Becky Bailey
Becky Bailey is a visual artist based out of New Jersey. She received a B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania in 2012 and took courses in textile design from 2015-16. Her textile design work informs her art practice which involves painting, printmaking, and collage. She has completed residencies at The Studios at MASS MoCA as well as ChaShaMa’s ChaNorth artist residency. Becky has shown work in exhibitions across the U.S., including New York, Philadelphia, Nebraska, and Massachusetts.
Artist Statement
In a climate where the latest drama, plot twist, or outrage reigns supreme, my work seeks to honor what is real and present in the lives of everyday people drowned out by shouting on the
airwaves and forgotten by a government that serves capital over community. I make work that re-envisions and enlivens everyday life, inviting viewers to connect and invest more fully with
their day-to-day. From the mundane to the amusing, whether it’s putting in an extra hour of work at home or vomiting after a trip to six flags, all of it can be made compelling with careful
attention.
With painting and mixed-media collage, I make works that entice the viewer into a new kind of
everyday life experience. The space encourages conversations and questions with strange
combinations of patterns based on home textiles and figures and scenes found in my own life as
well as the lives of strangers. Handmade decorative frames serve to elevate the works to the
realm of shrines and altars to everyday life.
CV
EDUCATION
BA in Fine Arts, Magna Cum Laude, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Textile Design graduate courses, Philadelphia University, Philadelphia, PA
Plein-air and life-drawings courses, The International School of Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture, Umbria, Italy
EXHIBITIONS
Open Studios, CaNorth, Pine Plains, NY
Hastings College + Young Space Juried Exhibition, JDAC Gallery, Hastings, NE (curated by Kate Mothes)
Rhythm, stress, and pausing, Super Dutchess Gallery, New York, NY
Open Studios, The Studios at MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA
HEYDAYS Pop-Up Exhibition, Friday Studio Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
SHIM Invitational 5, ArtHelix, Brooklyn, NY
MAAC on the Map: Mortal Coil, Manhattan Art and Antiques Center, New York, NY
People’s Choice Salon Show, Greenpoint Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (curated by Shawn James)
Solo Exhibition, Becky Bailey: Interior Life, Lather, Philadelphia, PA
Solo Exhibition, Selected Works, Mendham Township Library, Mendham, NJ
Two-Person Exhibition, First Friday, Everybody Hits, Philadelphia, PA (with painter Maddie Rain)
Solo Exhibition, Selected Works, Black ‘n Brew, Philadelphia, PA
Evening of the Arts Alumni Show, Mendham High School, Mendham, NJ
Two-Person Exhibition, Flash Salon, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA (with sculptor Glenn Kellum)
But is it art? Juried Exhibition, Off the Wall Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (curated by Jody Sweitzer)
Holes in the Wall, Steel City, Phoenixville, PA (curated by Rachel Kinback)
Pilgrimages, Hancock Garage Philadelphia, PA (curated by Rachel Kinback)
215/610: Juried Painting Exhibition of Regional Emerging Artists, DCCC, Media, PA (curated by Dr. Donald Kuspit)
Absolutely Abstract Juried Exhibition, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA (curated by Bill Scott)
The Undergraduate Fine Arts Invitation Exhibition, Addams Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Graduation Exhibition, Addams Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Penn Undergraduate Arts Fund, Claudia Cohen Hall, Philadelphia, PA (award)
It’s a Small, Small World, 520 W. 21st St., Chelsea, NY (curated by Jason Musson)
Senior Thesis Exhibition, Addams Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (award)
Great Landscapes, Linus Galleries, Pasadena, CA
Undergraduate Juried Exhibition, Addams Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (award, curated by Roxana Perez-Mendez)
+20, Addams Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Undergraduate Juried Exhibition, Addams Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (curated by David Dempewolf)
RESIDENCIES, AWARDS, GRANTS
ChaNorth, Pine Plains, NY
The Studios at MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA
Graduated Magna Cum Laude, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Fine Arts Chair Senior Thesis Award, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Kelly Family Research Grant, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Kelly Family Travel Fellowship, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
ART FAIRS
The Other Art Fair, Brooklyn Expo Center, Brooklyn, NY
Aqua Art Miami, with SHIM in room 227 at Aqua Hotel & Suites, Miami, FL
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Friend of The Artist, Vol 9, May 28, 2019
“Becky Bailey.” Young Space blog. February 7, 2019
“I Like Your Work Studio Visit.” I Like Your Work Podcast. February 1, 2019
“Episode Fifteen: Becky Bailey.” Brave Space Podcast. October 23, 2018
“Last Look” Penn Arts & Sciences Magazine, Spring/Summer 2012
CRED Magazine, Issue 2, May
Student Artist Profile: Becky Bailey, 34th Street, September 22
Becky Bailey is a visual artist based out of New Jersey. She received a B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania in 2012 and took courses in textile design from 2015-16. Her textile design work informs her art practice which involves painting, printmaking, and collage. She has completed residencies at The Studios at MASS MoCA as well as ChaShaMa’s ChaNorth artist residency. Becky has shown work in exhibitions across the U.S., including New York, Philadelphia, Nebraska, and Massachusetts.
Artist Statement
In a climate where the latest drama, plot twist, or outrage reigns supreme, my work seeks to honor what is real and present in the lives of everyday people drowned out by shouting on the
airwaves and forgotten by a government that serves capital over community. I make work that re-envisions and enlivens everyday life, inviting viewers to connect and invest more fully with
their day-to-day. From the mundane to the amusing, whether it’s putting in an extra hour of work at home or vomiting after a trip to six flags, all of it can be made compelling with careful
attention.
With painting and mixed-media collage, I make works that entice the viewer into a new kind of
everyday life experience. The space encourages conversations and questions with strange
combinations of patterns based on home textiles and figures and scenes found in my own life as
well as the lives of strangers. Handmade decorative frames serve to elevate the works to the
realm of shrines and altars to everyday life.
CV
EDUCATION
BA in Fine Arts, Magna Cum Laude, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Textile Design graduate courses, Philadelphia University, Philadelphia, PA
Plein-air and life-drawings courses, The International School of Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture, Umbria, Italy
EXHIBITIONS
Open Studios, CaNorth, Pine Plains, NY
Hastings College + Young Space Juried Exhibition, JDAC Gallery, Hastings, NE (curated by Kate Mothes)
Rhythm, stress, and pausing, Super Dutchess Gallery, New York, NY
Open Studios, The Studios at MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA
HEYDAYS Pop-Up Exhibition, Friday Studio Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
SHIM Invitational 5, ArtHelix, Brooklyn, NY
MAAC on the Map: Mortal Coil, Manhattan Art and Antiques Center, New York, NY
People’s Choice Salon Show, Greenpoint Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (curated by Shawn James)
Solo Exhibition, Becky Bailey: Interior Life, Lather, Philadelphia, PA
Solo Exhibition, Selected Works, Mendham Township Library, Mendham, NJ
Two-Person Exhibition, First Friday, Everybody Hits, Philadelphia, PA (with painter Maddie Rain)
Solo Exhibition, Selected Works, Black ‘n Brew, Philadelphia, PA
Evening of the Arts Alumni Show, Mendham High School, Mendham, NJ
Two-Person Exhibition, Flash Salon, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA (with sculptor Glenn Kellum)
But is it art? Juried Exhibition, Off the Wall Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (curated by Jody Sweitzer)
Holes in the Wall, Steel City, Phoenixville, PA (curated by Rachel Kinback)
Pilgrimages, Hancock Garage Philadelphia, PA (curated by Rachel Kinback)
215/610: Juried Painting Exhibition of Regional Emerging Artists, DCCC, Media, PA (curated by Dr. Donald Kuspit)
Absolutely Abstract Juried Exhibition, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA (curated by Bill Scott)
The Undergraduate Fine Arts Invitation Exhibition, Addams Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Graduation Exhibition, Addams Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Penn Undergraduate Arts Fund, Claudia Cohen Hall, Philadelphia, PA (award)
It’s a Small, Small World, 520 W. 21st St., Chelsea, NY (curated by Jason Musson)
Senior Thesis Exhibition, Addams Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (award)
Great Landscapes, Linus Galleries, Pasadena, CA
Undergraduate Juried Exhibition, Addams Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (award, curated by Roxana Perez-Mendez)
+20, Addams Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Undergraduate Juried Exhibition, Addams Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (curated by David Dempewolf)
RESIDENCIES, AWARDS, GRANTS
ChaNorth, Pine Plains, NY
The Studios at MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA
Graduated Magna Cum Laude, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Fine Arts Chair Senior Thesis Award, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Kelly Family Research Grant, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Kelly Family Travel Fellowship, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
ART FAIRS
The Other Art Fair, Brooklyn Expo Center, Brooklyn, NY
Aqua Art Miami, with SHIM in room 227 at Aqua Hotel & Suites, Miami, FL
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Friend of The Artist, Vol 9, May 28, 2019
“Becky Bailey.” Young Space blog. February 7, 2019
“I Like Your Work Studio Visit.” I Like Your Work Podcast. February 1, 2019
“Episode Fifteen: Becky Bailey.” Brave Space Podcast. October 23, 2018
“Last Look” Penn Arts & Sciences Magazine, Spring/Summer 2012
CRED Magazine, Issue 2, May
Student Artist Profile: Becky Bailey, 34th Street, September 22
