Erica Geralds

Status: Education Fund

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Summary

Hello, my name is Erica Lynn Geralds and after being granted this opportunity to tell my story, I have to say that this is the most freeing experience of my life. After everything that has been said and done I am now an emerging Fine Artist with a few accolades of my own to mention. I received my Fine Arts Associates degree with a minor in Art History magna cum laude in 2010. My Bachelor of Fine Arts degree was completed cum laude status in 2013. Both degrees were received at the Fashion Institute of Technology in what were some of the best years of my life.

By November 2011 I submitted and gained entry into an exhibition titled �Frameworks� at the M55 Gallery through the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. In May of 2012 the first of my credit based internships was through Rush Arts Gallery in Chelsea which was created by Danny Simmons. I interned under the management there of Charlotte Mouquin a graduate of the Sotheby�s Institute of Art. It was with her input that I began to discover the requirements of a possible curatorial position. Gregory Ingram also an employee of Rush Arts Gallery was the first to suggest that I go to Sotheby�s Institute of Art as a curatorial student. Although I had no intention of following that path at that particular time, I had no idea that my plans were about to change.

For my last semester at FIT I decided to apply for another internship to fulfill an academic requirement through the urgency of a friend. It was because I had already begun to take the initial steps to building some type of dialogue with Wangechi Mutu and her studio that I chose to take it a step further. I took a calculated risk and inquired about the possibility of just meeting and interviewing with Wangechi on a topic of interest at the time. Her studio manager Alexandra Giniger, put the possibility of interviewing for an internship with Wangechi Mutu Studio on the table. Of course I saw my opportunity and seized it immediately. Wangechi was an artist that I admired for her collage work from the very first day she was made known to me by FIT�s Fine Arts Lecturing Series. I met in 2012 and interned and eventually worked in 2013 under the management of Alexandra Giniger. During my stay at Wangechi Mutu Studio I was able to speak with Alexandra about her experiences with Sotheby�s Institute of Art /London. It was through her that I began to understand the way this school orchestrated its master program.Yes, I was having quite an explosive end to my spring semester at school.

Not only had I secured an internship with Wangechi Mutu Studio but I was a semi finalist in the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series New York City contest. The exhibition was on display at Rush Arts Gallery in Chelsea, New York. It was there that my FIT Thesis painting hung on display for a short time in October of 2012. It was not until my six month stent with Wangechi Mutu Studio (first as an intern then secondly as a freelance artist assistant in 2013) was about over, that I fell into a working relationship with Bar Catalonia�s Gotham Gallery. Their manager, David Morris held on to and supported my painting submission to a much earlier show. For some reason my piece titled, �Tempest� caught his attention. This was enough for him to keep me in mind for another date, rather than discarding my entry because it did not meet the current opening theme criteria. David offered me a group show that he would curate with two additional offers.

The second possibility was the opportunity to have and curate my own solo exhibition at this venue and in the third offer he would be allowing me to curate a group exhibition. I agreed to accept each of his three offers. The experience that I gained in my group showing and during this process as a curator led me to applying to Sotheby�s Institute of Art /London.

After my submission and application interviewing process I was given an early acceptance into the Sotheby�s Institute of Art/London in December of 2013. I was notified at that time through email that I would receive an official letter of admission by early January for the Masters of Contemporary Arts Program. Although I declined and now I am being granted a second opportunity to attend in the Fall of 2015 I would appreciate your help in funding my education. The expense is too great for me alone right now. Donate at www.gofundme.com/EricaG. Minimum $10.00 donation.

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Resumé / Bio

Erica Geralds
299 Shepard Avenue, Apt 3
Englewood, NJ 07631
1-862-899-6237
artistericageralds@gmail.com
Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY, State University of New York, 2008 - 2013
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, Minor in Art History,
Cumulative GPA: 3.49/4.0
Cum Laude, Deans List
Associates of Fine Arts Degree,
Cumulative GPA: 3.62/4.0
Magna cum Laude, Deans List
Internships
Wangechi Mutu Studios, Brooklyn, NY, January 29, 2013 � August 7, 2013
Art Studio Assistant
Using FileMaker Pro: record data, check, edit, and revise documents,
Scanning, Three Tier Filing, and Data Basing
Artwork Fabrication
Rush Arts Gallery, New York, NY, February 2012 � May 2012
Gallery Assistant
Data Basing, Archiving and Filing
Art handling
Assist opening exhibition preparation
Work Experience
Bar Catalonia�s Gotham Gallery, New York, NY, March 2014 � May 2014
Freelance Curator (�Ordered Chaos� Exhibit)
Coordinator of solo exhibition
Painter for solo exhibition
Bar Catalonia�s Gotham Gallery, New York, NY, September 2013 � Early December 2013
Freelance Curator (�Tradition� Exhibit)
Staffed five artist for group show
Managed and staffed three music entertainers
Coordinator of opening and closing exhibition
Wangechi Mutu Studios, Brooklyn, NY, May 14, 2013 � August 7, 2013
Artist Assistant
Using FileMaker Pro: record data, check, edit, and revise documents
Scanning, Three Tier Filing, and Data Basing
Art Fabrication
Art Handling
Ramapo College, Ramapo, New Jersey, March 2011
Workshop Teaching Instructor
Drawing Technique Exercise
Oil Painting Lesson
Skills
Painter/Sculptor; knowledgeable building Stretcher Bars and Canvases, Acquainted with using Microsoft Office Suite including PowerPoint/Word/Picture Manager Tools while proficient on a Mac and PC, social media friendly with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

artistericageralds@gmail.com

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Work Experience

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Education

Interests: Curating, painting, drawing, sculpture and poetry writing

Honors / Awards: Icon Magazine poetry writing contest winner, Bombe Sapphire Artisan Series Semi Finalist NYC 2012.

Website / Blog: http://www.gofundme.com/EricaG