Monique Michaels
category: Visual,
Contact & Info
Artist Statement
Embarking on a creative odyssey spanning over 15 years, my artistic exploration traverses the realms of photography, painting, mixed media collage, and black-and-white drawings. My works, spanning paper, canvases, and installation weave a narrative that seeks to articulate the nuanced complexities of the human condition amidst the tumult of a world, saturated with choices that can obscure our innate humanity.
In the realm of photography, my lens captures moments frozen in time, exploring the interplay of light, water, movement, insight and vision. These themes become threads in the tapestry of our shared experience, and I use unaltered film photography as a medium to reflect on the quiet disorder of nature, finding beauty and lessons in its chaos. The captured images serve as visual meditations on the resilience of the human spirit amidst challenging times, inviting viewers to contemplate the profound interconnectedness of all living things.
In the interplay of colors and textures, my paintings transcend conventional boundaries of representation, offering glimpses into unseen realms of emotion and introspection. The canvas becomes a mirror reflecting inner struggles and triumphs, inviting viewers to contemplate their own journey through the prism of abstraction. I aim to ignite contemplation and self-inquiry, prompting viewers to question the many disconnects in today’s world.
Collage, with its juxtaposition of disparate elements, becomes a metaphor for the cacophony of choices that surround us. The fragmented nature of the medium serves as visual representations of the world we inhabit, where the noise of an overwhelming array of choices often drowns out the quieter, more profound aspects of our common humanity. Through collage, I manipulate and shape the surface, creating visual puzzles reminiscent of the body's architectural geometry and navigate the tension between chaos and order, seeking to find moments of vibrancy and clarity amidst the visual discord.
Drawing inspiration from 17 years as a yoga teacher, I see the body as a puzzle waiting to be restored to its center, much like the intricate process of creating art. My work draws a parallel between the physical and the artistic, emphasizing the importance of balance, measure, and reference in both realms.
In these troubled times, my artistic expression becomes a sanctuary—a space to grapple with the existential questions that define our existence. Ultimately, my art seeks to spark contemplation and connection. Drawing from the wisdom of nature, landscape, and the human body, I invite viewers to question the avoidance of connection—to each other, to nature, and to the landscape. Through the diverse mediums and forms I employ, I aim to inspire a renewed awareness of our shared humanity and to rekindle a sense of empathy, encouraging a journey back to the center, both within ourselves and in relation to the world around us.
Educational Background
Monique Michaels grew up in the United States. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Iowa State University and a Certificate of Photography from Santa Monica College. Michaels currently studies at the Art Students League in New York City.
Monique served on the Board of Directors of the MOCA Contemporaries, Museum of Contemporary Art, in Los Angeles from 2010-2012 and is an artist member at the Dia and Modern Museum of Art (MoMA), NY, as well as a current exhibiting member at Rowayton Arts Center, Carriage Barn Art Center, Garrison Art Center, Greenwich Arts Council and the Greenwich Art Society.
Michael’s professional work is an exploration and combination of Fine Art Photography, Paintings and Mixed Media Collage. She is an award-winning photographer who has exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO, Southeast Center for Photography, Greenville, SC, Anderson Chase Gallery, Katonah, NY, as well as the Bendheim and Flinn Gallery, in Greenwich, CT.
In the past she served as an active member of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMPA), American Photographic Artists (APA), Advertising Photographers of America, Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles, Center for Fine Art Photography and the Peekskill Arts Alliance.
Born and raised in Chicago, she lived and worked as an artist in Venice, CA for over a decade and currently lives in Peekskill, NY.
GROUP SHOWS/
2024
"smallWorks 60 Years & 60 Works" Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY
"Member Show" Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY
"Abstraction" Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
"In the Garden" Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
2023
“Abstraction” Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
“Photography + Sculpture” Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
2022
“Photography + Sculpture” Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
“Art in Form” Bethany Arts Center, Ossining, NY
2021
“Together apART” Arts Westchester Gallery, White Plains, NY
“Photocentric” Carriage Barn Arts, New Canaan, CT
“Art to the Avenue” Online Gallery, Greenwich, CT
2020
“Stay Home Make Art” Dorsky Museum, New Paltz, NY
2019
“Far and Wide” Woodstock Art Association and Museum, Woodstock, NY
“Winter Wonderland” Field Library, Peekskill, NY
2018
“Photography + Sculpture” Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
“Marine + Coastal” Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
“Spectrum” Carriage Barn Arts, New Canaan, CT
“Spring Juried Show” Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
“101st Annual Juried Exhibition” Bendheim Gallery, Greenwich, CT
“Beyond Brushwork” Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT / Press: The Examiner Page 13
“The Winter Landscape” Anderson Chase Gallery, Goldens Bridge, NY
“38th Annual Photography Show” Carriage Barn Arts, New Canaan, CT
“Portraits” Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO
2017
“SE Center Open Show” SE Center for Fine Art Photography, Greenville, SC
“102nd Annual Open Juried Exhibition” Lumen Winter Gallery, New Rochelle, NY
“Photography Show” Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
“Members Show” Carriage Barn Arts, New Canaan, CT
“Visual Narratives” Loft Artist Association, Stamford, CT
“Far Away Places” Townhouse Gallery, Stamford, CT
“Marine + Coastal” Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
“Art of the Garden” Lazarus Gallery, New Rochelle, NY / Press: United Hebrew
“Flights of Fancy” Blue Door Art Gallery, Yonkers, NY
“Juried Art Show” Bendheim Gallery, Greenwich, CT
“100th Annual Juried Exhibition” Bendheim Gallery, Greenwich, CT
“Marine” Townhouse Gallery, Stamford, CT
“Inspirations” Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
“Inspirations” Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT
2016
“Piermont Art in the Park” Piermont, NY
“Croton-on-Hudson Fall Arts Festival” Croton-On-Hudson, NY
“101st Annual Open Juried Exhibition” Lumen Winter Gallery, New Rochelle, NY
2012
“FRESH” Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles, CA / Press: MOCA
2011
“Health, Wellness and Happiness” Drescher Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2010
“Water” Drescher Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
“31st Annual Photography Exhibition” Drescher Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
SOLO SHOWS/
2022
“Seasonal Order” Bean Runner Café, Peekskill, NY
2017
“Winter” Art to the Avenue, LEICHT, Greenwich, CT
“Winter” Manfredi Jewels, New Canaan, CT
2010
“People on Earth” Artisan Corner Gallery, Venice, CA
“Transcending the Limitations of Time” Artisan Corner Gallery, Venice, CA
2009
“Transcending the Limitations of Time” InFocus Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
AWARDS/
2018
“Beyond Brushwork” Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
First Place “Dawn of a New Day” / Press: The Examiner Page:13
“Marine + Coastal” Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
First Place “Exhale”
“Spring Juried Show” Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
Third Place “Memories Abound”
“Photography + Sculpture” Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
Third Place “Fire + Ice”
2017
“Inspirations” Rowayton Art Center, Rowayton, CT
First Place “Forgotten Goodbyes"
“Inspirations” Stamford Art Associations, Stamford, CT
Honorable Mention “Edge of the Earth”
2016
New Rochelle Art Association’s 101st Annual Exhibition, New Rochelle, NY
Honorable Mention “Forgotten Goodbyes”
2011
Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles
Student Photojournalist of the Year Award
2010
First Place / Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC) State Competition, Los Angeles, California