Joan Snyder facts for kids

Joan Snyder (born April 16, 1940) is an American painter from New York. She is known for her unique and expressive artwork.

Snyder first became well-known in the early 1970s. Her "stroke paintings" used a grid pattern to explore abstract painting. Later, she stopped using the grid. Her paintings then included more symbols and words. They also used many different materials. These early works were shown in important art shows. These included the Whitney Biennial in 1973 and 1981. They were also at the Corcoran Biennial in 1975.

People often say Snyder's paintings tell stories about her own life. They also share experiences that many people can relate to. She uses her own special way of painting. She also tries new techniques and materials all the time. This has helped abstract painting become even more expressive. Her work has inspired many new artists.

Today, Joan Snyder lives and works in Brooklyn and Woodstock, New York.

Early Life and Education

Joan Snyder was born on April 16, 1940. Her hometown was Highland Park, New Jersey.

She went to Douglass College and earned a degree in Sociology in 1962. Later, she received her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Rutgers University in 1966.

Family Life

In 1969, Snyder married Larry Fink, a photographer. Their daughter, Molly, was born in 1979. They later divorced in 1985. Her grandson, Elijah, was born in 2012.

How Joan Snyder Creates Art

In 1962, Snyder lived on a farm in New Jersey. She had a studio near the Raritan River in New Brunswick. Here, she made some of her first paintings. These included farm scenes, landscapes, and expressive portraits.

In the mid-to-late 1960s, she explored ideas about female feelings in her art. She used unusual materials in her paintings. These included lentil seeds, flocking, thread, glitter, and gauze. Snyder saw using these non-art materials as a special ritual for her paintings.

Her ideas often came to life in her art through more than just paint. She used music, poetry, and words to add to the meaning of her pieces. These experiments led to her famous "stroke paintings" around the late 1960s and early 1970s. Snyder worked with other artists like Mary Heilmann and Jennifer Bartlett. They all wanted to add more process to their art.

Understanding Stroke Paintings

Creek Square (1974) at the National Gallery of Art in 2022. This painting shows her "stroke" style.

In the early 1970s, Snyder started to focus on paint itself as the main subject. She rebuilt abstract painting using brushstrokes on canvas. These strokes were often placed over a gridded background. These artworks are known as her 'stroke' paintings.

These paintings were featured in important art shows. They were part of the Whitney Biennial in 1973 and 1981. They also appeared in the Corcoran Biennial in 1975.

After the stroke paintings, in the mid-1970s, Snyder's art again looked at female feelings. Her work explored different materials more strongly. By the late 1970s, she stopped using the grid. She began to add more clear symbols and text to her paintings.

Joan Snyder and the Feminist Art Movement

In 1971, Snyder started the Mary H. Dana Women Artist Series. This is the oldest continuous art space in the United States. It is dedicated to showing the work of new and established women artists.

She was also a founding member of Heresies, a Feminist Publication On Art and Politics. She worked with other artists and writers. These included Ida Applebroog, Joyce Kozloff, and Lucy Lippard.

Awards and Achievements

Joan Snyder has received many important awards for her art.

• In 1974, she received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.
• In 1983, she earned a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship.
• In 2007, she was given a MacArthur Fellowship. This award is sometimes called a "genius grant."
• In 2016, she received an Arts & Letters Award in Art. This came from the American Academy of Arts & Letters.

Where to See Her Art

You can find Joan Snyder's artwork in many public art collections. These include:

• Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
• Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
• Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX
• Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY
• Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA
• High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
• The Jewish Museum, New York, NY
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
• The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
• National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
• National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC
• Neuberger Museum, State University of New York at Purchase, NY
• The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC
• Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham MA
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
• Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA
• Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY
• Tang Museum, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY
• Tate Modern, London, England
• University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ
• Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA
• Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
• Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, KS
• Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

See also

In Spanish: Joan Snyder para niños