programs;
Urban Art, Animate your Art, (students work "Created in Brooklyn) was broadcast on BCAT: Brooklyn Community Access TV)
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS / INTERVIEWS
2018 https://www.acagalleries.com/12-relevant-female-artists-you-should-probably-know-about/
Ann Aptaker, September 25, 2018
2015- A CONEY ISLAND OF THE EAST VILLAGE AT CITY LORE, Traci Kampel, THE VILLAGER
2014- AMERICAN ROUTES/ Radio: Nick Spitzer, Carnival, South of France & Coney Island, February 2014
2014- MATERIAL WORLD, Aaron Beebe, "Topsy Turvy, Artists & the Amusement Utopia, Aug 7, 2013
2012- SUGAR RUSH: Escapism for the Eyes, Not the Mouth,
Jeremyriad.com/blog/art June 21, 2012
2011- CONEY ISLAND HYSTERICAL!, presentation w/ Richard
Eagan on the art of the Coney Island Hysterical Society
THE WONDER OF PHILOMENA MARANO'S WONDER WHEEL, Tricia Vita, ATZ blog
2010- STUDIO VISIT: Tricia Vita, ATZ blog
amusingthezillion.com, Sept 19, 2010
2002 - CONEY ISLAND LOST & FOUND , Charles Denson,
Chapter: "Artists Renaissance of the '80s," Ten Speed
Press, Berkeley, CA.
Collections:
Brooklyn Museum, Chase Bank, Pfizer, City Lore,
Museum of the City of New York, Coney Island Hospital
Brooklyn Historical Society, Coney Island Museum,
Coney Island History Project San Francisco Baseball Hall of Fame NYU/Langone Art Program
Private Collections:
Harvey Fierstein, Steven Spielberg, Arlo Guthrie
Buster Seccia, Paul Bridgewater
Jerry Stiller & Ann Meara