The Lives and Traumas of Stuffed Animals is a series of graphite pencil drawings and prints of Mr. Bunny and his friends. Using humor, however dark, is a way of dealing with past and present dilemmas. This work has been called ‘comically disturbing depiction of stuffed animals under siege’ and although there is a playful side, the underlining theme is fear, cruelty and survival. In recurring distressful situations, people often become like dolls, putting forward a cheerful personae no matter what is happening. Layers of graphite pencil in the drawing or layers of black ink in the prints are used to achieve deep blacks in the space surrounding the stuffed animals confirming the feeling of isolation one feels when totally overwhelmed and powerless. Though the circumstances represented in the work are not real, no stuffed animals were hurt in the making of the work, they capture the aura that surrounds a person who has no control but will not give in.
Artist Biography
Elaine M. Erne, co-founder and co-director of Star Wheel Printers, received her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA and her MFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. Erne’s drawings and prints have been featured in numerous invitational and juried national exhibitions. She has had six solo exhibitions in the past eight years: Mr. Bunny Misses His Friends, Nexus, Foundation for Today’s Arts, Philadelphia PA; Elaine M. Erne: Drawing and Prints, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ; Mr. Bunny and Friends, Nexus, Foundation for Today’s Arts, Philadelphia PA; The Lives and Traumas of Stuffed Animals, BahdeeBahdu Gallery, Philadelphia, PA; a Wind Challenge Exhibition, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA; and a Community Gallery Solo Exhibition, Abington Art Center, Abington, PA. Erne is a recipient of a Dene M. Louchheim Faculty Fellowship, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA and a Career Development Fellowshipwith The Center for Emerging Visual Artist, Philadelphia, PA. She was one of 25 artists selected by the Center of Emerging Visual Artist to represent them in their 25th Year Anniversary Exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In 2015 Erne won the Jane Friend Purchase Award in the Brand Associates' 43rd Annual Works On Paper National Juried Exhibition in Glendale, CA. She is currently on the faculty at Drexel University, Moore College of Art and Design, and the Fleisher Art Memorial all in Philadelphia, PA.
Education
Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA MFA, summa cum laude
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA BFA with a minor in English, summa cum laude
Continuing Education
Manhattan Graphic Center, New York, NY Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, New York, NY Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Philadelphia, PA
Awards & Honors
2015 Jane Friend Purchase Award, Brand 43 Works on Paper Annual National Juried Exhibition, Brand Library Art Galleries, Glendale, CA
2013 Juror's Choice Award, Eye of the Beholder, Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD
2008 Juror’s Award, Art on Paper, Maryland Federation for Art, Baltimore, MD
Nominated: Independence Foundation Fellowship, Philadelphia Community Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Daly Award, Paper 2008, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
2005 Juror’s Award, The Print Show, Maryland Federation for Art, Baltimore, MD
2003 Juror’s Award, Works on Paper 2003, Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ
Fellowships and Residencies
2015 Picasso Project, PCCY, Philadelphia, PA
2013 - present Community Partnerships in the Arts, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
2003 - 2005 Career Development Fellowship, The Center for Emerging Visual Artist, Philadelphia, PA
2004 Dene M. Louchheim Faculty Fellowship, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
1988 Pilchuck Glass School, Seattle, WA
Bibliography
"Members of Star Wheel Printers," Philadelphia Stories Magazine, Fall 2015
Minetulla, Erica "Members Show: Featured Artist: Elaine M. Erne," Inliquid, August 16, 2013
"Sticky Bunnies: A Temporary Lost Art Form," Metro, May, 26, 2011
Vigar, Ismaa "Impact of abuse on children," iheartartnyc.com, October 16, 2009
McCann, Courtney "Artist uses stuffed toys to make statement about abuse,"The Press of Atlantic City, 10/8/09
Newhall, Edith "Variety of creatures featuring light, sound, humor," Philadelphia Inquirer, August 30, 2009
"16 from co-op show work," Philadelphia Inquirer, June 2009
Strauss, R.B. "The New Art Season Start NOW!," Art Stalker, weeklypress.com, September, 2007
"Mr. Bunny and Friends Artist Interview with the Artist," NexusTV, September 2007
Cheltenham Printers Guild, Cheltenham, PA NEXUS, Foundation for Today’s Art, Philadelphia, PA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, New York, NY Manhattan Graphics Center, New York, NY The Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk, CT College Art Association
Professional Experience
2013 - Present Co-founder with Nicole P. Dul, Star Wheel Printers Star Wheel Printers is a collective which supports, promotes, and shares printmaking with artists and the communities of Philadelphia through social media, consistent exhibitions, outreach to art organizations, and collaborative projects.
2015 - present Faculty in Art and Art History Department, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
2010 – present Faculty in Foundation, Illustration, and Fine Arts Departments, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA • 2011-2015, Summer Art and Design Institute pre-college program • 2013-2014, Young Artist's Workshops • 2004-2009, Academic Affairs Coordinator
1998 - present Fine Arts Instructor, Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
2012 Juror, Annual Juried Student Show, Art & Art History Department, Franklin and Marshal College, Lancaster PA
Lectures and Talks
2017 Expanding Horizons Printmaking Symposium, demonstration on silk aquatint, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, PA
2016 Artist's Lecture, Altered States, Moore College of Art and Design
Lecture and Demonstration – Silk Aquatint, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, PA
2012 Guest Lecturer, Fine Arts Department, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA
2009 Artist Lecture, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ
Exhibitions
Solo
2011 Mr. Bunny Misses His Friends, Nexus Foundation for Today’s Art, Philadelphia, PA
2009 Elaine M. Erne: Drawings and Prints, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ
2007 Mr. Bunny and Friends, Nexus, Foundation for Today’s Arts, Philadelphia, PA
The Lives and Traumas of Stuffed Animals, BahdeeBahdu Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Wind Challenge Exhibition, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
2006 Community Gallery Solo Series Exhibition, selected work from the Lives and Traumas of Stuffed Animals, Abington Art Center, Abington, PA
2004 Dene M. Louchheim Faculty Fellowship Solo Exhibition, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
Group
2017 Cheltenham Printers Guild, Gtatz College, Elkins Park, PA
Expanding Horizons, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, PA
Connections and Disconnections, Schmidt Gallery, GoggleWorks, Reading, PA
119th Faculty Exhibition, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
Current Work SWP, 3rd Street Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Four Printmakers, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, PA
2016 Selected Cheltenham Printers Guild, Legends Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Aberration, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
Altered States, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA
118th Faculty Exhibition, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
11th Annual National Juried Exhibition, Axis Gallery,Sacramento, CA
Printmakers Guild, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, PA
10th Biennial International Miniature Print Exhibition, Bendheim Gallery, Greenwich, CT
Do You Hear What I Hear?, A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
A Celebration of Color, Dupree Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Cheltenham Printers Guild, East Rotunda, State Capital Building, Harrisburg, PA
Generation X: Razzle Dazzle, A.I.R Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2015 Brand 43 Works on Paper Annual National Juried Exhibition, Brand Library Art Galleries Glendale, CA
Memories and Metaphors, Holy Family University Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Dab Art's 2015 Summer Juried Exhibition,The HUD Gallery, Ventura, CA
117th Faculty Exhibition, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
National Juried Exhibition: Works on Paper-2015, Long Beach Island Foundation, Loveladies, NJ
Mark on the Wall, small works on paper, Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA Juried Exhibition
10th Biennial International Miniature Print Exhibition 2015, Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk, CT
74th Annual Juried Exhibition, The Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Surface and Tension; A Print Show, The Orchard Artworks, Bryn Athyn, PA
2014 Dark, Arc Studios and Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Let This Be A Sign, Print Exchange 2014, 7 Dunham Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
116th Annual Faculty Exhibition, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
Making Our Mark: Philadelphia Printmakers, The Avenue Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2014 EAS at the PMA, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Drawing Strength, BahdeeBahdu Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Branching Out, Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk, CT
One Last Look, Second State Press, The Crane Building, Philadelphia, PA
2013 Holy Daze – A Group Exhibition, The Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, Philadelphia, PA
Almost Three Years of Printmaking, Recitation Gallery, University of Delaware, DE
Member's Show, Second State Press, Inliguid, PPAC, Icebox Project, Philadelphia, PA
115 Annual Faculty Show, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
Eye of the Beholder, Maryland Federation for Art, Annapolis, MD Received Juried Exhibition Juror's Choice Award
Portraits in Print, Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk, CT
Woman of All Colors, international exhibition of women artists, Liz Long Gallery, Chicago, IL
Home and History, Plastic Club, Philadelphia, PA
Second State, Second Edition, Metropolitan Gallery 250, Philadelphia, PA
2012 TechKnowledge, Holy Family University Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
First Amendment Show, Highwire Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
I Heart Prints, Roberts Gallery, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
Flat File Artists, Roberts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Second State Portfolio Exchange Exhibition, Second State Press, Crane Building, Philadelphia, PA
2011 Urban Collector, Highwire Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Real and Imaged, Plastic Club, Philadelphia, PA
2010 Ground Play, Nexus Foundation for Today’s Art, Philadelphia, PA
The One Fifty/One Fifty Show, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
Extra-Dimensional Printmaking Invitational, Nexus, Foundation with Today’s Art, Philadelphia, PA
Impressions: Exploring Printmaking in the 21st Century, Penn Charter School, Philadelphia, PA
2009 Art of the Gecko, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA
Invasive Species, Wallingford Art Center, Wallingford PA
2008 The 50/50 Show, The Tiberino Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Anne Canfield, Elaine M. Erne and Elsya Voshell, Philadelphia Cathedral, Philadelphia, PA
POST Printmakers, The Gallery at St. Asaph's Church, Bala Cynwyd, PA
Emerging to Established, 25 years of the Center for Emerging Visual Artist’s Exhibition, Director’s Gallery, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Child’s Play, Projects Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
31st Annual Juried Art on Paper Exhibition, Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD Juried Exhibition
Paper 2008, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA Juried Exhibition
Socked and Awe, Mew Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Yummy, Nexus Foundation for Today’s Art, Philadelphia, PA
2007 South Philly Artist Group Show, Art @ sophi, Philadelphia, PA
Gross Anatomy, Stratosphere Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
POST Preview, Freeman’s Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Black Is the Color, The Plastic Club, Philadelphia, PA Juried Exhibition
Drawing the Line, Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts, Millville, NJ Invitational
Philagrafika: Selected Prints, William Penn Foundation, Philadelphia, PA
Synthesis: Friends of 705, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
Newton’s Law, Nexus, Foundation for Today’s Art, Philadelphia, PA
Work by CFEVA Artist, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, Philadelphia, PA
2006 Works on Paper, Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ Juried Exhibition
From the Studio 3, POST, Benoliel Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Oink, Moo, Baa: Animals in Art, Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, Wilmington, DE
Philagrafika: Selected Prints, William Penn Foundation, Philadelphia, PA
Matching Pairs, Nexus, Foundation for Today’s Art, Philadelphia, PA
100% Centennial: Wall-to-Wall CFA, Miller Gallery, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Paper 2006, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA Juried Exhibition
2005 New Works by Past Artists, 1984-2005, Art in City Hall, Philadelphia, PA Juried Exhibition
From the Studio 2, POST, Benoliel Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Works on Paper, Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ Juried Exhibition
Across the City Line: POST Preview Exhibition, St. Asaph’s Church, Bala Cynwyd, PA
Prints and Drawings, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA Juried Exhibition
The Print Show, Maryland Federation of Art, Baltimore, MD, Juried Exhibition Juror’s Award
77th Annual Juried Exhibition, Art Association of Harrisburg, Harrisburg, PA Juried Exhibition
Selected Artists, William Penn Foundation, Philadelphia, PA
Exhibitions Curated
2017 First Edition 2017: Graduating Philadelphia Printmakers, Star Wheel Printers, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
2016 First Edition 2016: Graduating Philadelphia Printmakers, Star Wheel Printers, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
2015 First Edition 2015: Graduating Philadelphia Printmakers, Star Wheel Printers, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
2014 Making Our Mark: Philadelphia Printmakers, The Avenue Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2011 Nexus Alumni Invitational, Celebrating 35 Years of Art, Nexus, Philadelphia, PA
2004 SO FAM, Staff of Fleisher, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA,