Artist's statement
Susan Clinard. Photo by Leigh Busby
By carving wood, forming clay, bending wire, collaging paper, and using found objects, I hope to reveal something that you already know but have never felt or considered before —- someone else’s story or beauty —- so that in turn you see yourself reflected. I am captivated by the subtle nuances in life, the mundane flipped upside down to reveal the poetic, what hope might look like, how a piece of artwork brings one to tears, finding joy in an object’s form, how anxiety might be a knotted ball of twine while openness and acceptance might be represented by a concave space, how art can initiate change … all of this gets woven into my art making.
I have been a working artist for thirty years and a fervent observer of life for as long as I can remember. My work is an exploration of nature’s forms, distorted and perfect, found and inspired. It tells stories, helps us connect and speak about our shared fears, beauty, and struggles. In all my work, I am most concerned with staying honest to myself, to the process of creation, to my materials, and to the subject matter I choose.
Short Bio
Susan Clinard. Tintype by Greg Shea
Susan started sculpting at age 19. Following a degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Michigan, Susan moved to Chicago in 1995 where her gift for storytelling took root. While exhibiting her art at multiple venues throughout the city Susan also taught stone carving at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, sculpture at the Palette and Chisel Academy, and Gallery 37. In 2007 Susan moved her studio to New Haven, Connecticut. Since 2011 she has also been the artist in Residence at the Eli Whitney Museum. Her sculptures can be found in galleries, in public parks, and in collections worldwide. Susan has received numerous awards, including most recently one of the nation’s top carving award -- The 2019 MH Hammerschlag Award, and the 2018 Art by the Northeast Award for Sculpture.
Quotes about Susan's art
“In Susan’s work, we see a deep appreciation for human history, for the eloquence of human gesture, as well as for the felt experience of individual lives. And we feel an obvious and contagious joy in what wood and wire, found objects and images, can come to reveal through the work of her hands and shaping spirit. She succeeds in illuminating both the overwhelming and underlaying connectivity of our world” Yale Daily News
“Clinard’s work shows both empathy and immense technical proficiency, as if we have stepped from mid-polar vortex New Haven into Paris’ Musée Bourdelle, the quirky atelier of a monumental sculptor. The pieces keep us coming back not just because they are timely, but also because they are good. Indeed, Clinard has asked us to stare something in the face, and make her a promise in return. That we’ll be better, so someone else’s tomorrow can be too.” Arts Council 2019
“The soulful essence that infuses each of Clinard’s figurative pieces also binds them as a collection. Her deftness with three-dimensional materials, empathic nature and strong propensity for revealing the human condition is part of what makes her a 21st century master sculptor.” New Haven Independent 2016
“There is something intense yet poetic in the sensibilities of Clinard’s art work. Amidst today’s plethora of art, she manages to say something very different. There is a clear luminosity to her work that is contemporary, yet incredibly timeless… her aesthetic places you in an artistic territory that creates a dialogue, causing viewers to stop in their tracks." ART PLATFORM NYC 2014
“Moving work. Archetypal. Sad but transcendent. So much art seems to aim at experimentation, decoration and charm. Clinard’s feels much deeper.” Christensen. Imagine Project, 2014
“There is something ineffably brave about Clinard’s boat pieces. These people seem filled with holiness and purpose and to be capable of mitigating evil.” Barry Lopez, author 2014
“Clinard crafts wonderfully evocative works that seem to exist at some mysterious junction between the world of the spirit and that of reality.” New Haven Register 2011
“It is very rare to see realistic sculpture that is so honest, masterful and contemporary.” Budzik 2012
"The passion that inhabits her art at times seems to echo the gravitas and spirit of 19th century French sculptor Auguste Rodin,(her work) evokes deep spirituality-a hallmark of Clinard's sculptural work." Sepulveda 2013
Susan Clinard. Photo by Lotta Studio
Selected solo and two person exhibitions
| 2021 | Border Crossings in Arts and Humanities, Contours Collaborations, Online |
| 2020 | Bridge over troubled waters, Gedney Gallery, MA |
| 2019 | Places We've Been, Yale University Whitney Humanity Center, New Haven, CT |
| 2019 | Inside Out, Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT |
| 2018 | Silvermine Art Gallery, New Canaan, CT |
| 2018 | Dedee Shattuck Gallery, Westport, MA |
| 2018 | Undercurrents: Revisited, Potter Gallery, Simsbury, CT |
| 2017 | Junc·ture. Keator Gallery, New Haven, CT |
| 2017 | Time Will Tell, The Kohn-Joseloff Gallery, Cheshire, CT |
| 2016 | Navigating the Human Landscape, Marie L. Trichet Gallery Wisdom House, Litchfield, CT |
| 2016 | Filtering Noise, DaSilva Gallery, New Haven, CT |
| 2015 | Yale University, Jonathan Edwards College Gallery, New Haven, CT |
| 2015 | Spaces In between, Artifact Gallery, New York,NY |
| 2014 | Distances, Theater Works Gallery, Hartford, CT |
| 2014 | At the Corner of Spirit and Reality, Trinity, New Haven, CT |
| 2014 | Threads of Serendipity, Kehler Liddell Gallery, New Haven, CT |
| 2013 | Undercurrents, Mary C. Daly, RSM Art Gallery, Madison, CT |
| 2012 | Reflections of Place, Kehler Liddell Gallery, New Haven, CT |
| 2011 | Spaces, Chicago Art Matrix Gallery, Chicago |
| 2011 | New Works, Kehler Liddell Gallery, New Haven |
| 2010 | Turning Wheel, University of New Haven, Seton Gallery, New Haven |
| 2009 | Vessels and Compartments, Chicago Art Matrix Gallery, Chicago |
| 2009 | Paper Wood and Bone, Kehler Liddell Gallery, New Haven |
| 2008 | Untitled, Palais de l’Europe, Menton, France |
| 2008 | Life’s Spectrum, Riverstreet Gallery, New Haven |
| 2008 | A Collection, New Haven Lawn Club Gallery, New Haven |
| 2007 | Untitled, Marsh Botanical Gardens at Yale University, New Haven |
| 2006 | Tikkun Olam, Almquist Gallery, Winettka |
| 2006 | Fragments, Parts Unknown Gallery, Chicago |
| 2005 | Motion and Rest, BigTown Gallery, Burlington, VT |
| 2004 | Moment In Time, Cultural Center at PVB, Ponte Vedra Beach,Fl |
Selected group exhibitions
| 2020 | The Newport Annual, Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI |
| 2020 | The Golden Door, Silvermine Gallery, New Canaan, CT |
| 2020 | Unraveling A Collective Mourning, H. Miossi Art Gallery, San Luis Obispo, CA |
| 2019 | Winter Selects, Susan Ely Fine Arts, New York, NY |
| 2019 | Ric Michel Fine Art TriBeCa, Pop Up Gallery, Southampton, NY |
| 2019 | Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD |
| 2019 | Slater Museum, Norwich, CT |
| 2019 | Heart and Mind, Silvermine Gallery, CT |
| 2018 | Art of the Northeast, Silvermine Gallery, CT |
| 2017 | Broad Stripes Bright Stars, Eli Center for Contemporary Art, CT |
| 2015 | This into That, Nave Gallery, Somerville, MA |
| 2014 | Art Basel Week. Miami River Art Fair, Dr.B Aust-Wegemund, Miami, FL |
| 2014 | Winchester Loft Commissions, Reynolds Fine Art Gallery, New Haven, CT |
| 2014 | Nothing Set In Stone, New Haven Museum, New Haven, CT |
| 2014 | Doll-Like, John Slade Ely House Gallery, New Haven, CT |
| 2013 | Paper New England, Artspace Gallery, Hartford, CT |
| 2012 | Local Builders: Anthology of CT Sculptors, A-Space Gallery, West Haven, CT |
| 2012 | Beyond Rodin, Rye Arts Center, Rye, New York, NY |
| 2010 | Works in Wood, New Hope Arts Gallery, New Hope, PA |
| 2008 | Gallery Artist, Richard Hughes Gallery, San Antonio, TX |
| 2007 | Untitled, Michael Zschoche Gallery, Newport Beach, CA |
| 2007 | Go Blue, Johnsonese Gallery, Chicago, IL |
| 2006 | UofM Alumni, Madron Gallery of American Art, Chicago, Best of Show Award, IL |
| 2006 | Untitled, Thomas Masters Gallery, Chicago, IL |
| 2005 | Group Show, 4Arts Gallery, Chicago, IL |
| 2003 | Tribute to D. Haddock, Political Library. Concord, NH |
| 2003 | Untitled, Columbia College Dance Center. Chicago, IL |
| 2002 | Flamenco, Art Institute of Chicago. Richard and Ellen Sander Gallery. Chicago, IL |
Selected public commissions
| Carnegie Foundation, New York, NY |
| Subaru of America Headquarters, Camden, NJ |
| Sipi Metal Corp., Iron Pourer Statue, Chicago, IL |
| Gaelic American Club, Irish 1916 Rising Monument, Fairfield, CT |
| Randall Publishing, Tuscaloosa, AL |
| The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, CA |
| Dr, James Still Memorial, Medford, NJ |
| Clio Memorial, New York, NY |
| City of Chicago, Gompers Park Statue, Chicago, IL |
| Corsair Apartments, Sculpture installation, New Haven, CT |
| IAWTA Award, Los Angeles, CA |
| Forest City Enterprises, Winchester Lofts. New Haven, CT |
| LaSalle Bank Mural Building. Gallery 37, Chicago, IL |
| The Rehabilitation Institute, Chicago,IL |
| City of Bridgeport, James O’Rourke and Louis H. Latimer Statues, Bridgeport, CT |
| James Kasler Statue, Momence, IL |
| Boys Club of St. Louis, St. Louis, MO |
| University of Illinois, Champaign, IL |
| Maravilla Hall, Lincolnshire, IL |
| Ele’s Place, Lansing, MI |
| Edward Hospital Angel Memorial, Naperville, IL |
| Hendrix Memorial, St. Simons Island, GA |
Selected private collections
| Vjera and Ivan Decker, Zagreb, Croatia |
| Dr. Christian Mottet, Lausane, Switzerland |
| Dean Takaahashi and Wendy Sharp, Brandford, CT |
| Dr. Valentina Greco and Dr. Antonio Giraldez, New Haven CT |
| Dr. Ben and Lucy Machintosh-Lawrence, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Dr.Junko Murakami, Kobe, Japan |
| Dr. Adam Jones, British Columbia, Canada |
| Mr. and Mrs. Pierre Durchon, Paris, France |
| G. Rouwenhorst and B. Huang , New Haven, CT |
| Alexander Weismann, Kiel, Germany |
| Richard Zandy, New York, NY |
| Marc Vanoverstraeten, Brussels, Belgium |
| Giuseppe Festa, Caserta, Italy |
| Dr. Jilda Williams, Chicago, IL |
| Ifeoma Nwokoye and James Forman, New Haven CT |
| Peter and Sandy Axilrod, New York, NY |
| Doris Haddock “Granny D”, Dublin, NH |
| Zlabys Memorial, Lithuania |
| Alan and Jeannie Mayer, North Haven CT |
| Dr.Josiah Childs and Mary Wegner, Hamden, CT |
| Claudine Pignolet, Martigny, Switzerland |
| Joanne Sweeney, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL |
| Dr. E.Kostas-Polston, West Plains, MO |
| Christophe and Mannuel Emonet, Geneva, Switzerland |
| Mari Cruz Gómez Reñasco, Canary Islands, Spain |
| Dr. Robert Van Tassel, Minneapolis, MN |
| Dr. Doug Weibel, St.Louis, WI |
| David and Joanne Goldblum, New Haven, CT |
| Patrick McCoy, Chicago, IL |
| c.7 d. Wiman, Hamden, CT |
| Francois and Laetitia Gevers, Alsemberg, Belgium |
| Dr, Mark Connolly, River Forest, IL |
| Dr. Harry and Karly Spell, Oregon, IL |
| Paula Hiuser, Gilford, NH |
| Ms. Quimsom, Los Angeles, CA |
| David and Callie Tein, Woodbridge, CT |
| Bruce Navak, FL |
| Judee Gallagher, Chicago, IL |
| Jeffrey Breslow, Chciago, IL |
| Rick and Bic Callahan, Evanston, IL |
Selected publications
| 11/20/2020 | Barsky launches state-of-the-art digital journal on art and border crossings |
| 8/13/2020 | Sculptor’s Work Crosses Borders, Breaks Ground |
| 4/1/2020 | Sculptor Gives Thanks In Place |
| 12/18/19 | heART and Mind at Silvermine Arts Center |
| 01/25/19 | A Place of Relief, Yale Daily News |
| 01/31/19 | The “Places We’ve Been” And The People We Are |
| 02/19/19 | Human Dimension |
| 04/20/18 | Mother Maker: featured artist |
| 04/16/18 | The Woven Tale Press: featured artist |
| 03/17/17 | New Haven Independent: About the travel ban |
| 06/16/16 | New Haven Independent |
| 06/20/16 | WTNH News |
| 06/20/16 | WNPR |
| 06/16/16 | Hartford Current |
| 06/29/16 | New Haven Register |
| 02/16/16 | New Haven Independent |
| 11/25/15 | New Haven Register |
| 5/27/15 | New Haven Register |
| 03/4/15 | The Daily Nutmeg |
| 04/01/15 | Yale Daily News |
| 05/16/14 | The Hartford Currant |
| 04/12/13 | New Haven Register |
| 01/29/13 | New Haven Independent |
| 03/29/13 | New Haven Independent |
| 05/06/14 | New Haven Independent |
| 10/10/12 | The Arts Paper |
| 04/08/12 | New York Times |
| 12/19/11 | New York Times |
| 05/02/11 | New City Art |
| 01/03/11 | New Haven Register |
| 01/31/11 | New Haven Independent |
| 08/21/10 | Connecticut Post |
| 08/27/10 | Fairfield Patch |
| 01/11/10 | New City Art, Chicago |
| 06/11/09 | Connecticut Post |
| 10/31/08 | Prompt Magazine |
| 04/16/08 | The Princeton Packet, New Jersey. Tempo feature article |
| 03/30/08 | Nice-Martin, Nice, France |
| 12/12/07 | Hartford Courant |
| 09/12/08 | New Haven Register |
| 08/09/08 | New Haven Register |
| 03/27/08 | Yale University Daily News |
| 01/25/08 | New Haven Register |
| 12/05/07 | New Haven Register |
| 12/05/07 | Yale University Daily News |
| 12/03/07 | Yale University Daily News |
| 12/01/07 | New Haven Register (front page) |
| 03/01/07 | Life By Design Magazine. Feature Article |
| 12/14/07 | Chicago Tribune |
| 10/01/05 | Kalamazoo Gazette |
| 03/01/04 | Ponte Vedra Recorder |
| 08/01/03 | Today’s Chicago Woman Magazine. Woman About Town |
| 04/01/03 | The Collegian |
| 02/28/03 | The Chicago reader |
| 02/01/02 | Fine Arts Ceramics. feature article. |
| 11/01/02 | Sculpture Journal. feature article |
| 09/02/02 | The Chicago Tribune. On the Job |
| 05/01/02 | The Art Institute of Chicago News and Events Magazine |
| 09/05/01 | The Chicago Reader |
| 12/01/99 | The Chicago reader |
| 06/01/00 | New York Times Magazine |
| 06/01/00 | Chicago Magazine |
Demonstrations, workshops, lectures
| Pivot Projects: Arts and Culture, 2021 |
| Arts Council Award. Emancipation Takes a Knee Documentary, 2020 |
| Curator of the show Stories From Near and Far: Refugee Artists in New Haven, New Haven 06/2016 |
| The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Artist Day, NYC, New York 04/14 |
| Foundation Pierre Gianadda, Martigny, Switzerland |
| Yale Theater Department, Adam Mickiewicz Institute Warsaw, New Haven |
| British Museum at Yale University, Lecture and tour 4/11 |
| WGN Morning News. Channel 9. 4/28 and 5/15/2003 |
| The Art Institute of Chicago Museum (x 4) |
| Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Blue Note Ball (x 2) |
| National Center on Poverty Law |
| Lizzaro Museum, Elmhurst, IL |
| CT Department of Mental Heath |
| Trenton Artist Workshop Assoc., April, 25-27, 2008 |
| Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, New Haven, CT |
Teaching
| The School of the Art Institute of Chicago |
| Palette and Chisel Academy for the Fine Arts, Chicago, IL |
| Gallery 37, The City of Chicago |
| Creative Arts Workshop, New Haven CT |
| Eli Whitney Museum, Hamden CT |
Education
| 1995-1993 | The University of Michigan. B.A. in Cultural Anthropology |
Grants and Awards
| 2020 | Arts Council Commission Award, New Haven, CT |
| 2019 | Mariland Federation of Art, Eye Of The Beholder, First Prize |
| 2019 | Margo Harris Hammerschlag Biennal Direct Carving Award, National Association of Women Artists |
| 2011-2019 | Artist-in-residence: Eli Whitney Museum. |
| 2018 | Carole Eisnor Sculpture Award: Art of the Northeast |
| 2015 | Arts Council Award, New Haven, CT |
| 2015 | Studio Tour by curator, Olu Oguibe, New Haven |
| 2014 | Studio Tour by art historian, Rena Tobey, New Haven |
| 2014 | T.A.P.S Award, New Haven Public Schools |
| 2013 | Studio Tour by art historian, Anne Higonnet, New Haven |
| 2010 | Women’s Caucus for Art San Diego, Best In Show |
| 2010 | Peace by Peace/Yale Medical School, 1st Prize |
| 2010 | Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, Person of the Year |
| 2008 | The Puffin Foundation Grant |