Mimi Czajka Graminski

December 2, 2020 - January 4, 2021

Czajka Graminski presents Post Photosynthesis a site specific, multimedia installation.  The exhibit includes sculpture, drawing, painting, and video which is on view in the storefront windows of Window On Hudson as well as inside the art space.  

Czajka Graminski explains Post Photosynthesis in the following way, “I love making art, working with my hands, and creating something where there was nothing before.  Inspiration most often comes from materials both made and found.  The majority of materials in this exhibition are inspired by and derived from plant-based sources.  All of which stem from the process of photosynthesis – creating energy, nourishment and growth from light.

In my work I am using materials that were all born from this process - logs from trees, leaves from plants, and paper made from cotton.  After their growth process and harvest, the materials find renewed life in their cross pollination incorporated into this site-specific installation.”

Czajka Graminski continues, “During these past spring and summer months at home I have found myself drawn to the forests, and with my interest in materials, I have found a huge resource in the natural environment.  In my study of leaves (found and cultivated) I have been examining light, shadow and color by using pencil, watercolor and video.  I celebrate the differences and commonalities that the leaves all share. 

Trees felled in a storm gave me an abundance of raw material. I use cut logs and combine them with cotton lace, collected from many sources, to create an installation that honors both the trees and the lace makers.  I pay tribute to the lace makers, their labor and the energy they imbued into each stitch.  I wonder about their lives and under what circumstances did they create this work?  Was it a labor of love or necessity?  Their lace has outlived them just as the logs will outlast the intricate stenciled patterns on them.  I honor the fleeting and enduring quality of both women’s labor and the natural environment.” 

Czajka Graminski has exhibited her work widely in public, alternative and private spaces.  Selected exhibits include the Hyde Collection, Pratt/ Munson Williams Proctor, Hammond, Samuel Dorsky, Islip, Katonah and Haggin Museums, and Bard College CCS, among others. 

Ann Landi’s Vasari21 Art blog has featured her work in recent posts.  Hammond Museum’s Frank Matheis showcased her work in a recent essay: The Delicate Boldness of Mimi Czajka Graminski.  Sarah LaDuke recently interviewed her on  WAMC - Radio: Creativity During Covid.  A recent sculpture is in Surface Design Journal’s Fifth Annual International Exhibition in Print: Devotion: Sewing the Sacred.  She was highlighted in the New York Times for work at The Hat Factory and at the Akin Museum.

Honors include NYFA Mark Fellowship, NYFA Consultancy, NYSCA grant, Re-Arting Troy Grant and New York Special Opportunity Stipend.  She was awarded Best in Show at the Albany Institute from Ivan Karp, and the Benefactor Prize from Xu Bing at the University Art Museum, Albany, NY, and the Juror’s Award from Nato Thompson at University Art Museum, Albany, NY.  She was awarded First Place in Sculpture by Janet Riker and Best in Show by Sir John Weber both at Hudson Opera House (now Hudson Hall), Hudson, NY.