Barbara Fletcher - Mixed Media Artist
“I earned a BFA from Syracuse University in Commercial Art. Years later, I studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, Mass College of Art, and Maine’s Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.
As a sculptor of paper and mixed media materials I reflect the humor seen all around me, particularly in the natural world. Although I consider myself primarily a sculptor and mixed media artist I have also experimented with monoprinting and paper collage.
In the mid-1980’s while living in Maine I completed a commission of fantasy sculpture for famed writer Stephen King. Now living in Boston for over 30 years, my art has been shown in numerous galleries and museums including The DeCordova Museum, The Danforth Museum and a one person show at The Children’s Museum. My professional awards include a First Prize in Sculpture at the Duxbury Art Association Winter Juried Show at the Duxbury Art Complex Museum.
For over 20 years I have taught children and adults periodically in my studio, art centers and afterschool programs. My artwork has been commissioned for hospitals including Children’s Hospital Boston, and medical facilities as well as restaurants. A large installation project with a sprayed paper technique was on view in June of 2012 at Frame 301 Gallery, Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA. I am currently a member at TAG (The Art Gallery) in SoWa 460 C Harrison Ave. Unit 2C Boston and member of the New England Sculptors Association.
In September of 2018 my first temporary outdoor sculpture was installed for the Art Ramble walk at The Hapgood Wright forest in Concord, MA.
I have also been honored to have been featured in many books over the years on paper art and paper casting, including Arnold Grummer’s “Complete Guide to Paper Casting” and “Paper in 3Dimensions” by Diane Maurer-Mathison. My sculptural lighting which utilizes a sprayed paper technique can be seen in “Paper Illuminated” by Helen Hiebert. In 2007 I received a grant from The Lowell Cultural Council to teach mask-making to local children.
In January 2016 at The Concord Center for Visual Arts, I won a juror’s sculpture award in Members Juried 1: Painting and Sculpture. My monoprint collage artwork was in the April 2016 show “Thesis Antithesis” curated by artist Gerry Bergstein at The Chandler Gallery, Maude Morgan Arts Center in Cambridge. I was also included in the 17th Annual Frances N. Roddy Competition in Sept. of 2016 at the Concord Center for the visual Arts. In June of 2018 my sculptural piece “Monster Tsunami” was juried into the 83rd annual show at The Fitchburg Art Museum.
Collections, Publications, Awards
Collections
2015 - Lowell Community Health Center, Lowell, MA
2007 - Newton Wellesley Hospital Pediatric ED Wait Area, Newton, MA
Newton Wellesley Hospital Cancer Floor, Poster Design for Walk Across America, Newton, MA
Atrius Health Care Center, Imaging Wait Area, Weymouth, MA
2000 - Captain Fishbones Restaurant, Marina Bay Quincy, MA
1999 - Charleton Hospital Maternity Ward, Fall River, MA
Harvard Dental School
Massachusetts General Hospital Neonatology Unit, Boston, MA
Pediatric Day Surgery Unit Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, NJ
1995 - St. Margaret’s Hospital for Women and Infants, Boston, MA
Mass General Pediatric and Maternity floors, Boston, MA
1991 - Harvard Community Health Centers, Burlington and Kenmore Square, Boston, MA
Waterbury Hospital Health Care Center, Pediatric floor, CT
1985 - Commissioned Artwork for writer Stephen King, Bangor, ME
Publications
2011 - Artist profile, Merrimack Valley Magazine Methuen, MA
2006 - Paper in Three Dimensions by Diane Maurer
2005 - The Art and Craft of Handmade Cards by Diane Maurer
2002 - The Complete Guide to Paper Casting by Arnold Grummer
Papermaking for the first time by Rhonda Rainey
2001 - Paper Illuminated by Helen Hiebert
2000 - Somerset Studio Paper Arts magazine “Tropical Paradise” feature article
1997 - Paper Art by Diane Maurer
Awards
2023 April - 2nd place sculpture, Variations national juried show, Marblehead Art Association
2022 February - Third Place Sculpture Award, juried Winter show, Ellison Center for the Arts, Duxbury, MA
2021 December - Second Place Sculpture Award, National Association of Women Artists at The Galatea Gallery, Boston, MA
2021 November - Honorable Mention mixed media sculpture, Annual juried show, Plymouth Center for the Arts, Plymouth, MA
2020 October - Third Prize in Sculpture, The World Weighs Heavy at The Art League of Lowell Elements Show, Lowell, MA
2020 February - First Prize in Sculpture, Duxbury Art Association Winter Juried Show, Duxbury, MA
2016 January - Juror’s Sculpture Award, Members juried 1: Painting and Sculpture Concord Center for Visual Arts, Concord, MA
2006 October - Lowell, MA Cultural Council Grant, Mask-making workshop with local children
2002 September - Sculpture Purchase Award, Tri-state sculpture show, Lenore, NC
1999 September - Sculpture Award, Captured Wildlife Show, Stoneham Zoo, Stoneham, MA
Publicity
Lumen Sculpture, May 2021 through September 2021
Barbara’s dragonfly sculpture Lumen which was on view at the Riverway Park in Brookline/Boston, MA located directly across from the Longwood T stop.
An article discussing Barbara’s sculpture and this show was just featured in The Boston Globe. Please click here to download and read a .pdf version of the article.
Invasive Eaters Sculpture, September 2020 through November 2020
In September of 2020 Barbara juried two of her sculptural works into Art Ramble, an outdoor sculptural exhibition presented by The Umbrella Arts collective in Concord, Massachusetts. Two of Barbara’s pieces, Double Helix and Invasive Eaters were showcased in this event.
Looking Deep into Nature, March/April 2020
An article in the March/April 2020 issue of Artscope Magazine covered Looking Deep into Nature received the “First Place” award at the Duxbury Art Association Winter Juried Show in March and April of 2020.
Exhibitions
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2021 September - Lumen which was on view at the Riverway Park in Brookline/Boston, MA until September 6th, 2021
(Please click here to open a .pdf version of The Boston Globe’s article about this show)
2021 September - Pinball Universe was in an outdoor exhibit at The Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA until September 19th, 2021
2021 June - Look Deep Into Nature was juried into a national exhibition at The Kathryn Schultz Gallery in Cambridge, MA and it will be viewable until June 25th, 2021
2021 May - Sculpture outdoors at The Fuller Craft Museum
2021 May - Sculptures on display at The Riverway Park in Brookline, MA through Studios Without Walls
2020 October - The World Weighs Heavy at The Art League of Lowell Elements Show in Lowell, MA
2020 September - Art and Activism Show created through the group The National Association of Women Artists at SoWa in Boston, MA
Invasive Eaters was relocated and proudly displayed in this exhibit
2020 September - Art Ramble, an outdoor sculptural exhibition in Concord, MA
Double Helix and Invasive Eaters were showcased in this event
(Please click here to read about this show )
2020 February - Duxbury Art Association Winter Juried Show, a juried group exhibition in Duxbury, MA
(Please click here to read about this show)
2019 October - Politicalisms, ideological movements in political/artistic ideas (Barbara and May DeViney partnered) in ArtSpace Maynard in Maynard, MA
(Please click here to read article regarding this show or visit the Publicity Page)
2019 May - Reverberations Studios Without Walls, an exhibition of site responsive sculpture in Riverway Park Brookline, MA
(Please click here to read article regarding this show)
2018 June - ****83rd ****Annual Regional Juried Show, The Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg, MA
2018 March -Radar, a visual interpretation of how humans are using up the world’s resources, Arterly 160 Gallery, 160 Federal Street Boston, MA
2018 January -Members Juried 1: Painting and Sculpture, Concord Center for Visual Arts, Concord, MA
2017 November - ****Saints, Sluts and Sirens, juried show, Uncharted Gallery, Lowell, MA
2017 September - Zullo Gallery Center for the Arts 23rd Annual Juried Show, Medfield, MA
2017 May - Two person show, Dreamscapes: Land and Water, The Loading Dock Gallery, Lowell, MA
2016 September - 17th Annual Frances N. Roddy Open Competition, Concord Center for Visual Arts, Concord, MA
2016 April - ****Thesis Antithesis curated by artist Gerry Bergstein at The Chandler Gallery, Maude Morgan Arts Center Cambridge, MA
2016 January - ****Members Juried 1: Painting and Sculpture, Concord Center for Visual Arts, Concord, MA
2015 April - The Birds and the Bees curated by artist Annie Silverman, The Nave Gallery Annex, Somerville, MA
2012 June - ****Bi-Polar Brain Storm, large installation work utilizing sprayed paper at Frame 301 Gallery, Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA
2003 September - Handcrafted, Rocky Mount Arts Center, Rocky Mount, NC
2003 February - Faculty Exhibition, DeCordova Museum School Gallery, Lincoln, MA
2002 November - Furniture as Art, The Krempp Gallery, Jasper Arts Center, Jasper, IN
2002 October - Hidden Faces: An Exhibition of Masks, The Fine Lines Arts Center, St. Charles, IL
2001 July - ****Illuminated, a show of illuminated works, Long Beach Island Foundation for the Arts and Sciences, Loveladies, NJ
2001 February - ****Fish, TLD Design Center and Gallery, Westmount, IL
2000 June - Three Rivers Arts Festival, juried visual arts exhibition, Pittsburg, PA
2000 January - ****Works on and of Paper, University of West Florida Art Gallery, Pensacola, FL
1996 November - Holiday Crafts Showcase, DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, MA
1994 January - Crafts in the Hands of an Artist, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
1993 December - Toy Joy Holiday show at The Golden Gallery, Newbury Street, Boston, MA
1991 October - Mask Show Invitational, International Gallery, San Diego, CA
1991 February - Playing Around Toys by Artists, Invitational, DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, MA
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2015 May - ****Menagerie and Myth, Habitat Gallery, Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, Belmont, MA
2014 February - ****From the land and the Sea, The Loading Dock Gallery, Lowell, MA
2001 October - Canine, Felines and other Friends, illuminated works, Susi’s Gallery, Cambridge, MA
2001 October - Things Beneath the Surface, Boston Children’s Museum Boston, MA
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