Mixed Media

Installation

Contact Information

Banana Factory
25 W. Third Street, Studio 342
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 18015
tel: 610-844-8974
e-mail: info@heathersincavage.com
www.heathersincavage.com
Please contact artist for purchases, commissions, etc.

Artist Statement

My work is an examination of the female archetype. As humans, we develop through experiences, environments, lessons, and opinions. We observe, evaluate, compare, and reassess who we are and what we do on a daily basis. My work focuses on how we question and define our ideal example of the feminine but also the overall accomplishment of a cognizant “self.” The work is not to be confused as having answers but is more about the methodology one creates to ask the question then further how the journey of answering the question unfolds.

In the context of contemporary portrait, materiality becomes an important conduit portraying one’s emotional construct. Using the figure as context for mark making, the image is carved, erased, covered, and rebuilt as a metaphorical dissection and reconsideration of “self.” The portrait is less about the superficial appearance and more about one’s consciousness.

Image making becomes a synergistic collection of various processes. The work begins with a photograph, often shot while the figure is in motion, igniting the momentum for mark making. After mounting the image, the figure is manipulated through working with medium, often obstructing the original image as an extension of the metaphor. Intrinsic to my work is its use of sugar. Sugar creates a transparent but luminescent skin that often extends off the picture ground. The near bas-relief treatment of my work suggests the tangibility of elements usually considered non-tangible (ie. thoughts and emotions). Its compositional emphasis represents a solidified emotional activity, whether it builds and finishes an image or deconstructs the figure.

The space the work inhabits encroaches on that of the viewer, blurring the line between the physical and cognitive worlds. The cognitive is no longer ether we only assume to exist but instead is the pronounced and dominant element of the portrait. Much of the work is relegated to human scale to indicate the innate possibility of existence. The viewer is demanded to relate with the part of photographic image as a potential depiction of truth.

It is important to me that my work embodies a truthful depiction of one’s conscious identity. I realize that my use of the portrait isn’t always considered “beautiful.” Honesty remains my main objective. I ask the viewer to consider how their emotional state affects their physicality. It is this exploration of depicting emotional constitution that is paramount.

Education

2000
School of Art, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
MFA

1995
Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
BFA

Honors and Awards

Partial list
2008
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Project Stream Grant entitled Gift, Bethlehem, PA

2007
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Project Stream Grant for a project entitled she her i: a portrait of women, Allentown, PA

1999
Gonzales Award, School of Art, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

1998 – 2000
Merit Portfolio Fellowship, School of Art, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Residencies

partial list

2007 – present
Resident Artist, Banana Factory Community Art Center, Bethlehem, PA

2010
Artist-in-Residence, Arts Lehigh, Lehigh University,
Bethlehem, PA

2009
Artix Fellowship for Artist-in-Residence, Artix Creativo Espacio; Zaragoza, Spain

2008
VSC Fellowship for Artist-in-Residence, Vermont Studio Center; Johnson, VT

2002 – 2007
Artist-in-Residence, Lehigh Valley Arts Council, Allentown, PA

Professional Experience

2005 – present
Adjunct Professor, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

2005
Juror, Mayfair Festival for the Arts, Allentown, PA

Panelist, Marywood University 2nd and 3rd Year Reviews, Marywood University, Scranton, PA

2004
Juror, Art in the Park, West Park Association, Allentown, PA

Panelist, Marywood University 2nd and 3rd Year Reviews, Marywood University, Scranton, PA

2003
Juror, Art in the Park, West Park Association, Allentown, PA

2002 – present
Instructor of Record, Baum School of Art/ Lehigh Carbon Community College/Penn State University, Allentown, PA

2005 – 2006, 2007, 2009 – 2010
Assistant Professor, Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA

2003 – 2005
Adjunct Professor, Marywood University, Scranton, PA

2000
Visiting Faculty, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

1999 – 2000
Shop Technician, Industrial Design Department, School of Art, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

1998 – 1999
Teaching Assistant, School of Art, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Lectures and Talks

2010
“Architect’s Daughter” Arts Lehigh, Lehigh University,
Bethlehem, PA

Penn State Careers Panel, Penn State University, Bethlehem, PA

Guest Speaker, Women in Art Graduate Seminar, Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA

Guest Speaker, South Mountain College Seminar, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

2009
“Banana Factory, an example for La Harinera”, La Harinera, Centro Cultural y de Creacion Contemporanea, Zaragoza, Spain

2008
“Releasing Butterflies”, Gallery 908, Reading, PA

2007
“Heather Sincavage” In Response to Healing exhibition, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

2006
“Heather Sincavage” Berks County Art Alliance, Wyomissing Art Institute, Wyomissing, PA

2005
“Collector” North Light Loft, Allentown, PA

2002
“Artist Spotlight on 28th Annual International Juried Exhibition” Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA

Selected Commissions

2008
Mural, Fountain Hill Elementary School,
Bethlehem, PA

Lehigh Valley Hospital Center- Emergency Room, Allentown, PA

2007
Imagination Soars at Central mural, Central Elementary School, Allentown, PA.

1995
Ceremonial Candelabra in honor of Former Phillippino Prime Minister Corazon Acquino, Pearl Buck Foundation, Perkasie, PA Presented at United Nations, New York, NY

Selected Bibliography

2010
Hanson, Heather, “Heather Sincavage,” Local Flair Magazine, Feb/Mar 2010

2009
Interview, Aragon National Public Radio, Zaragoza, Spain

Interview, WDIY Public Radio, Lehigh Valley Arts Salon, Bethlehem, PA

2008
Gehman, Geoff “A Mental Pinball Machine,” Morning Call,
May 8, 2008

Schira, Ron “The Art of Survival,” Reading Eagle,
February 24, 2008

2007
Hughes, Melanie “Piecing Together a Sense of Unity,” Morning Call, October 25, 2007

“Saving our Schools”, Tempo! WLVT PBS station, PA

2006
Gehman, Geoff “Baum teachers make boxed in feel free,” Morning Call, December 21, 2006

2005
Drinkard, Nisha “Crossing the Line: Wearable to Unwearable,” Surface Design Magazine, Spring 2005

2004
“Local Children Exhibit Furniture among Books,” Allentown Times, May 21, 2004

2003
Endick, Kenneth “Project Blue gets off to a great start,” Express Times, November 21, 2003

Gehman, Geoff “Sculptor heals by revealing her wounds,” Morning Call, January 16, 2003

Selected Exhibitions

Solo

2010
Untitled: Featured Artist Exhibit, Banana Factory, Bethlehem, PA

Architect’s Daughter, Arts Lehigh, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

2009
Heather Sincavage: Curator Showcase, Asociacion de Venecinos o San Jose, Zaragoza, Spain

Gift, Banana Factory; Bethlehem, PA

End of Winter: Featured Artist Exhibit, Banana Factory; Bethlehem, PA

2008
she her i: a portrait of women, Rodale Family Gallery, Baum School of Art,Allentown, PA

Gemini: Featured Artist Exhibit, Banana Factory, Bethlehem, PA

Releasing Butterflies, Gallery 908,
Reading, PA

2005
Collector, North Light Loft, Allentown, PA

2003
Armored Vulnerability, David E. Rodale Gallery, Baum School of Art, Allentown, PA

Ballad, project Blue Gallery, Easton, PA

2001
Nesting/Finding, Allentown Art Center, Allentown, PA

Group

2011
InLiquid at URBN, Gallery 543, Philadelphia, PA

2010
In My Body: Reworks, InLiquid at the Bride, Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia, PA

More Serious Business, Fowler Art Center, Northampton Community College, Bethlehem, PA

Self, Croft Art Gallery, Waco, TX

Aut(e)omatas, Centro de Historia de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

The (forth annual) Red Show, Banana Factory Third Floor; Bethlehem, PA

2009
Visual Notations and Mark Making, Girdler Gallery, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

Anything Goes- todo vale-, El Jardin de las Delicias, Zaragoza, Spain

The Banana Factory Artist Annual Exhibition, Banana Factory Kress Gallery, Bethlehem, PA

Baum School of Art Faculty Exhibition, David E. Rodale Gallery, Baum School of Art, Allentown, PA

The (third annual) Red Show, Banana Factory Third Floor, Bethlehem, PA
2008
The Red Show, Banana Factory Third Floor, Bethlehem, PA

The Banana Factory Artist Annual Exhibition, Banana Factory Kress Gallery; Bethlehem, PA

2007
18th Annual New Arts Program Salon Invitational, New Arts Program; Kutztown, PA

In Response to Healing, Traveling exhibition
Kutztown University; Gallery 908, Reading, PA; Penn State University, State College, PA; Ohio State University, Newark, OH; University of Arkansas

2006
Bridging the Divide, Monsoon Gallery, Bethlehem, PA

Drawing Conclusions, project Blue Gallery and Workshop, Easton, PA

2005
16th Annual New Arts Program Salon Invitational, New Arts Program; Kutztown, PA

Bringing the Outside In, David E. Rodale Gallery, Baum School of Art, Allentown, PA

2004
Womenkind, Black Cultural Arts Center, Lafayette College, Easton, PA

Crossing the Line: Wearable to Unwearable, Ben Shahn Court Gallery, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ

(un)Wearable, Williams Center for the Arts, Lafayette College, Easton, PA

2003
Marywood Faculty Biennial Exhibition, Mahady Gallery, Marywood University; Scranton, PA

Baum School of Art Faculty Exhibition, David E. Rodale Gallery, Baum School of Art, Allentown, PA

2002
28th Annual Juried International Exhibition, Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA

Exhibitions Curated

2010
Curator, Chores: a contemporary response to domesticity, Members Lounge and Gallery, Banana Factory, Bethlehem, PA

Other

Research Project

2010
“The Evolving Archetype” visual art series, Lehigh University in conjunction with Arts Lehigh, Women’s Center, and the Women Studies Program, Bethlehem, PA