Monica DiGiovanni (she /they)
BFA: Studio for Interrelated Media 1999, CYT 200
The current exploration of my work investigates themes of; birth, death and rebirth, strength and vulnerability, impermanence and interconnectedness, nature, resiliency, chaos, Zen meditation, the study of Buddhist cosmology as it relates to the human condition, and my spiritual practice as a yoga and meditation teacher. Yoga gives people a chance to meet themselves in their most vulnerable moments and to see outside of their own struggles enough to find connection. As we have collectively witnessed throughout the pandemic, isolation is one of the greatest ills of our time. Interconnectedness and peace are reliant on each of us seeing our individuality as part of the whole. Having gathered tools to dive beneath the layers of familial and societal conditioning so that the possibility for personal fulfillment is more accessible, my 30+ year relationship with yoga and meditation is woven into my creative expression.
Having moved through life with an innate curiosity about consciousness I’ve been investigating the healing power of the mind. Sometimes the darkness of pain and suffering are revealed and expressed through paint and ink, sometimes it’s the joy of being alive. Other times the dance between the two is reflected in a variety of media.
I’ve recently begun exploring themes of interconnectedness and life and death through prisms. They invoke a feeling of awe and wonder making them good medicine to alleviate fatigue, confusion, despondency, and sadness. I’ll have a prism installation in the windows at The Front in Montpelier through April 2022 as part of the current group show and again for a solo show at the gallery for the month of July 2022. My hope is that anyone walking by or entering the gallery will feel even the slightest bit of joy from the unexpected shower of colored light.
Having moved through life with an innate curiosity about consciousness I’ve been investigating the healing power of the mind. Sometimes the darkness of pain and suffering are revealed and expressed through paint and ink, sometimes it’s the joy of being alive. Other times the dance between the two is reflected in a variety of media.
I’ve recently begun exploring themes of interconnectedness and life and death through prisms. They invoke a feeling of awe and wonder making them good medicine to alleviate fatigue, confusion, despondency, and sadness. I’ll have a prism installation in the windows at The Front in Montpelier through April 2022 as part of the current group show and again for a solo show at the gallery for the month of July 2022. My hope is that anyone walking by or entering the gallery will feel even the slightest bit of joy from the unexpected shower of colored light.
Bio
Monica DiGiovanni studied painting and drawing at the Pacific Northwest College of art before transferring to the Massachusetts College of Art. There she graduated in 1999 with a BFA in the Studio for Interrelated Media with a focus on creative movement and the human body as medium as well a variety of other multi-media disciplines and public art. Between 2012-2013 she spent four months in residency at Welcome Hill Studios in West Chester, NH taking the time to reconnect with and unleash her creative spirit from many years of dormancy. In 2021 she received a fellowship to participate in the Creative Imperative online residency through the Vermont Studio Center. She had been selected to participate in VSC’s Vermonter’s Week Residency in 2020 which sadly didn’t happen because of the pandemic. Currently she is a co-owner of The Front cooperative gallery in Montpelier. She currently lives and works out of her apartment studio in Montpelier, VT. In addition to being an artist and Zen practitioner she loves her role as a yoga and meditation teacher. For more information on her classes, visit www.montpelieryoga.com.
Mentions in the news
Times Argus "Can Art Be Sweet?"
Times Argus "Sheltering in Place: Vermont's Artists Respond Personally"
Interview for All Things LGBTQ public access TV show (interview starts around minute 38)
Times Argus "Sheltering in Place: Vermont's Artists Respond Personally"
Interview for All Things LGBTQ public access TV show (interview starts around minute 38)