Bio
MacDonald graduated with a BFA in Visual Arts from Emily Carr University in 2011 (Vancouver, BC, Canada). Her fastidiously crafted work has been exhibited in galleries and artist-run centers across Canada and the U.S.
MacDonald’s art practice is an ongoing exploration of identity, hierarchies, and stereotypes characterized by dark humor, multiples, and an obsessive attention to detail. Her works on paper and sculptures are featured in private collections throughout Ontario, British Columbia, and New York.
Statement
I am consumed with the construction and performance of identity.
In my art practice I create multiples of generic figures, which I then transform into vibrant and distinct personalities.
Each piece begins with a photographic image of my face. I do not consider the work to be a collection of self-portraits but rather a series of roles in which I have cast myself. These roles intersect historical timelines and boundaries (gender, species, geography) to comment on social and political issues.
The 20” textile figures are created using a combination of labor-intensive hand and machine sewing. Detailed, miniature accessories (wigs, clothing, and furniture) are obsessively crafted by myself and are made from re-purposed materials that have personal meaning.
Works on paper are equally as meticulous. Incorporating text, watercolor and collage they often break beyond the two-dimensional surface, emerging as articulated figures that occasionally come to life in micro-short videos and stop-motion animations.
At 1:8 to 1:4 human scale the intimate size and intricate detail of the work coaxes viewers in for a closer look where sinister narratives lurk under a veneer of whimsy.
CV
Born in St. Thomas, ON. Currently living and working in Long Island City, NY.
Photo by Mikiodo Media
Education |
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| 2011 | Emily Carr University, BFA (Visual Arts) |
| 1996 | Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design, Vancouver, BC (Diploma in Fine Art, Studio major) |
| 1989 | H.B. Beal Technical & Vocational School - Bealart Program, London, ON (Printmaking & Textiles) |
Awards |
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| 2019 | Individual Artist Grant, Queens Arts Fund, Queens Council for the Arts, NY |
Select Exhibitions (solos in bold) |
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| 2021 | Cat Daddy, AHA Fine Art, Brooklyn, NY |
| STRAND, Digital Grace (ECOCA), New Haven, CT | |
| The Art of Coney Island, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, Brooklyn, NY | |
| Outside/Outsider, Local Project Art Space, Queens, NY | |
| UNRAVELED: Contemporary Textile Work, Untitled Space, New York, NY | |
| EMBODY, ELY Center of Contemporary Art, New Haven, CT
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| 2020 | Soul Cakes, Arcilesi & Homberg Fine Art @ Local Project, Queens, NY |
| To Scale: A Small Works Group Show, Craddock-Terry Gallery, Lynchburg, VA (Mar-Apr) | |
| Feminine Identity, St. Joseph's College, Patchogue, NY (Feb-Apr) | |
| Ride Through the Heart, Arcilesi & Homberg Fine Art @ SFA Projects, New York, NY (Feb)
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| 2019 | Freaks, Geeks, and Strange Girls, Radiator Gallery, Long Island City, NY |
| LISTEN: Artists Respond to Politics, BronxArtSpace, Bronx, NY | |
| Bound/Less, Arcilesi & Homberg Fine Art at 222 Bowery, New York, NY
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| 2018 |
The Doll Show, Ceres Gallery, New York, NY [upcoming Oct/Nov] |
| Imperfectly Perfect, Arcilesi & Homberg Fine Art at Spring Natural, New York, NY | |
| Manipulated Life, Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY | |
| Freak Show, Local Project Art Space, Long Island City, NY | |
| Minuscule to the Monumental, Raw Space @ The Factory, Long Island City, NY | |
| Below the Surface, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY | |
| Your Presence is Requested, SFA Projects aka Lodge Gallery, New York, NY
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| 2017 | Live/Work/Play: NYC, LIC Arts Open Gallery, NY |
| UPSTANDERS!!!, The Factory, Long Island City, NY | |
| Animalia, Local Project Art Space, Long Island City, NY
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| 2016 | Fall Salon Show, LIC Arts Open, Long Island City, NY |
| Othering: BAA Biennial, Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, Pittsfield, MA
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| 2015 | Holiday Salon, Lesley Heller Workspace, New York, NY [by invitation] |
| Yourself, Local Project Art Space, Long Island City, NY | |
| Small Works 2015, Main Street Arts, Clifton Falls, NY | |
| Shangri-La in L.I.C., The Factory, Long Island City, NY [by invitation]
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| 2014 | Emily Carr Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, BC [duo show, by invitation] |
| Roberts Creek Arts Festival, Nico Spacecraft, Roberts Creek, BC [by invitation]
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| 2012 | Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up?, Gallery Connexion, Fredericton, NB |
| Survival Games, Firehall Arts Centre, Vancouver, BC [by invitation] | |
| Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up?, Acadia University Art Gallery, Wolfville, NS | |
| Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up?, Port Moody Arts Centre, BC [by invitation] | |
| 2010 | Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up?, Latitude 53, Edmonton, AB
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| 2009 | Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up?, Campbell River Art Gallery, BC
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| 2007 | Favourite Ways With Pheasant, The New Gallery (+15), Calgary, AB |
| Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up?, Fifth Parallel Gallery, University of Regina, SK
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| 2006 | Permutations: the raw and the soft, Nanaimo Art Gallery, BC (duo w/Stephen Laidlaw) [monograph]
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| 2004 | Effigy burning event (Iraq War: "G.I. Don't Wanna Die"), Seattle, WA
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| 2001 | Wild Things, Ceperley House Gallery, Burnaby, BC |
| Emily's Art Party (ECIAD's 75th Anniversary Gala), Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC
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| 2000 | Chocolate Fever, Dynamo Gallery, Vancouver, BC |
| April Fool's Fundraiser, Richmond Art Gallery, Richmond, BC
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| 1999 | Happening, 201 Central, Vancouver, BC |
| Candy: 2nd Annual Member's Show, Dynamo Gallery, Vancouver, BC
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| 1998 | 80 Years of Experiment: 1912-1992, London Regional Art & Historical Museum, ON [catalogue] |
| 1st Annual Member's Show, Dynamo Gallery,Vancouver, BC
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| 1997 | Fabrication '97, Third Avenue Gallery, Vancouver, BC
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| 1996 | ECIAD Graduation Exhibition, Emily Carr Campus, Vancouver, BC [ catalogue] |
| True Love, Concourse Gallery, Vancouver, BC
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| 1995 | Media Show, Emily Carr Lecture Theatre, Vancouver, BC |
| Straight White Male Show, Concourse Gallery, Vancouver, BC
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| 1993 | Foundation Exhibition, Concourse Gallery, Vancouver, BC
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| 1989 | Year End Show, Bealart Annex, H.B. Beal Technical & Vocational School, London, ON
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| 1988 | Roth Art Miniatures Exhibition, Roth Art Gallery, London, ON |
| Year End Show, Bealart Annex, H.B. Beal Technical & Vocational School, London, ON | |
| Bealart Award Winners Show, Bealart Annex, H.B. Beal Technical & Vocational School, London, ON | |
Bibliography |
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|---|---|
| 2021 | Stavesky, Lois, "Exhibition: Outside/Outsider, Artists Confronting Mental Illness Continues Through June 13". Artbreakout.com (June 9, 2021) https://artbreakout.com/exhibition/outside-outsider-artists-confronting-mental-illness-continues-through-june-13-at-local-project-in-lic/, [ill] |
| Czepiel, Kathy, "Physical Therary". Dailynutmeg.com (March 31, 2021) | |
| http://dailynutmeg.com/2021/03/31/embody-ely-center-contemporary-art-physical-therapy/, [ill] | |
| Slattery, Brian, "Ely Center Embodies Pandemic Art". Newhavenindependent.org (March 12, 2021) | |
| https://www.newhavenindependent.org/idnex.php/archives/entry/artspace_embody/, [ill]
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| 2019 |
Guzman, Alissa, "In Long Island City, Local Artists Go Big and Bold". Hyperallergic.com (Nov 18, 2019) |
| https://hyperallergic.com/528829/in-long-island-city-local-artists-go-big-and-bold/, [ill] | |
| Yaniv, Etty, "Peter Gynd - Jody MacDonald: Freaks, Geeks, and Strange Girls at Radiator". In Dialogue with Peter Gynd. Art Spiel.org (Nov 11, 2019) http://artspiel.org/peter-gynd-jody-macdonald-freaks-geeks-and-strange-girls-at-radiator/, [ills] | |
| The Editors. "Embracing and Reclaiming Themselves Through Art". Interview: Deborah Yasinsky, curator of LISTEN: Artists Respond to Politics at BronxArtSpace, Quail Bell Magazine.com (February 13, 2019) http://www.quailbellmagazine.com/the-real-20/interview-deborah-yasinsky-curator-of-listen-artists-respond-to-politics-at-bronxartspace
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| 2017 | Angle, Roderick. “LIC: Dreaming Is Necessary”. About Themselves. Vol. 1, iss. 1 (May 2017), [ill]
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| 2014 | Maltese, Tammy. “Roberts Creek Arts Festival”. ZOOM. Vol. 5, iss. 2 (2014 Special Edition), p17 [ill] |
| 2012 | Gravelle, Tamara. "The Shady-Shatner Connection". The Brunswickan (Oct 23, 2012) [ill] |
| http://thebruns.ca/arts/the-shady-shatner-connexion/ | |
| MacNeill, Jon. "Dolls with minds of their own." HereNB. Vol. 13, iss. 4 (October 18-24), p38 [ills] | |
| Payne, Sarah. “PMAC show a search for self”. The Tri-City News.com (March 13, 2012) | |
| http://www.tricitynews.com/entertainment/142534255.html
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| 2010 | Jervis, Carolyn. “Some Help From Inert Friends”. Latitude 53 Writer in Residence. (May 12, 2010) |
| http://blog.latitude53.org/post/594218885/some-help-from-inert-friends | |
| Jonsson, Stephanie. “Will The Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up?” (monograph). Latitude 53 (May 2010) [ill]
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| 2009 | MacKay, Sheryl (radio interview). “North By Northwest”. CBC Radio 1, Vancouver |
| (aired Feb. 1, 8:30am) | |
| “New season of gallery exhibits”. Campbell River Mirror (January 23), pA13 [ill] | |
| “First 2009 Exhibits Open for Art Gallery”. Campbell River Courier-Islander (January 23), p23 [ill] | |
| “Artist livens up discussion”. Campbell River Mirror (February 20), pA16 [ill]
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| 2006 | Corraini, Rob. "Monty Python meets the Muppets at Nanaimo Art Gallery Show". The Nanaimo |
| Bulletin (Aug. 8), p 26 | |
| Light, Kait (interview). "Arts Now". Shaw Channel 4 Nanaimo (aired July 27-29, 7:30pm/1:30am) | |
| Ball, Gregory. "Permutations: the raw and the soft" (monograph). The Nanaimo Art Gallery (July) [ill] | |
| "Symbolism Unites Two Artists". The Nanaimo Bulletin (July 25), p 29 [ill]
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| 2000 | Murrills, Angela. "Gift Tips to Help the Desperate: Philippe Starck fly swatters and sock puppets will |
| make them smile". The Georgia Straight Style: Fashion Plate. Dec. 14-21, p 44
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| 1998 | O'Brian, Paddy. "80 years of experiment 1912-1992". Exhibition Catalogue, p 60 [ill p 77]
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| 1997 | Parry, Malcolm. "Fashion parade had an ephemeral look". The Vancouver Sun Town Talk |
| (Feb. 20), B4 [ill] | |
| Parry, Malcolm. "Party Politics". Vancouver Magazine, Schmooze (April), p 66 [ill]
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| 1996 | Muir, Stewart. "Among The Floppy and The Inept, The Arty Stand Out". Vancouver Sun Review |
| (May 11), D6 | |
