Artist Statement

My sculptures explore how the female form responds to aging, reproduction, and trauma. The unique creatures depicted in my latest sculpture series, HYSTERIA, are my “wandering women.” Their acrobatic gestures and distorted proportions are manifestations of a body in flux. HYSTERIA takes ownership of what it is to be in the ever-changing female form and all the enchanting absurdity it encompasses.

My current series stems from the tipping point when we are forced to confront ourselves and recalibrate to survive. I distort the female form with plump torsos, elongated limbs, and bird-like necks. Body parts twist as if searching for a new point of view. These figures live in a disorienting world where spatial awareness may stretch and expand.

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Education

2019
The Art Students League of NY, New York, NY
Monitor Scholarship

2010
The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
BFA, Sculpture

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Awards & Honors

2018
Fountain House Gallery + Studio, New York, NY
Artist in Residence

2012
Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, National Puppetry Conference, Hartford CT
Scholarship Recipient

2011
Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, National Puppetry Conference, Hartford CT
Participant Finalist

2010
The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Merit Scholarship

2009
Puppeteers of America
Mike & Frances Oznowicsz Scholarship

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Bibliography

2019
Roberts, John, "Making Methods," Making Simple Marionettes, Crowood Press, Marlborough, United Kingdom

2018
McMills, A. E., "Character Design & Fabrication," 3D Printing Basics for Entertainment Design, Routledge, New York, NY

"Interview with Director/Producer Laurie Berenhaus," wearemovingstories.com, August 26, 2018

"Music Video 'Mountains' by Laurie Berenhaus to Screen at HollyShorts Film Festival," vimooz.com, August 4, 2018

2014
Mufson, Beckett, "This Artist Is 3D Printing Custom Puppet Prosthetics," creators.vice.com, September 12, 2014

O’Neal, Bridget Butler, "3D Printing Artist is Pulling Strings and Saving Puppets from Extinction," 3dprint.com, September 12, 2014

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Professional experience

Selected Festivals & Screenings

2018
International Arthouse Film Fest, Chicago, IL
*Hollyshorts Film Festival: The Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Southeast New England Film, Music & Arts Festival, Providence, RI
Queens World Film Festival, Museum of the Moving Image, Queens, NY

2017
*Leeds International Film Festival, Leeds, England
ANIMAZE International Animation Festival, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Canada
Indie Memphis Film Festival, Memphis, TN
International River Film Festival, Padova, Italy
ReAnimania International Film Festival, Yerevan, Armenia
KLIK Amsterdam Animation Festival, Amsterdam, Netherlands
New Hampshire Film Festival, Portsmouth, NH
LA Femme Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA
Sidewalk Film Festival, Birmingham, AL
Imaginaria Animated Film Festival, Conversano, Italy
Grove Film Festival, Jersey City, NJ

*Academy Award Qualifying Film Festival

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Teaching Experience

2020
Mason Gross Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ
Visiting Artist

The Art Students League of NY, New York, NY
Teaching Assistant for Instructors Pat Lipsky, Leonid Lerman, Marcelo Daldoce, Yuka Imata

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Lectures & Panels

2019
BREAKING DOWN: Discussion on Art & Mental Illness, curated by Lexy HoTai and moira williams, Flux Factory, Queens, NY
Panel Discussion

2018
Ladies Rocking the Lens, Imagine This WIFF, New York, NY
Guest Speaker

2015
National Puppetry Festival, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Technical Workshop Leader

2014
Animation Goes 3D, Made in NY Media Center by IFP
Panel Discussion

The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Artist Alumni Talk

Exhibitions

2020
The Roar Within, Riverfront Gallery, Yonkers, NY

Concourse Show, Phyllis Harriman Gallery, New York, NY

2019
Mad About Art, Fountain House Gallery's Art Auction & Benefit, Metropolitan West, New York, NY

Knotted Pieced & Wound, Fountain House Gallery, New York, NY

2018
Manipulated Life, Plaxall Gallery, Queens, NY

About Face, Fountain House Gallery, New York, NY

Onward, Outsider Art Fair, New York, NY

2015
Naked Puppet Exhibit, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

2014
Replication 3D Printed Art Show, Fort Houston, Nashville, TN

2013
Annual Guest Room Exhibition, Paula Lalala MVSEVM, Cornwallville NY

2011
Making It, Dorrance Hamilton Hall at The University of the Arts, Philadelphia PA

2008
On The Trails, The Schuylkill Center, Philadelphia PA