Madelin Coit


Madelin Coit is an American multi-media artist whose career began in the 1970s. In her work, Coit has produced numerous series across media, including sprayed-oil paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, installation, video projection, writing, performance, steel, neon, and shadow. Her work is in the collections of the State of New Mexico, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe.

Early Life and Education

Coit graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1968 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. In 1971, she moved from Boston, Massachusetts to California to begin graduate coursework at CalArts Design School and to pursue her creative work.

Artwork

Coit works simultaneously in different media: drawing with graphite, engineered paper, reworked found objects, shadows, steel, neon, installation, performance and video. She explores physical and emotional perception, and the way understanding or feelings appear to be and then change. Through the different media she uses, there is continuity in aesthetic and intention.
Coit has a history of working with language and signage, with many of her works taking the form of poetic messages.
Two recurring themes are often in her works – One is the mystery of interface, the edge or the space that separates one thing or place from another, defining both sides. The other concept is that of pentimento, a painting term about transparency, layering, and visual seepage.
The resulting work is created through a process layered, aggregated, and deconstructed materials to form a whole, which are then erased, built upon, torn down, and reconstructed.

Exhibitions

Coit began exhibiting in the greater Los Angeles area in 1978. Her work has since been exhibited nationally at the Los Angeles County Museum, the Hammer Museum, the , The Whitney Center for the Arts, and the . In New Mexico, she has shown work in Santa Fe at the New Mexico Museum of Art, the Center for Contemporary Arts, SITE Santa Fe, AXLE Contemporary, Gerald Peters Gallery, and the now-closed Evo Gallery and James Kelly Contemporary.

Awards/Honors

In 2006, Madelin received a grant from Creative Capital for professional development, and participated in a resulting exhibition at 516 ARTS in 2007. Madelin has also been the recipient of artist residencies at Ucross, , , and . She currently sits on the board at SITE Santa Fe.

External Links