Bio
Isabel Mattia is an artist, fabricator, teacher, doula, and parent. She lives on a small sheep farm in rural Rhode Island, and works at home and in her space within Smokestack Studios in Fall River, Massachusetts. Mattia teaches as a critic in the Sculpture Department at RISD and in the Welding department at the Steel Yard in Providence, RI. She has previously taught at Brown University.
Mattia received her MFA from Rhode Island School of Design in 2019 and studied at SAIC for a post-baccalaureate semester in 2016. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Brown University with a double concentration in Visual Art and Africana Studies in 2011. Her work has been featured by Artforum Magazine, exhibited at Heaven Gallery, the Dedee Shattuck Gallery, New Bedford Art Museum, Grimshaw-Gudewicz Gallery, The Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Arts at Brown University, and the David Winton Bell Gallery. She is a recipient of the Marlene Malik Grant for Sculpture and the Roberta Joslin Award for Excellence in Art.
Contact
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CV
EDUCATION
2017-2019 Rhode Island School of Design, Providence RI; MFA Sculpture
2016 School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Il
2007-2011 Brown University, Providence, RI; BFA, Visual Art (with honors) & Africana Studies
2010 School For International Training; Ghana, West Africa; Social Transformations & Cultural Expression (Spring Semester)
HONORS
2022 New Beford Whaling Historic Park Artist in Residence
2018 Mass MoCA’s Assets for Artists professional development grant
2016 Distinguished Merit Scholarship, School of The Art Institute of Chicago
2011 Roberta Joslin Award for Excellence in Art
2011 Marlene Malik Grant for Sculpture
EXHIBITIONS (Artist)
2024 The Womxn Project Space, Providence RI, Advocacy is Love
2023 Woods Gerry Gallery, Providence RI, Each Thing, Everyone
2023 Fire Folk Arts, Waitsfield VT, The Invisible Labor
2023 Hera Gallery, Wakefield RI, Oh, Mother
2021 Heaven Gallery, Chicago IL, Havruta
2021 Little Compton Historical Society, Little Compton, RI, Haymaker’s Helix - permanent installation
2021 Zea Mays, Florence, MA, Canary in a Coal Mine
2020-2023 Wheaton College, Norton, MA- City Garden - temporary public sculpture
2020 Grimshaw-Gudewicz Gallery, Bristol RI, Fall River Makes! (virtual exhibition due to Covid)
2019 Sol Koffler Gallery, Providence RI, RISD MFA sculpture biennial: {Title Of Show}
2019 Pop-up show, Downtown Providence, RI, In Close Proximity
2018 Avenue Concept, Downtown Providence, City Garden - temporary public sculpture
2018 Hunter Gallery, St. Georges School, Middletown, RI, trace/erase (solo)
2018 Dedee Shattuck Gallery, Westport, MA, Isabel Mattia, Elena Bria, and Timothy Powers Wilson
2017 Sakonnet Collective, Tiverton, RI, Padraic Manning, Isabel Mattia, and Stephen Kinnane
2016 - present Dedee Shattuck Gallery Sculpture Garden, Westport, MA, Efflorescence - permanent Installation
2016 Tiverton Four Corners Art Center, Tiverton, RI, Steel and Space
2016 Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River, MA, The Determined Line
2015 Festival Ballet, Vets Theater, Providence RI, Firebird Tree
2015 Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River, MA, Smokestack at the Narrows
2015 Gustin Gallery, Dartmouth MA, Thoughts and Processes
2015 The River Project, Dartmouth MA, Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, Slocum's River Reserve
2014 The Art Drive, Westport, MA, studio tour exhibition
2013 Gratitude Harvest Music and Art Festival, Dartmouth, MA, Outdoor Sculpture
2012 Brown University List Art Center, Providence, RI, Disquiet; (solo)
2011 Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, Providence, RI, Dream Objects; (solo) Honors Undergraduate Thesis
2011 Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, Providence, RI, Brown University VISA Class of 2011 Group Show
2011 David Winton Bell Gallery, Providence, RI, 31st Annual Student Exhibition* Jurors- Lucky Leone and Olive Ahyens
2011 Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, Providence, RI, Opening Exhibition for the Granoff Center
2011 Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, Providence, RI, American Dance Legacy Institute- Mini Fest
2010 New Bedford Art Museum, New Bedford, MA, Friends Academy Alumni Exhibit
2010 Brown University List Art Center, Providence, RI, Second Honors Student Exhibition
2010 Brown University List Art Center, Providence, RI, First Honors Student Exhibition
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2023- Present Rhode Island School of Design, Sculpture Dept, Providence RI: Critic
2014 - Present The Steel Yard, Providence RI: Welding Instructor, and Designer/Fabricator for Public Projects.
2024- Barrington Highschool, Senior Project Mentor - Welded sculptures.
2021 - 2023 Rhode Island School of Design, Center for Arts and Language Providence RI: Post-graduate Writing Tutor, Center Coordinator.
2019- 2022 Brown University, Providence RI: Adjunct Lecturer
2021 Rhode Island School of Design Furniture Dept. Providence, RI: Guest Critic- final critiques
2017 - 2019 Rhode Island School of Design, Providence RI: TA for Heather Rowe, Lisi Raskin, Taylor Baldwin, Filipe de Sousa
2017 - 2019 Rhode Island School of Design, Center for Arts and Language Providence RI: Writing Tutor.
2011-12, 2015 Brown University, Providence RI; Sculpture Teaching Assistant for Paul Myoda
2011 - 2015 Dedee Shattuck Gallery, Westport, MA: Lead Curator
2014 Roger Williams University, School of Architecture, Art & Historic Preservation, Bristol, RI: Guest Critic- final critiques
2013 Studio Assistant to Charlotte Hamlin, New Bedford/Fall River, MA
2011 Portsmouth Highschool, Portsmouth, RI. Senior Project Mentor: Mural Project
2010- 2011 RiverzEdge Arts Project: Mobile Studio, Pawtucket, RI; Mobile Studio Art Teacher
2010 RiverzEdge Arts Project, Woonsocket, RI; Summer Intern
2009-2011 Brown University Women’s Space in Prison for Arts and Creative Expression, Providence, RI; Program Coordinator and Workshop Facilitator
PUBLICATIONS
2006 Cover Illustration, Connolly, J.F. Last Summer. Providence, RI: The Providence Athenaeum for the Philbrick Poetry Award, 2006.