PAOLA BARI – Learn MoreAfter ending her career as software system engineer at IBM Corporation in Poughkeepsie, NY, Paola devoted most of her time to porcelain painting. She is a certified porcelain artist, one of the founders of Gallery 40 in Poughkeepsie, NY.
Paola learned to love ceramics as a young girl in Italy, and traveled all over the world to learn different techniques. Born in Melzo, Italy, Paola had only just received her bachelor degree when she was hired by IBM Italy. She worked for the prestigious firm in Milano until 1996, when she became an advanced system programmer and was invited to cross the Atlantic.
At first, Paola’s ceramic appeared at the Barnes & Noble in Poughkeepsie, but it would not be long before she began to appear in exhibitions at more prestigious galleries, including the Denise Bibro Fine Art Gallery in NYC, Byrdcliffe Barn Pottery, James Cox Gallery, Woodstock Artists Association and Museum in Woodstock, NY. In 2003, she co-founded RiverWinds Gallery and expanded to other local galleries, like Gallery@Rhinebeck, Briggs Mountain Gallery, Casa Del Arte, Barrett Art Center and Howland Cultural Center, all in New York. Paola has exhibited pieces in both Europe and America.
Though Paola primarily works with paint and ceramic, she also created pieces using metals. Her art sometimes takes the form of functional objects like tea pots, plates and vases. Additionally, her sculpture in porcelain is quite whimsical. Paola is a member of the International Porcelain Artists and Teachers and she is a certified artist with IPAT.
After concluding her career with IBM, besides painting, Paola has been dedicating her time to her love for animals and conservation. She is currently a volunteer of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, located in Namibia, Africa. Paola has been visiting the conservation multiple times and she is the team leader for the Cheetah Conservation Fund New York chapter. She has been mainly focusing on education and fundraising.
Jenny Wu is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Fine Arts at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, and the chair of Touchstone Foundation for the Arts in Washington, D.C.
Wu’s work acknowledges the sensational and perceptual properties of materiality and then transforms the materials from their original forms and purpose to present them within new contexts. Her work has been reviewed by the Washington Post. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums including Denise Bibro Fine Art, Katzen Museum, Huntington Museum of Art, Reece Museum, Vilnius Academy of Arts in Lithuania, and CICA Museum in South Korea.
Jenny Wu was born in Nanjing, China. She holds a B.A. from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Studio Art as well as in Architectural Studies, and an M.F.A. in Studio Art from American University. She is represented by Morton Fine Art, and her works are in the permanent collections of Flamboyan Foundation, University of Maryland, College Park, Boston Consulting Group, Chautauqua Institution, DC Art Bank, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, among others.
Wu has participated in numerous Artist-In-Residence programs across the country and has been awarded fellowships from Vermont Studio Center and funding from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation to attend the Woodstock Byrdcliffe residency.
(L to R): Is Maybe a Polite No by Jenny Wu and Delta Notturno by Paola Bari