About My Work
My work employs painting, drawing, and digital mixed media to visualize geometries that subvert traditional painting canon. These geometries emerge from mapping the theoretical spaces described by post-structuralism, geography, complexity, psychology, psychedelics, feminism, politics, and cyber and queer culture.
I work both on and off the wall, drawing attention to and confusing a viewer’s awareness of their own body’s movements within illusionistic, sculptural, and architectural spaces. To achieve this, I design, sculpt, paint, and install substrates to activate unique surface qualities that emphasize the viewer’s physical relation to the work and enhance its overall illusion of movement.
Throughout my work, brightly colored Cartesian grids, fractals, concentric squares, and circular forms connect and contradict diametrically opposed perspectival planes to reveal a greater relativity beyond closed systems. As a result, the viewer may experience recognition, confusion, order, and a chance to decipher space, yet be overwhelmed by flatness.
Ultimately, I intend to discover how these optical tensions can topologically bend painting to the point of ideological collapse and reform it into a more intersectional medium with multi-dimensional and cross-disciplinary potential.
CV
EDUCATION
2022 — present Pursuing Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling with a Psychedelic Studies certificate — Southwestern College — Santa Fe, NM
2020 Psychology Studies — Study.com — Accredited online college-level courses that include Developmental Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and an elective psychology course (9 credits)
2013 Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing with a minor in Art History — Minneapolis College of Art and Design — Minneapolis, MN
2011 AICAD Mobility: The Burren College of Art — Ballyvaughan, Ireland — A study abroad program focusing on artistic development and Irish studies
2009 ARTIS Study Abroad Program — Florence, Italy — Studied Drawing and Renaissance Art History
General Studies, emphasis on Fine Art — Texas State University — San Marcos, TX
EXPERIENCE
2022 Front Desk Receptionist — Tierra Nueva Counseling Center — Santa Fe, NM
I assisted the Tierra Nueva Counseling Center as a front desk receptionist. Responsibilities included: opening the clinic, greeting clients, responding thoroughly and compassionately to in-person client needs, as well as emails and phone calls; coordinating task and client care details with practicum students, licensed therapists, supervisors, and the clinical director; processing client payments and health insurance cards, completing 30-minute phone interviews for client intake (which included mental health assessments such as suicidality), updating client information in the EMR Bear patient intake system, coordinating communication between staff using Microsoft Teams software, and keeping a clean and organized workspace, November 2022 — March 2023
2020 Legal Assistant — Michael Shulman Attorney at Law — San Marcos, TX
I assisted Attorney Michael Shulman in his private practice handling criminal defense cases in the Hays County criminal justice system. Responsibilities included: reviewing the state’s evidence and writing discovery outlines in criminal defense cases (including but not limited to capital murder), assisting in jail visits and advising clients, assisting counsel in court, coordinating with legal team to effectively represent clients through scheduling, preparing and filing motions, and communicating with the District Attorney, January 2020 — January 2021
2015 Gallery Artist — Camiba Gallery — Austin, TX
I am represented by Camiba Gallery, where I have been included in several group exhibitions, as well as produced three major solo exhibitions titled Zoë Shulman: Circuit Topology, Zoë Shulman: The Allegory of Good and Bad Government, and Zoë Shulman: Neuroplastic, 2015 — present
2014 Drawing I Teaching Assistant — Minneapolis College of Art and Design — Minneapolis, MN
I assisted the Fine Art Chair with teaching Drawing I during the 2014 Fall Semester. Responsibilities included: assisting the instructor in teaching students technical skills, discussing content, opportunities, and options; becoming a sounding board for the students’ ideas; and offering feedback, September — December 2014
Gallery Assistant — Walker Art Center — Minneapolis, MN
As a Gallery Assistant at the Walker Art Center, my responsibilities included providing security for world-class artworks and excellent customer service by helping patrons navigate the gallery space and assisting with questions regarding artworks and museum events, January — December 2014
2013 Pre-College Summer Session Painting Teaching Assistant — Minneapolis College of Art and Design — Minneapolis, MN
As a PCSS Teaching Assistant, I assisted students ages 15-18 in the classroom and studio. Specific responsibilities included: assisting the instructor in teaching students technical skills, discussing content, opportunities, and options; becoming a sounding board for the students’ ideas; and offering feedback, July 2013, July, August 2014
2012 Student Union Fine Art Representative — Minneapolis College of Art and Design — Minneapolis, MN
I worked with the Student Union to solve problems within the student body and allocate funds for community events, collaborated with the Fine Art Chair to create an online network for the Fine Arts community, helped organize Fine Art Town Hall Meetings and Fine Art Critiques, and represented the student body before the MCAD Board of Trustees, January — December 2012
SKILLS
Fine art — Oil painting, water based media (acrylic, gouache, watercolor), formal and live figure drawing, Japanese craft (paper making, woodblock printing, bookbinding), intaglio, cyanotype, encaustic, performance, conceptual art
Workshop — Welding, woodworking (CNC router, trim router, band saw, table saw, Dremel tool, chop saw, and belt sander), operating a scissor lift
Office — Microsoft Office Suite (Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint), typing speed: 65 GWAM, cash register, ACT Database, promotion and networking including social media (Facebook, Instagram), EMR Bear (clinical patient intake system), Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, digital photography, printing, and lighting for professional artwork documentation
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
2016 Kleindorf Art — Strodehne, Germany
Vermont Studio Center — Johnson, VT
2015 The Banff Centre — Alberta, Canada
Starry Night Retreat — Truth or Consequences, NM
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2024 Impressions En Plein Air — Van Der Plas Gallery — New York, NY (invitational exhibition)
2022 Zoë Shulman: Neuroplastic — Camiba Gallery — Austin, TX (solo exhibition)
2020 Structure — A. Smith Gallery — Johnson City, TX (juried)
2019 Best of the Show — Texas State University — Round Rock, TX (juried)
A Fresh Look: Selection of Women Artists in the MADI Collection — The Museum of Geometric and MADI Art — Dallas, TX (juried)
2018 Fall Exhibit: Shulman, Lamplugh, Hubbard, Allen, Davis — McCrory Timmerman Galleries — Taylor, TX (invitational exhibition)
The New Non — The Flux Factory — Long Island City, NY (invitational exhibition)
Zoë Shulman: The Allegory of Good and Bad Government — Camiba Gallery — Austin, TX (solo exhibition)
2017 Annual Red Dot Art Spree — Women & Their Work — Austin, TX (invitational exhibition)
Biennial: Origins in Geometry — The Museum of Geometric and MADI Art — Dallas, TX (juried)
Art City Austin Fair — Palmer Events Center — Austin, TX (Camiba Art Gallery)
Zoë Shulman: Circuit Topology — Camiba Gallery — Austin, TX (solo exhibition)
Nasty Women Exhibition — The Knockdown Center — New York, NY
2016 Quadratfuss Exhibition: Berlin Edition — NX2 Gallery — Berlin, Germany (juried)
2015 Open Studio Event — The Banff Centre — Alberta, Canada
2014 The Burren Annual, 20th Anniversary Alumni Exhibition — Burren College of Art — Ballyvaughan, Ireland (juried)
The 2014 Minnesota Biennial — Minnesota Museum of American Art — St. Paul, MN (juried)
About Space/Contemporary Abstraction — University of Wisconsin — River Falls, WI (invitational exhibition)
2013 Geometry in Nature — Silverwood Gallery — Minneapolis, MN (juried)
Unpredictable — Minneapolis College of Art and Design — Minneapolis, MN (juried)
PERMANENT COLLECTION
Circuit Topology II (artwork) — The Museum of Geometric and MADI Art — Dallas, TX
ARTIST TALKS, CRITIQUES, AND DISCUSSION PANELS
2023 Discussion Panel — Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy with Psilocybin — Healing and Transformation Conference — Southwestern College —
Santa Fe, NM
2022 Artist Talk — Zoë Shulman: Neuroplastic — Camiba Gallery — Austin, TX
2018 Artist Talk and Catalog Signing — Zoë Shulman: The Allegory of Good and Bad Government — Camiba Gallery — Austin, TX
2017 Artist Talk — Zoë Shulman: Circuit Topology — Camiba Gallery — Austin, TX
2014 Artist Talk and Undergraduate Critique with Betsy Byers and Karen Gustafson — About Space/Contemporary Abstraction —
University of Wisconsin — River Falls, WI
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2022 Jenny Weinar — Art-Making as Psychedelic Integration and Trauma Resolution — Everyday Nonordinary the Podcast — February 25 —
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3kXkRFTX1CE0P2QDu0Yw2O
Wayne Alan Brenner — Sorcery and Special K: The Neuroplastic Visions of Zoë Shulman — The Austin Chronicle — February 11 — pg. 42 - 43
Camiba Gallery — Zoë Shulman: Neuroplastic Artist Talk — February 7 — https://youtu.be/kuAvYd1C-_E
Kristen O'Brien — 8 Austin art exhibits that will tug at your heartstrings — Austin Culture Map — February 3 —
https://austin.culturemap.com/news/arts/02-03-22-austin-art-exhibits-museums-february/#slide=0
Erin Keever — Neuroplastic abstraction: Zoë Shulman’s ‘ketagons’ — Sightlines Magazine — January 27 —
https://sightlinesmag.org/neuroplastic-abstraction-zoe-shulmans-ketagons
Glasstire — Top Five: January 20, 2022 — January 20 — http://glasstire.com/2022/01/20/top-five-january-20-2022/
2020 A. Smith Gallery — exhibition catalog with photograph — May 26 — pg. 16
2019 The Museum of Geometric and MADI Art — exhibition catalog with photograph — April 26 — pg. 2
2018 Minneapolis College of Art and Design — alumni profile — August 21 — https://mcad.edu/alumni-profile/zoe-shulman
The Flux Factory — exhibition catalog with photograph — June 29 — pg. 5
Yes Ma’am Press — artist zine, Issue 12: The Dream Issue* — March 25 — pg. 22 - 23
(*Winner of the 2018 Broken Pencil Zine Award for Best Political Zine)
Wayne Alan Brenner — closing announcement with review statement — The Austin Chronicle — February 9 — pg. 30
Camiba Gallery — The Allegory of Good and Bad Government exhibition catalog — February 3
Arts + Culture Texas Magazine — exhibition announcement with photograph — February 1 — pg. 12
Jeanne Claire van Ryzin — Gallery Going: Zoë Shulman at Camiba Art — Sightlines Magazine — January 26 —
https://sightlinesmag.org/gallery-going-zoe-shulman-at-camiba
Jeanne Claire van Ryzin — Our picks for PrintAustin 2018 — Sightlines Magazine — January 11 — https://sightlinesmag.org/our-picks-2018-printaustin
Print Austin — exhibition catalog with photograph — January 7 — pg. 1
Glasstire — exhibition announcement with photograph — January 4 —
http://glasstire.com/events/2018/01/04/zoe-shulman-the-allegory-of-good-and-bad-government/
2017 The Museum of Geometric and MADI Art — exhibition catalog with photograph — July 28 — pg. 1
The Austin Chronicle — exhibition announcement with photograph — February 17 — pg. 30
Glasstire — exhibition announcement with photograph — February 13 — http://glasstire.com/events/2017/02/13/zoe-shulman-circuit-topology/
John Salazar — 'Nasty Women' Host Art Exhibit, Planned Parenthood Fundraiser — Time Warner Cable News/Spectrum News — January 15 —
2015 Quinton Skinner — Ones to Watch — Minnesota Monthly Magazine — January 1 — pg. 56 - 60
2014 Marianne Combs — Weekend Arts Roundup: Pride, Biennial and Shakespeare — The Current on Minnesota Public Radio — June 26 —
https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2014/06/26/weekend-arts-roundup-pride-biennial-and-shakespeare
GALLERY AFFILIATION
Camiba Gallery — Austin, TX
SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS
2024 Black Elk Visionary Award Scholarship — Southwestern College
2023 Rudolf Steiner Award Scholarship — Southwestern College
2012 MCAD Painting/Drawing Merit Scholarship — Minneapolis College of Art and Design
2011 MCAD Painting/Drawing Merit Scholarship — Minneapolis College of Art and Design
2010 MCAD Distance Grant — Minneapolis College of Art and Design
MCAD Opportunity Grant — Minneapolis College of Art and Design
2009 MCAD Visual Scholarship — Minneapolis College of Art and Design
