Jump to content

Genie Shenk

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Genie Shenk
Born(1937-08-03)August 3, 1937
DiedAugust 19, 2018(2018-08-19) (aged 81)
NationalityAmerican
Known forBook arts, fiber art

Genie Shenk (1937–2018) was an American artist, editor, and educator known for her work in artist's books and fiber arts.

Early life and education

[edit]

Genie Shenk was born on August 3, 1937, in Montgomery, Alabama.[1]

She earned a BA in 1959, MA in 1961, and PhD in 1963 in English from Rice University in Houston, Texas, a Master of Fine Arts at UCLA in 1990.

Career

[edit]

Shenk worked in fiber arts, creating quilts of handmade paper she pressed from natural and recycled materials. Her work focused on book art and has strong references to Jungian philosophy, where she recorded her dreams in visual form.[2][3][4][5][6]

Shenk's work has been widely exhibited including the University of Washington Library Special Collections, the University of California San Diego Special Collections,[7] the Athenaeum Music and Arts Library in La Jolla,[8] the Long Beach Museum of Art,[9] Her work is in the collection of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA),[10] and the Yale University Art Gallery.[11]

Shenk was the Assistant English Professor at Texas Southern University, Houston, from 1963 to 1964, and editor at both the University of California-San Francisco Medical Center, from 1964 to 1965, and the American Book Company, New York City, from 1965 to 1967. She worked as student activities coordinator for the University of California, San Diego, from 1970 to 1974.[3][12]

Awards

[edit]

Shenk received the following acknowledgements; Women's Festival of the Arts, 1978; third award winner, Multicultural Art Institute, 1982; Woodrow Wilson fellowship, 1959. Member of Phi Beta Kappa, National Surface Design Association, San Diego Artists Guild, American Crafts Council, Allied Craftsmen, Artists Equity, California Fibers.[12][6]

The San Diego Book Arts (SDBA) grants "The Genie Shenk Excellence in Book Arts Award" once a year to recognize an outstanding mid-career artist.[3][5][13]

Death

[edit]

Shenk died on August 19, 2018, in Seattle, Washington at the age of 81.[3][13][1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Genie Shenk Obituary (1937 - 2018) - Seattle, CA - San Diego Union-Tribune". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Dreamlogs: Artists' Books by Genie Shenk". Puget Sound Book Artists. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "San Diego Book Arts". San Diego Book Arts. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
  4. ^ Buckley, Patricia Morris (for the North County Times). "Master-'Pieces': Collage artists use different materials, techniques to make art". courant.com. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
  5. ^ a b "Genie Shenk PsiberDreaming Art Gallery". asdreams.org. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
  6. ^ a b "Genie Shenk | Woman Made Gallery". womanmade.org. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
  7. ^ "Dreamlogs: Artists' Books by Genie Shenk". UW Libraries. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Genie Shenk: Master of Book Arts". Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Genie Shenk". Long Beach Museum of Art. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Seven diddly sins". NMWA Library & Research Center. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  11. ^ "The Slow Ties of Love and Pain | Yale University Art Gallery". artgallery.yale.edu. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
  12. ^ a b "Juror for September 2, 2013 to October 8, 2013: Genie Shenk" (PDF). San Diego Art Institute Journal. September 2013. p. 6.
  13. ^ a b "The Genie Shenk Award". San Diego Book Arts. Retrieved 2021-12-12.