Christine Stoughton is a visual artist and art educator living in the greater Philadelphia area.
She is a graduate of Pennsylvania Academy of Art and has a PhD from Boston College. She has taught printmaking in numerous academic institutions and is currently an instructor of art aesthetics at the Barnes Foundation and St Joseph University.
She works both in the two-dimensional and three-dimensional realm. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in solo and group shows.
Her art, which explores the concept of change and the ephemeral, and references the natural world, is strongly influenced by her careers as a psychologist and a teacher, and her experiences as a mother.
Inherent in the making of art is the transformation of a creative impulse into a creative action. In the visual arts this involves a change from the artistic concept to the art object. My work is strongly motivated by this idea of change, both in the making of the work and in the final image. Eastern philosophy, with its honoring of the simple and its focus on change with mindfulness in the present, is a guiding principle for me. My former profession of practicing psychologist and my experience of being a mother has reinforced the view that living life is about honoring change and recognizing impermanence. Thus, the capturing of the ephemeral is essential to my art.
Close observation of the transformation that is inherent in nature, and my interaction with this natural environment, influence my art. The way plants change their form as they grow, the movement of wind and water, and the rhythm of light and shadow inform my work. My art, whether 2D or 3D, often depicts abstracted images moving in an undefined environment. Transitions from internal space to external space, from groundedness to groundlessness, are consistent themes in my work. The work is often presented in an informal manner with the intent of emphasizing the aesthetics of the everyday.
Simple, easily accessible and often natural objects are my materials of choice. The goal is always to maintain the integrity of the material while transforming it in a manner that allows the artist and the viewer to experience it in a new and often surprising way. The materials used, the lines drawn, the images portrayed, generally have the expressive quality of fragility and vulnerability. The challenge for this artist is to express an emotional sensitivity in the work, while maintaining a substance, an "Itness" that allows it to withstand the passing of time. This challenge refects my view of human development, the need to remain emotionally open while being strong enough to go the distance.
2001 - 2006
De Mazia Trust at the Barns Foundation, Lower Merion, PA
1992 - 1998
Pennyslvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Diploma, Philadelphia, PA
1979 - 1984
Boston College, PhD in Counseling Psychology, Boston, MA
1970 - 1971
Univerity of Louisville, MEd in Special Education, Louisville, MO
1964 - 1968
St. Louis University, BA in Education, St. Louis, MO
2020
Everyday Genius Award, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
1999
Window of Opportunity Award, Leeway Foundation, Philadelphia, PA
Design, Winter Garden Show, Toronto, Ontario
1997
The Mark Cullinane Prize in Sculpture, Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
1968
Phi Beta Kappa, St. Louis University
1970-1971
Federal Grant for Special Education, University of Louisville
1974-1979
Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry Tufts University, Boston, MA
2019
St. Joseph’s University, Adjunct Instructor, Art Aesthetics, Philadelphia, PA
2015 - Present
Barnes Foundation, Instructor, Art Aesthetics, Philadelphia, PA
2011 - 2019
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Adjunct Instructor, Print Making, Philadelphia, PA
2006 - 2020
University of the Arts, Adjunct Instructor, Print Making, Philadelphia, PA
2001 - Present
Main Line Art Center, Instructor, Print Making, Studio Monitor, Haverford, PA
2006 - 2020
Violette de Mazia Foundation, Instructor, Art Aesthetics, Wayne, PA
2009 - 2014
West Chester University, Adjunct Instructor, Art Aesthetics, West Chester, PA
1998 - 2000, 2006 - 2009
Basekamp, Artist Member, Philadelphia, PA
Maintained studio and collaborated with other Basekamp artists in the production of large scale, site-specific works of art that involved an interactive component with the viewer.
1981 - 1992
Psychologist and Psychometrist, NC, Toronto Ontario
1968 - 1979
Special Educator MA, IL, KY, NY
2006
Kite: Art Takes Flight, Public Art Project, Curated by the Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
Moon Dwelling, Limited Edition Print, Commissioned by the Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
2001
Wall Sculpture, Collaborative project, The West Side Grille, Conshohocken, PA
1999
Prints in Space, Collaborative project, Beaux’s Arts Ball, Pennsylvania, PA
Water Sculpture, Winter Garden Show, Toronto, Ontario
The Hegemonic Bar, Collaborative Project, Philadelphia, PA
1997
Sculptural Kites, Collaborative Project, Episcopal Academy, Devon, PA
2023
Multiplicity, Curated Group Show, Delaware College of Art and Design, Wilmington, DE
2023
Collective Members Exhibition, Solo and Group Show, Cerulean Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2022
Landscapes of the Mind, Curated Group Show, Noyes Museum, Hammonton, NJ
Solo Members Exhibition, Cerulean Arts Collective, Philadelphia, PA
Group Members Exhibition, Cerulean Arts Collective, Philadelphia, PA
2022, 2018, 2017
Invitational Solo and Group Shows, Black Moth Gallery, Haverford, PA
2021
Solo Members Exhibition, Cerulean Arts Collective, Philadelphia, PA
Group Members Exhibition, Cerulean Arts Collective, Philadelphia, PA
Celebration of Trees, Curated Group Show, Henry Gallery at Penn State, Malvern, PA
2020
The Inquisitives, Curated Group Show, The Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
2018
Making Space, Leeway Foundation Invitational Group Show, The Galleries at Moore, Philadelphia, PA
Inside Out, Curated Group Show, InLiquid Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
The Nature of Abstraction, Curated Group Show, Henry Gallery at Penn State, Malvern, PA
Through Our Eyes, Invitational Group Show, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
2017
Faculty Show, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
Red, Invitational Group Show, Third Street Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2016
The Soul of a Young Girl, Invitational group show, Old City Jewish Art Center, Philadelphia, PA
The Thread of Art, Juried Group Show, Stanek Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2014 - 2022
Open Studio Tour and Member Show, Norristown Arts Building, Norristown, PA
2014
Pushing the Limits, Akua invitational exhibition, Central Booking Gallery, New York, NY
2013
Professional Members Show, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
2012
Art Department Faculty Show, West Chester University, West Chester, PA
Professional Members Show, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
Shades of GREEN, Group show, Delaware Center for Horticulture, Wilmington, DE
2011
Art Sister’s Winter Show, Abstract Expressions Contemporary Art Gallery, Mount Holly, NJ
2010
Reflections, Two Person Show, AxD Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Juried Five Person Show, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
Diverse Horizons, Widener University Art Museum, Chester, PA
2009
Faculty Show 2009, Allens Lane Art Center, Philadelphia, PA
Group Show, The Art Trust Gallery, West Chester, PA
Greenfest, Three Person Show, AxD Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2008
Group Show, AxD Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2007
Natural Selection, Two Person Show, AxD Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
One Person Show, Naidre’s Café, Brooklyn, NY
2006 - 2009
Faculty Show, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA
2006
Pressed Image, Art in City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
2003
Those who Teach, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
Chosen by the Main Line Art Center to represent the Main Line Art Center
Works on Paper, Juried Show, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
1997
Woman Works, Women’s Resource Center, Wayne, PA
1996-1998
Student Show, Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
1996
One Person Show, Episcopal Academy, Devon, PA
1992
American Psychological Association Centennial Art Exhibit, Washington, DC
