Yvonne Shortt facts for kids

Yvonne Shortt (born December 5, 1972, in Queens, New York) is an amazing artist. She creates art that makes you think and often involves putting different things together in a space, which is called installation art. Yvonne is also visually impaired, meaning she has a condition that affects her eyesight.

Her art includes drawings, sculptures, paintings, and photos. You can find her work in museums and parks all over New York City. Yvonne's art often explores important ideas like how we can live in a way that helps the planet (sustainability), treating everyone fairly (equality), having plenty of good things (abundance), living with disabilities, building strong communities, and understanding different races. She decided to become an artist after learning about her eye condition, retinitis pigmentosa, leaving her old job in computer programming.

Education

Yvonne Shortt is very smart! She earned a Master of Science degree in Mathematics from New York University.

What is Yvonne Shortt's Art About?

Be The Museum

In 2022, Yvonne Shortt started a cool new idea called "Be The Museum." This idea suggests that every artist can be their own museum. It means artists can decide what a "museum" means to them. This way, artists and communities can take back the idea of a museum from just being about money or rich people. It puts the focus back on the artists themselves.

Elmhurst Sculpture Garden

In 2017, Yvonne Shortt helped create the Elmhurst Sculpture Garden. It was once an empty parking lot in Elmhurst, Queens, New York. She worked with local volunteers and other artists to turn it into a beautiful garden.

With help from grants like the Burning Man Global Arts Grant and the National Endowment of the Arts Grant, the garden grew even bigger. Yvonne leads this garden, and it's a place where artists can show their work. It also helps artists learn how to get grants to improve public spaces in their own neighborhoods.

African American Marbleization

Since 2016, Yvonne Shortt has been creating a series of sculptures called "African American Marbleization." These are special sculptures that she places outdoors. They are her way of responding to unfairness and racism that African Americans have faced in art, history, and her country.

The sculptures are made from marble dust. Some are small pieces placed on walls or other concrete structures. Others are busts (sculptures of a person's head and shoulders) that she often puts with natural things like water, wood, or earth.

Artistic Response to A.I.R. Gallery

Yvonne Shortt joined A.I.R. Gallery in 2021. Soon after, she helped start a special committee there. This committee works to create new ways for artists to think and work. They want to help artists break free from old ideas about how the art world should be.

Yvonne also started an art project to share her experiences as an African American woman in the art world. She wants to show how artists can work together in new and positive ways.

Public Art

Peppermint Pieces and Waking Blind

In 2018, Yvonne Shortt made two art pieces inspired by her eye condition, retinitis pigmentosa. One of her outdoor art installations, Peppermint Pieces, was chosen to be shown in a special art program. This program helps bring art to public parks in New York City.

Peppermint Pieces is a colorful artwork made of wood and aluminum. You can see it in Captain Tilly Park in Jamaica. Yvonne's cement sculpture, Waking Blind, is also inspired by her eye condition. It is displayed in the Elmhurst Sculpture Garden.

Pavilion Landing

Yvonne Shortt received a grant in 2019 to create an art installation for Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. The theme was "A Park for the Future." She was inspired by the 1964-65 New York World's Fair, which was held in the park.

Yvonne created the sculpture Pavilion Landing with help from park visitors and community members. They worked together during several sculpting sessions. The artwork shows stranded intergalactic children and is displayed at the David Dinkins Circle in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.

Rigged?

In 2018, a group called Friends of MacDonald Park asked Yvonne Shortt to create an outdoor artwork. They wanted a piece that would make people think about political, social, and economic systems in the United States. This led to her creating the artwork Rigged?.

This artwork is a maze structure with cement rabbits and carrots. Yvonne keeps updating it based on what people say about it.

Women Who Build - Artists Who Own

In 2016, Yvonne Shortt led a project to look at the role of women in the construction industry. She wanted to see why there weren't more women in this field. She received funding from several groups for this project.

The project had two parts. First, over 100 women learned basic construction skills in workshops. They even built a tiny house on wheels, which is now used as a peaceful tea and zen garden.

In the second part, Yvonne asked 13 artists to create interactive art installations. These artworks encouraged people to talk about the housing crisis in New York City. The installations included performances, embroidery, and photography. All these artworks were later shown in an exhibition called Dwelling at the Queens Museum.

RPGA Studio, Inc.

In 2009, Yvonne Shortt started Rego Park Green Alliance, also known as RPGA Studio, Inc. This art organization helps communities in Queens learn about important issues. It focuses on neighborhoods like Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, and Rego Park.

RPGA Studio, Inc. became a nonprofit organization in 2015. It has received many grants and awards, including from the Citizens Committee for New York City and the National Endowment for the Arts.