Mimi Pinnow
Through my paintings I invite the viewer to place their perception into a world of objects. Here we can let go of the unstable cultural structures we have adopted to find protection from the world at large. In letting go we can find beauty in the nuance of object becomings and turn to find that in the overlooked qualities of each other. My paintings feature feminine objects, heirlooms, and spaces that have a life of their own. I collect objects that have accumulated generational histories and that have lived in numerous homes. Sweeps of transparent paint create light sources that illuminate the objects, suspending them in moments of meditation. While I work from observation, I translate the objects from my perception to the painting.This reveals dialogs of shadows and chromatic pairings that existed between the world of the source objects, but were highlighted through painting. Painting these rhyming forms and associations, allows me to build the structure of a hand-held world. The different viscosities of the paint allow the objects to come forward and recede. This opens the door for the viewer to enter the world of the painting, past a perspectival illusion of depth, into a place where they can picture picking up the objects, handling them, and returning them to their atmospheric home. The viewer is given permission to find their own magic, similar to that of a child. In the solitary viewing experience of the painting they may discover small imaginative worlds and objects imbued with life.These worlds reveal themselves through patient looking. They arrange islands of stability in addition to providing spaces where we can negotiate with different parts of ourselves and our relationships with others.
Education
2020 Master of Fine Arts in Painting
Maryland Institute College of Art, LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting
Under the Advisement of Joan Waltemath and Stephen Ellis
Graduate Merit Scholar
2017 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting with a Minor in Art History
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Spanish
Indiana University Bloomington
Phi Beta Kappa Academic Honors Society
2014 Study Abroad: Florence, Italy Indiana University Summer Program
Exhibitions
Juried Shows
2017 Social Thoughts, Indiana University Kokomo, Kokomo, IN
2017 Summer Series Curio Cabinet Exhibition, Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis, IN
Group Shows
2020 “Grad Show II (Online Due to COVID-19),”
2020 From Our Living Room to Yours, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Annapolis, MD
2020 Pitch and Pulse, Broadmead Community Center, Cockeysville, MD
2019 Incubate This, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
2019 Dark Passenger, Maryland Institute College of Art GradEx, Baltimore, MD
2018 LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting Fall Show,
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
2017 Spring 2017 Student Films Showcase,
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2017 HHart: A Celebration of the Arts, Hutton Honors College,
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2017 HHart Salon, Indiana University Memorial Union Canvas Gallery,
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2016 BFA Thesis Show, Grunwald Gallery,
Indiana University Bloomington, IN
2016 Current BFA Students Showcase, Grunwald Gallery,
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2016 HHart: A Celebration of the Arts, Hutton Honors College
2015 In[FORM]ation, Fuller Projects Studio,
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2015 Window Dressings, Fuller Projects Studio,
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2015 Current BFA Students Showcase, Grunwald Gallery,
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2014 Overseas Study Exhibition, Grunwald Gallery,
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2013 Mural, SonRise Disabilities Ministry Bethesda Lutheran Communities
Anderson, IN
Residencies
2019 Windy Mowing Residency, Halifax, VT
Collections
2017 Indiana University Bloomington Permanent Art Collection
Awards & Honors
2017 Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
2017 Office for the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Fine Arts Award: First Place, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2016 Indiana University Faculty Nominee for Yale Norfolk
Painting Fellowship, Bloomington, IN
2015 Pygmalion’s Fine Art Award, Bloomington, IN
2014 Hutton’s International Experience Program Grant, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Press
2015 Canvas Creative Arts Magazine
2015 The Undergraduate Scholar
Curatorial Experience
2020 Curator
(Upcoming) Pushing Color Undergraduate Class Group Show (Exact Show Title TBD),
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
2020 Producer
From Our Living Room to Yours, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Annapolis, MD
2020 Curator
Pitch and Pulse, Broadmead Community Center, Cockeysville, MD
2015-2017 Curator
HHart: A Celebration of the Arts, Hutton Honors College, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2015 Visual Arts Liaison
Current BFA Student Showcase, Grunwald Gallery of Art, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Teaching Experience
2020-2021 High School Art 1 and Ceramic 1 Instructor
Bladensburg High School
Bladensburg, MD
2019 Graduate Teaching Intern (with Sangram Majumdar)
The Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
Pushing Color: Theory & Practice in Contemporary Painting
2019 Artist Apprentice
Young Audiences/Arts for Learning, Summer Arts and
Learning Academy, Baltimore, MD
Teaching Literacy and Math with Arts Integration
2019 Graduate Teaching Intern
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
First Year Experience Drawing: Contemporary Practices
2018 Graduate Teaching Intern
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
Life Drawing
2017-2018 Preschool Assistant
Gan Shalom Preschool, Bloomington, IN
Early Childhood Education
2017 Art Program Director
Boys & Girls Club Camp Rock and AmeriCorps, Bloomington, IN
Art Programming and Arts Integration
2014-2017 Art Program Coordinator
Middle Way House (The Rise), Bloomington, IN
Art Programming, Social Learning Strategies, Volunteer Recruitment
Design Experience
2019-2020 Graphic Design: Co-Designer
The Maryland Institute College of Art and Broadmead Community Center, Baltimore, MD
Editing of Show Brochure and Poster
2019 Graphic Designer
LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting, Baltimore, MD
Designing posters promoting visiting artists and critics for the
Painting MFA Department at MICA
Contact Me