Judith Schwarz (born 1944) is a Canadian

visual artist The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...

. Her work has been featured in exhibitions since 1979.

Early life and education

Judith Schwarz was born 1944 in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and is based in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. She earned a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

(1966), attended the

Vancouver School of Art The Emily Carr University of Art and Design (stylized as Emily Carr University of Art + Design and abbreviated as ECU) is a public university of art and design located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1925 as the Vancouver Schoo ...

(1973–1976), and received a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...

degree from

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

(1978).

Career

Schwarz is an

Associate Professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

in Toronto, where she teaches sculpture and drawing at both graduate and undergraduate levels. In 1978 she began her career at York University and in 1995 she received a full-time appointment to the Faculty of Fine Arts. Schwarz is known for her outdoor abstract

sculptures Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, integrating art with the environment. Schwarz's earliest sculptural exhibit, entitled ''Parallel Language'' (1987), was a three-part work juxtaposing a circular die-cut steel sheet wall mounted, angling out from it onto the floor—a steel beam, and a leaf shaped steel stencil next to a beautiful slab of oak. In a review written by Linda Genereux in

Artforum ''Artforum'' is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art. The magazine is distinguished from other magazines by its unique 10½ × 10½ inch square format, with each cover often devoted to the work of an artist. Notably ...

, Genereux states ''"The strength of Judith Schwarz's work depends upon her dexterous handling of material and a growing vocabulary of forms..."'' Her work can be found in many public collections across Canada and in the US, including the

Canada Council Art Bank The Canada Council for the Arts (), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It is Canada's public arts funder, with a mandate to foster and promote the study a ...

, the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's National museums of Canada, national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the List of large ...

, the

Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; ) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located on Dundas Street, Dundas Street West in the Grange Park (neighbourhood), Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, the museum complex takes up of phys ...

, the

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) is a public provincial museums of Canada, provincial art museum based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The art museum's primary building complex is located in downtown Halifax and takes up ...

Royal Bank of Canada Royal Bank of Canada (RBC; ) is a Canadian multinational Financial institution, financial services company and the Big Five (banks), largest bank in Canada by market capitalization. The bank serves over 20 million clients and has more than ...

, the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

and the York University. The National Gallery purchased two of her drawings in 1983: ''Low Light Drawing'', Series A, #10 (1981) and ''Head Stand'' (1982); and then in 1987 purchased a set of four videotapes: ''I am an artist, My name is…'', a collaboration between Schwarz and

Elizabeth MacKenzie Elizabeth MacKenzie (born 1955) is a Canadian artist based in Vancouver known for her drawing, installation and video since the early eighties. MacKenzie uses drawing to explore the productive aspects of uncertainty through the use of repeti ...

. Schwarz has created public commissions in both Vancouver and Toronto, Canada. Among her commissions in Toronto are the ''Nautilus Gateway'' (1992), a stainless steel and bronze sculpture in Waterpark Place, Bay Street and Queen's Quay and ''Spiral Fountain'' (1990), a bronze fountain for the Hotel Deck at Skydome. Schwarz's sculpture ''Pacific Spiral'' (2003) was among 350 outdoor artworks celebrated in Vancouver during the 2014 Culture Days Celebration, as part of a national Culture Days campaign designed to promote artistic activities across Canada. In Francois-Marc Gagnon's description of Schwarz's sculptures in

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

, Gagnon states

"..."the elegant, flame-cut steel cosmological configurations of Judith Schwarz invent rather than transform cultural signs and devices whose mysteries are embedded as much in the juxtaposition of the materials, glass, steel, and wood as in their form".

In 1990 at the 75th Anniversary of the Emily Awards, Schwarz was presented with an Emily Award. She was among the 75 distinguished alumni of Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design that were recognized for their outstanding career achievements. The University of Waterloo Art Gallery circulated a 10-year retrospective of Schwarz's work, titled ''Dissembling Structures,'' curated by James D. Campbell. This exhibition was presented at the University of Waterloo Art Gallery, Waterloo (1998), the Concordia University's Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Toronto (1998), and the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design's Charles S. Scott Art Gallery, Vancouver (1999). Schwarz was awarded the

Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award The Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award is a monetary award given since 1971 by the Canada Council for the Arts to Canadian artists judged to be outstanding in their mid-careers. Since 2005, the award is given to one recipient in each of the follow ...

in Visual Arts by the

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It is Canada's public arts funder, with a mandate to ...

in 1998

Selected exhibitions

* ''Recent Sculpture'', Forest City Gallery, London, Ontario (1985) * ''Shadow of the Palace'', S.L. Simpson Gallery, Toronto, Ontario (1986) * ''Reciprocation'', The Gallery/Stratford, Stratford, Ontario(1989) *''Judith Schwarz'', Art Gallery of Windsor, Windsor Ontario (1989); Art Gallery of York University; Toronto, Ontario (1990); Centennial Gallery, Oakville, Ontario (1991) *''Old Man River Exhibition'', Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Lethbridge, Alberta (1991) *''Fictive Space Collaborative Exhibition with Arlene Stamp'', Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Calgary, Alberta (1994) * ''SCULPTURE/sculpture'', S.L. Simpson Gallery, Toronto, Ontario (1996) *''Dissembling Structures/Structures dissimulees – a survey of Judith Schwarz sculpture'' 1989–1998, University of Waterloo Art Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario (1998); Helen & Bina Ellen Art Gallery - Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec (1998); and the Charles S. Scott Art Gallery - Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Vancouver, British Columbia (1999) * ''Portal'', two person exhibition with Schwarz and Carmelo Arnoldin, Koeffler Gallery, Toronto, Canada (2000) * ''Judith Schwarz'', Sable Castelli Gallery, Toronto, Ontario (2002)

Selected bibliography

* Judith Schwarz: ''Heterodoxy, a club for unorthodox women. The radical feminists of Heterodoxy: Greenwich Village, 1912-1940.'' Thesis (M.A.),

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the List of oldest schools in California, oldest public university on the West Coast of ...

1977 * Dewdney, Christopher; Stebbins, Joan (1986) ''Judith Schwarz'' (catalogue) Lethbridge, Canada: Southern Alberta Art Gallery * Gallery/Stratford (1989) ''Reciprocation: Judith Schwarz'' (catalogue) Stratford, Canada: Gallery Stratford * Arnold, Grant (1989) ''Judith Schwarz'' (catalogue) Windsor, Canada: Art Gallery of Windsor * Grenville, Bruce; Dewdney, Christopher (1990) ''S.L. Simpson Gallery, 1980-1990'' (catalogue) Toronto, Canada: S.L. Simpson Gallery * McEvilley, Thomas (1995) ''Fictive Space'' Judith Schwarz and Arlene Stamp,(catalogue) Calgary, Canada: Illingworth Kerr Gallery of the Alberta College of Art and Design * Campbell, James D.; Wyatt, Joseph (1998) ''Dissembling Structures'': a survey of Judith Schwarz sculpture, 1989-1998 (catalogue) Waterloo, Canada: University of Waterloo Art Gallery * Youngs, Christopher; ''Judith Schwarz: transcriptions - a travelogue'' (catalogue) Reading, USA: Freeman Gallery

References

External links

Judith Schwarz , York University Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwarz, Judith 1944 births Living people 20th-century Canadian women artists Artists from Vancouver Canadian women sculptors