JOAN E. GARDNER
Artist Bio
Art has been my passion and vocation. I studied at ODU in Norfolk, VA, taught art at various levels, then received my master’s degree in fine arts from UNC Greensboro in 1991.
In graduate school I decided to focus my practice on art that reflected the time, either as overt socially reflective, perhaps ironic works, or fanciful pieces that reflect the times but were open to interpretation. I began utilizing floating or falling figures in 1990.
I have shown work throughout the US in group and solo exhibitions. Among many awards, I am most proud of being the only person to have twice won the First Union First Place Purchase Award from First Union National Bank of Hickory in their 19th and 22nd Annual Painting Exhibition and Competition. My work is included in public and private collections, including Bernhardt Furniture, Fox River Paper Company, Iredell Arts Council, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, and many more.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
MFA | 1991 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Concentration in painting with a minor in art history
BFA | 1969 | Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
Major emphasis of study in drawing and painting
Employment
Instructor – Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte, NC | 1991 – 1994
Owner – Mountain Creek Co-op | 1982 – 1989
Owner and manager of antique and craft gallery
Selected Shows & Awards
Please tap or click a date range to see exhibitions and awards from that time.
Holt Russell Gallery/Baker University, Baldwin City
KS – “Baker University National 2025”
February-March, 2025
The Floyd Center for the Arts-Hayloft Gallery, Floyd
VA – “New Works” Exhibit
October-November, 2024
Madden Arts Center-Anne Lloyd Gallery, Decatur
IL – “October National 2024”
October, 2024
Photo Artfolio, Boston
MA – “Memory in Moment”
June-July, 2024
The Masur Museum of Art, Monroe
LA – 61st Annual Juried Competition
February-May, 2024
Allegany Arts Council, Saville Gallery, Cumberland
MD – “What Is…Love?” juried exhibit
February, 2024
Fine Line Creative Arts Center, Kavanagh Gallery, St. Charles
IL – Contemporary Colors
February-March, 2024
D’Art Center, Norfolk
VA – Art of the Arts Juried Exhibition
January-February, 2024
AVA Community Art Center, Gillette
WY – Art Matters Exhibit
January, 2024
Western Wyoming CC Art Gallery, Rock Springs
WY Contemporary Drawing Exhibition
October-January 2023-24
Salem College, Winston-Salem, NC
100 in 2020-Musings on Women & Voting Rights Juried Exhibition
February-April 2020
Evendale Cultural Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH
Evendale Juried Photography Exhibit
October-November 2023
Jones Gallery, Kansas City, MO
June Group Art Show
May-June 2023
Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, Providence, RI
Juried International Photography Exhibition
April-May 2023
Iredell Arts Council, Statesville, NC
Solo Gallery Exhibition
February 2023
Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, KY
Art Through the Lens 2022
September-November 2022
Craven Arts Council & Gallery, New Bern, NC
2022 Bank of Arts National Juried Exhibition
July-August 2022
Liturgical Arts Festival of Springfield by Springfield Arts Association, Springfield, IL
Sacred and Liturgical Art 2022
April-May 2022
D’Art Center, Norfolk, VA
Persistence IV: d’ Art Center’s Annual National All Woman’s Exhibition
March-April 2022
Baron & Ellin Gordon Art Galleries, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
Sauce: 2021 ODU Art Alumni Exhibition
October-November 2021
Las Laguna Art Gallery, Las Laguna, CA
Women in Art 2021 Juried Exhibition
March 2021
Hickory Museum of Art, Hickory, NC
Suffrage Juried Exhibition
October 2020-January 2021
YMI Cultural Center, Asheville, NC
Examine the Past, Create the Future Two-Person Exhibit, April-June 2019
Strickland Art Gallery, Forsyth Tech, Winston-Salem, NC
Compare and Contrast
March-April 2018
Cornelius Arts Center, Cornelius, NC
Homegrown
March 2019
1997
Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
Halpert Biennial,
June–September 1997
Davidson County Museum of Art
Merit Award, Spotlight Juried Art Exhibition,
June–July 1997
Fayetteville Museum of Art
Merit Award, 24th Annual Competition for NC Artists
March–April 1997
Weatherspoon Art Gallery, University of NC Greensboro
Art On Paper
November–January 1997
1996
Lincoln Cultural Center, Lincolnton, NC
Landscapes, Real & Surreal
December 1996
Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
Art On Paper
October 1996
Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN
9th Annual Artstravaganza
May 1996
Associated Artists of Winston-Salem
1996 Southeastern Spectrum
May 1996
Fayetteville Museum of Art
24th Annual Competition for NC Artists, Fayetteville
March–May 1996
12th Annual Juried Art Show, Chapel Hill, NC,
Through Women’s Eyes
March 1996
1995
Greensboro Artists League, All Member Juried Exhibition
Second Place
January–February 1995
Historic Mable House, Mableton, GA
8th National Juried Art Exhibition,
July–August 1995
Purchase Award, Nationsbank Regional Art Competition
Second Place Cash Award
March–April 1995
1994
Delta Axis Contemporary Art Center, Memphis, TN,
Dark Humor Exhibition
April 1994
University of NC Greensboro,
Elliott University Center Gallery,
April 1994
Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV
1994 Exhibition 280: Works on Walls,
March–June 1994
13th Annual Henley SE Spectrum, Associated Artists of Winston-Salem,
Purchase Award
March–June 1994
Durham Art Guild Inc
39th Annual Juried Art Show
November 1993–January 1994
1993
30th Annual Dimensions, Associated Artists of Winston-Salem
National Juried Art Competition
November 1993
Shelby Art League
19th Annual Juried Exhibition
October–November 1993
Central Piedmont Community College Art Gallery, Charlotte, NC
October 1993
Earth Art, Associated Artists of Winston-Salem
National Juried Art Competition/Exhibition
September 1993
Mitchell College, Statesville, NC
September 1993
Tennessee Valley Women’s Conference, University of Alabama
Second Place, Discover a New World, Annual All-Woman Fine Arts Exhibition
April 1993
1992
Shelby Arts League
Second Place, 18th Annual Juried Exhibition
October 1992
Catawba Valley Visual Art League
Merit Award,
May 1992
Virginia Beach Center for the Arts,
Measuring Up, National Juried Competition
March–May 1992
1991
Guild of Charlotte Artists
Merit Award, Fall Juried Show
September 1991
Nicollet College Gallery, Rhinelander, WI
Northern National Juried Art Exhibit,
July–September 1991
Fayetteville Museum of Art
19th Annual Competition for NC Artists
June 1991
Catawba Valley Visual Art League
Best in Show
May 1991
Guild of Charlotte Artists,
Third Place, Knight Publishing Company Juried Exhibit, January 1991
1990
Spirit Square Center for the Arts, Charlotte, NC (Concurrent with Message Art)
November–December 1990
Dimension ’90, Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, National Juried Exhibition
October–November 1990
Lincoln Arts Council Annual Competitive Exhibition
Second Place
October 1990
15th Annual Shelby National Exhibition and Competition
October 1990
Elliott University Center Gallery, University of NC Greensboro,
September 1990
Associated Artists of Winston-Salem
Summer Select
August 1990
Associated Artists of Winston-Salem
Ninth Anniversary Henley SE Spectrum
May 1990
Mitchell College, Statesville, NC
April 1990
Elliott University Gallery, UNC Greensboro
Women’s Perspective: A Group Show
March 1990
Associated Artists of Winston-Salem,
Dimensions ’89,
September 1989
13th Annual Shelby National Exhibition and Competition,
Merit Award,
November 1988
First Union National Bank 22nd Annual Painting Exhibition and Competition
June 1989
Greensboro Art League/Ward Nasse Gallery, Soho, NY, November 1988
Associated Artists of Winston-Salem,
Honorable Mention, 14th Annual First Union Show August 1988
Associated Artists of Winston-Salem
Honorable Mention, Summer Select
July 1988
Charlotte Art League
Second Place, Knight Publishing Spring Juried Show
April 1988
First Union National Bank of Hickory, NC,
Merit Award, 20th Annual Exhibition and Competition,
June 1987
First Union National Bank of Hickory, NC
First Place Purchase Award, 19th Annual Exhibition and Competition
June 1986
Charlotte Art League
First Place, Knight Publishing Spring Juried Show,
April 1986
Works
in Collections
Bernhardt Furniture, Lenior, NC
BB&T Corporation, Hickory, NC
First Union National Bank, Hickory, NC
Caldwell Arts Council, Lenoir, NC
Fox River Paper Company, Winston-Salem, NC
Iredell Arts Council, Statesville, NC
Numerous Private Collections
Grants
Emerging Artists Grant, Catawba County Council for the Arts, 1992
Emerging Artists Grant, Catawba County Council for the Arts, 1988
Contact Me
Thank you for exploring my website. If you have questions about my art or would like to book an exhibition, please get in touch below.