Primavera

Curriculum Vitae of Maria Battista

PO Box 51332, Colorado Springs, CO 80949

719-351-6495

 

EDUCATION

Academic

  • Spanish literature and culture, University of Valencia, Spain, 1977 www.uv.es
  • B.A. Spanish, Douglass College of Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 1979 www.rutgers.edu
  • M.A. Spanish, Kansas University, Lawrence, KS, 1981 www.ku.edu

Post-graduate study – Sculpting

Post-graduate study – Metalsmithing and Craft

  • Metalsmithing with Kathryn Romberg, Business of Art Center, Manitou Springs, CO, 1992 www.manitouartcenter.org
  • Goldsmithing with Bud Stafford, Manitou Springs, CO, 1992-1994
  • Navajo Weaving with Dine artist Mary Drake, Bemis Art School, Colorado Springs, CO, 1997 www.artschool.csfineartscenter.org
  • Plains Indian beadwork, with Dine artist Mary Drake, Bemis Art School, Colorado Springs, CO, 1997
  • The Ceremonial Vessel, with Fred Fenster, Penland School of Craft, Ashville, NC, 1999 www.penland.org
  • Advanced stone-setting with David Anderson in Taos, NM, 2006 www.goldenandersonstudios.com
  • Advanced mechanisms with  Marilyn Nicolson, Taos, NM, 2007 www.taosjewelryschool.com

Post-graduate study – Drawing and Painting

  • Figure Drawing, Bemis Art School, Colorado Springs, CO, 1990
  • Pastel Painting, Bemis Art School, Colorado Springs, CO, 1991
  • Portraiture, Bemis Art School, Colorado Springs, CO, 1992
  • Figure Drawing, with Merr Shearn at Pikes Peak Community College, 1992 www.pikespeak.edu
  • Drawing, with Debra Rose at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 1993 www.cottonwoodcenterforthearts.com
  • Figure drawing, with Chuck Mardosz at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 1993
  • Drawing, with Dan Schultz at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 1994
  • Color Theory, Bemis Art School, Colorado Springs, CO, 1994
  • Watercolor, Bemis Art School, Colorado Springs, CO, 1994
  • Serigraphy, Bemis Art School, Colorado Springs, CO, 1996
  • Anatomy for Artists, with Kay Jeansonne at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 2000
  • The Chemistry of Color, with Nathan Bower at Colorado College, 2003
  • Figure Drawing with Michael Mentler, Cottonwood Center for the Arts in Colorado Springs, 2011  www.cottonwoodcenterforthearts.com
  • Figure Drawing at the Alvarez Art School, Colorado Springs, 2012 www.alvarezschool.com
  • Drawing atelier with muralist Eric Bransby, Colorado Springs, CO, 2012-2019 www.davidcookgalleries.com
  • Fundamentals of Drawing with Robin Cole Adronaco, Colorado Springs, CO, 2019 www.robincoleart.com
  • Muscular Anatomy with Robin Cole Adronaco, Arvada, CO 2020


Post-graduate study – Business/Communication

  • Marketing for Artists with Bruce Baker at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, c. 1996 www.handmade-business.com
  • Marketing for Artists with Rose Fredrick, at the Real Academy of Art, Denver, CO, 2022 www.rosefredrick.com
  • On-going group study and practice of Non-Violent Communication based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg, 2010-present
  • Financial Management for Artists with Emily Dyer-Wolfe at Pikes Peak Arts Council, 2022 www.pikespeakartscouncil.org
  • Sales for Creatives, lecture by Maria Bay, photographer, Pike’s Peak Arts Council Art Boss series, March 2024

 
PUBLIC SCULPTURES

  • "Ocean Initiatiion," Randolph High School, Randolph, New Jersey, 8ft. aluminum and stone sculpture in the library, 1975
  • "Five Elements," Tai Chi Association of Colorado Springs, CO, 3ft. black and white marble water feature, 2018
  • "Life on Earth," University Shopping Center, Colorado Springs, CO, 13.5ft. steel abstract sculpture, 2021
  • "Mama Bear," white marble sculpture in Fields Park, Manitou Springs, CO, 2021
  • "Peace Pole," cedar painted pole with words for "peace" at Benet Pines Monastery, Colorado Springs, CO, 2022

 
SELECTED EXHIBITS

  • “Myth and Magic” Metalwork Invitational, Manitou Springs, CO, 1998
  • "The Last Enchantment" with Dani and MIchael Greer Gallery, 1998
  • Opera Festival Exhibit, Gilpin County Art Gallery, Central City, CO, 1999
  • Solo Exhibit Colorado Springs Airport, 2002
  • Chico Basin Ranch Artist Gallerying Exhibition, Hanover, CO, 2003
  • Pike Peak Studio Tour, Colorado Springs, CO, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2001, 1016, 2017, 2018
  • “Quaternity” exhibit of 4 sculptures, 4 drawings, 4 jewelry works, Manitou Springs, CO, 2010
  • Peak at the Arts Global Artists Exchange Festival, San José, Costa Rica, 2010
  • "Bossa Nova Art Fest," Michael Garmen Second Floor Studios, Colorado Springs, CO, 2011
  • "Altars," Commonwheel Artists Gallery, 2011 www.commonwheel.com
  • COMA (Colorado Metal Smiths Association) at the Denver Botanic Gardens, 2013
  • Solo Exhibit “Renaissance,” of sculpture, drawings, jewelry, Manitou Springs, CO, 2014
  • Cover and feature artist for Colorado Journeys Magazine, 2015
  • "Artists of Colorado," Santa Fe, NM, 2017
  • "Expressionism," Cottonwood Center for the Arts, Colorado Springs, CO, 2017
  • “Gratitude” at Kreuser Gallery, Colorado Springs, CO, 2018 www.kreusergallery.com
  • “The Future is Feminine” at the Denver Art Students League, 2019 www.asld.org
  • Creede Sculpture Show, Creede, CO, 2019 www.creedeartscouncil.com
  • “Women of Influence” at the Ent Center for the Arts, Colorado Springs, CO, 2020 www.entcenterforthearts.org
  • “Fakes and Forgeries” at the Alvarez Art School, Colorado Springs, CO, 2022
  • Sculpture in the Park, Loveland, CO, 2022 www.sculptureinthepark.org
  • “Gratitude” at Kreuser Gallery, Colorado Springs, January 2023
  • “Masculine Places” at Commonwheel Artists, Manitou Springs, March 2023
  • “Playful Resistance” at Kreuser Gallery, duo exhibit of sculpture and batik, July 2023
  • Sculpture in the Park, Loveland, CO, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • National Sculpture Society 91st Annual Awards Exhibit at Brookgreen Gardens, Pawley's Island, SC, Indianapolis Art Center, and NSS Gallery in New York City, 2024

GALLERIES THAT HAVE REPRESENTED MY WORK

  • McCall's Fine Art on Canyon road – Santa Fe, NM
  • Shidoni Gallery – Tesuque Pueblo, NM www.shidoni.com
  • Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Museum Shop – Colorado Springs, CO www.fac.coloradocollege.edu
  • Hunter-Wolff Gallery – Colorado Springs, CO www.hunterwolffgallery.com
  • Stephen Quiller Gallery, Creede, CO www.quillergallery.com
  • Creator Mundi – Denver, CO www.creatormundi.com
  • Gallery Última – Durango, CO
  • Sangre de Cristo Arts Center Museum Shop – Pueblo, CO www.sdc-arts.org
  • Center for Creative Leadership – Colorado Springs, CO www.ccl.org
  • Commonwheel Artists Cooperative – Manitou Springs, CO
  • Gipin County Art Gallery – Central City, CO www.gilpinarts.org
  • Helstrom Studio Artwear Gallery – Colorado Springs, CO
  • Pat's People – Manitou Springs, CO
  • Auric (formerly Kreuser) Gallery – Colorado Springs, CO
  • Galleries in Telluride and Salida, CO
  • San José, Costa Rica
  • Outnumbered Gallery, Littleton, CO

NEWS ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS

  • Colorado Springs Gazette, article by Mark Arnest, July 20, 2001
  • Fresh Ink (formerly Your Hub) at coloradosprings.com, article by Bill Sommer, November 22, 2007
  • Colorado Springs Art Examiner, feature by Rhonda VanPelt, July 9, 2010
  • Colorado Springs Gazette, article, November 9, 2012
  • The Woodmen Edition, article by Charise Simpson, December 14, 2012
  • "Calypso" on the cover of Colorado Journeys magazine, feature article by Elizabeth Martin, May 2015
  • Colorado Fun Magazine, p. 21 article by John Hazelhurst, 2018 annual guide
  • Maria Battista: A Linguist in Sculpture, Vernelle Studio blog, November 15, 2020, feature by Marjorie Vernelle /https://www.vernellestudio.com/post/maria-battista-a-linguist-in-sculpture
  • Pikes Peak Bulletin, Nov. 4, 2021, www.pikespeakbulletin.com/news/bears-find-a-home/
  •  Cover image of “Narcissus” on the book Kohut’s Self Psychology for a Fractured World: New Ways of Understanding the Self and Human  Community  by John Hanwell Riker

LECTURES / PRESENTATIONS

  • “Proceso y significación en las obras de Claudio Rodríguez,” Mid-America Conference on Hispanic Literature, University of Kansas, 1990
  • Images of God in Spiritual Direction, Benet Hill Monastery, Colorado Springs, CO, 2002-2010
  • Art as Beneficial Jungian Complex, member presentation, Colorado Springs Jung Society, 2017
  • Sculpting the Portrait at the La Veta School of the Arts, 2022 www.thelvsa.org
  • Sculpting the Portrait at the La Veta School of the Arts, 2023
  • Sculpting the Figure at the La Veta School of the Arts, 2024

 
PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT

  • Owner of First Circle Studios, 1992-present
  • Spanish Instructor, Kansas University, Lawrence, KS, 1979-1981
  • English as a Second Language Teacher, Midland Independent School District, Midland, TX, 1982
  • Spanish Teacher, Harrison School District, Panorama Middle School Colorado Springs, CO 1983
  • Spanish & Italian Teacher, District 20, Air Academy High School, Colorado Springs, CO 1984-1997
  • Translator for Pronto Com, Colorado Springs, CO, 1996
  • Supervisor of Student Teachers, Colorado College Education Department, 1997-1999
  • Spanish Teacher Douglas Valley Elementary School, 1998-2000
  • Spanish Teacher, Pikes Peak Community College, 2000
  • Spanish Teacher Woodmen Roberts Elementary School, 2000-2008
  • Board President, Commonwheel Artists Cooperative, Manitou Springs, CO, 2011-2012 (member 1996-2014)
  • Studio Assistant to muralist Eric Bransby, Colorado Springs, CO, 2014-2017
  • Teacher of portrait and figure sculpting, La Veta School of the Arts, La Veta, CO, 2022-present
  • Gallery Representative, Hunter-Wolff Gallery, Colorado Springs, CO, 2015-present

 
AWARDS / PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

  • Boettcher Foundation Scholar Award recipient for teaching, 1996
  • Colorado professional teaching license, grades 7-12
  • New Jersey state teaching license, grades K-12
  • Certified Spiritual Director, Benet Hill Monastery, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000
  • Third Place Award, Creede Sculpture Show for "Seduction," 2019
  • National Sculpture Society
  • Colorado Metalsmith Association
  • American Women Artists
  • Portrait Society of America
  • Pikes Peak Arts Council
  • Phi Beta Kappa Society, Academic Honor Society
  • Sigma Delta Pi, Spanish Honor Society
  • Art Students League of Denver
  • Winner in the Portrait Society of America's member contest, non-commissioned portrait category, 2024

 

"What we need is attentive engagement, cultivated awareness, and a taste for wisdom." 
Charlene Spretnak from The Resurgence of the Real