Madison Makala Greiner creates paintings which explore the emotional response to being in a location alone. Her paintings are largely inspired by Philadelphia at night and feeling of isolation within a city. Whether the feeling brought on by the space is peace or unease, her works aim to capture the true experience of walking alone on the streets of Philadelphia.
Madison Makala Greiner (b.1995) is an artist born, trained, living and working in Philadelphia. Madison completed her undergraduate education at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the University of Pennsylvania. Graduating with a BFA in Painting and a minor in Art History, Madison was the recipient of the Raymond D. and Estelle Rubens Travel Scholarship, which funded her studies and travels in Europe, and the Anne Bryan Award and the Louis B. Sloan painting award, acknowledging her exceptional landscape paintings.
Her commitment to her craft extends beyond painting, as she has actively contributed her art history knowledge to cultural institutions in Philadelphia. She co-curated the exhibit "Why Objects Matter" for the University of Pennsylvania Museum and worked as an assistant to the curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art. Madison's work also had an archaeological aspect; she was involved in creating illustrations of Minoan Greek pottery at an American Research Study Center in Crete. Recently, in 2023, Madison embarked on a residency at Park Towne Place, where she created a series of Romantic urban landscape paintings. These works, dark and moody in their visual aesthetics, capture the awe and grandeur of the cityscape of Philadelphia, illuminating the environment that she is deeply connected to. The treatment of light in her paintings is a testament to her skill and vision. Madison's works are a poetic display of the passage of time, mirroring the city's ebb and flow around her, as street lamps click on at dusk and the blur of headlights illuminate the highway in the distance. Madison holds her ground, both physically and in time, as she captures the transformative spirit of the city in her art.
One of the recent standout moments in Madison's career was her participation in the 2023 Rittenhouse Fine Art Show where she sold a staggering 80% of her paintings.
In essence, Madison Makala Greiner is a storyteller who uses her brush to weave tales of the city she calls home, Philadelphia, and the moments she captures within its confines.
2014-2019
BFA minor in Art History, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
2014-2019
BFA, Painting (dual program with UPENN), Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2019-2020
Certificate, Painting, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
ICA: Ree Morton: The Plant That Heals May Also Poison, (credited for writing and research) (2018)
Rayy: From its origins to the Mongol Invasion (credited for archeological illustrations from 2016-2018) Penn Review Magazine, Spring 2016
2021
Emerging Artist Category Exhibit Award, Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Craft Show, Philadelphia, PA
2020
Anne Bryan, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, PA
2020
Louis B. Sloan Painting Award, Philadelphia, PA
2019
Raymond D. and Estelle Rubens Travel Award, Philadelphia, PA
2019
Venture Fund for Artist, Philadelphia, PA
2019
(Curator) Why Objects Matter, The University of Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia, PA
2018
Second Place, Susan Macdowell Eakins Painting Competition, Philadelphia, PA
(Curator) SPEC Artist’s Group Exhibition, University of Pennsylvania Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2017
Honorary Mention, Susan Macdowell Eakins Painting Competition, Philadelphia, PA
2012
Ella King Torrey Young Artist Award, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
2023
Rittenhouse Fine Art Show (September), Philadelphia, PA
Longs Park Fine Art Show, Lancaster, PA
Mount Gretna Fine Art Show, Lebanon, PA
Rittenhouse Fine Art Show (June), Philadelphia, PA
Luminescence, Solo Exhibition InLiquid at Parktowne Place, Philadelphia, PA
2022
Reddotculture, online
Rittenhouse Fine Art Show (June), Philadelphia, PA
Longs Park Art Show, Lancaster, PA
2021
Reddotculture, online exhibition
Painting Freedom Ministries, Legacy Arts Club, Chester, PA
2020
119th Annual Student Exhibit, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2019
118th Annual Student Exhibit, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
4th Floor Artist's Exhibit, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Group Exhibition, Anne Bryan Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2018
SPEC Artist’s Group Exhibition, University of Pennsylvania Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2018
Susan Macdowell Eakins Painting Exhibit, Gallery 128, Philadelphia, PA
2017
Susan Macdowell Eakins Painting Awardee Exhibit, Gallery 128, Philadelphia, PA
2016
Annual Fine Art Print Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), Philadelphia, PA
2015
Out of Sight Out of Mind, Gallery 128, Philadelphia, PA
2015
Annual Fine Art Print Exhibition Sale, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), Philadelphia, PA
2012
Kimmel Center Artist Exhibit, Philadelphia, PA
