About/CV
María Velasco is a Spanish-born artist who has been living and working in the US since 1991. Her interdisciplinary work consists of site-specific environments, urban interventions, sculptural objects, and temporary public art commissions. Her work deals with issues of displacement, migration, gender identity, vulnerability, and the structures of authority that govern our lives. She has shown her work nationally and internationally in university and private museums, and contemporary art venues such as The Soap Factory in Minneapolis, MN; the Contemporary Arts Forum in Santa Barbara, CA; the ARC gallery in Chicago, IL; the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence, KS; H&R Block Artspace, the Kansas City Artists Coalition, Avenue of the Arts in Kansas City, MO; the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art in Saint Joseph, MO; the Paula Cooper gallery and the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, both in New York City.
Internationally, she has exhibited in Salón Tentaciones (Madrid, Spain), Museo Del Barro (Asunción, Paraguay), Paradise Gardens Biennial VI, (Darmstadt, Germany), Mexico, Argentina and Morocco. Her work appears in prestigious publications including Art In America and Sculpture Magazine, and has been reviewed by The Kansas City Star, Art Focus Oklahoma; The Village Voice, and the Chicago Reader. She was Artist-in-Residence at Sculpture Space (2007) and International Artist-in-Residence at Proyecto 'Ace, in Buenos Aires, Argentina (2012). In 2016, she was Artist-in-Residence at Green Olive Arts, in Tetouan, Morocco. In the summer of 2019, she attended her first-ever family-friendly residency at Elsewhere Studios, in Paonia, CO, where she began filming her award-winning documentary All of Me: Artists+Mothers. The film has since screened in more than 10 Film Festivals, and been awarded Best Female Representation Award at WIFTA (Women in Film and Television Atlanta), Honorable Mention at Screen Power Film Festival in London, UK, and semi-finalist at Dumbo Film Festival in NY and at Boden International Film Festival, in Sweden.
Her professional contributions include leading independent curatorial projects, discussion panels, and workshops nationally and abroad. She has been a juror for the National Endowment for the Arts (Washington DC) in 2002 and 2005 and has served in the Board of Directors for MidAmerica College Art Association (MACCA), and in various committees at College Art Association (CAA). She has received numerous awards and grants; most notably, a Rocket Grant Award-a program of the Kansas City Charlotte Street Foundation and the University of Kansas Spencer Museum of Art (funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts); Lighton International Artist Exchange Program Grant; Kansas Arts Commission Collaborative Grant; Avenue of the Arts Foundation Grant; Kansas Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship for Interdisciplinary Art, and Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation Emerging Artists Grant. Velasco was the first student in Visual Art to obtain a scholarship through the Madrid-California Education Abroad program at the Universidad Complutense of Madrid, Spain.
María Velasco received her Bachelor Degree in Painting from the Universidad Complutense of Madrid in 1989, and her Master of Fine Arts in New Genre from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1993. She is a Professor of Visual Art in the Expanded Media Department at the University of Kansas, and teaches courses in Installation Art, Social Practice, Expanded Media, Professionalism in the Arts, Contemporary Theory and Criticism, and Drawing. She currently lives in Lawrence, KS with her thirteen-year old son, Alex, who loves to draw and make art.
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Solo Exhibitions (selected)
2024
Reclaiming Home: Remembering The Topeka Bottoms, ArtsConnect, Topeka, KS
2018
Spaces of Conviviality, Centro Negra-AADK, Murcia, Spain
2016-17
A City with a View, Washburn Outdoor Sculpture Competition, Washburn University, Topeka, KS
2016
Breaking Patterns, Green Olive Arts Residency Studios, Tetouan, Morocco
A Very Long Night/La Noche Más Larga, Myers Gallery, Living Arts of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
A Very Long Night/La Noche Más Larga, Mallin Gallery, Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, MO
2012
A Very Long Night/La Noche Más Larga, Sala Políglota, Proyecto Ace, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2008
Recent Works. Gardiner Art Gallery, Bartlett Center for the Visual Arts, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
2005
BLUEprints of the Heart, University Art Gallery, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA
2004-05
A City with a View, Avenue Of The Arts, Kansas City, MO
2003
That Which Holds Promise, Erman B. White Gallery, Butler County Community College, El Dorado, KS
Los Labios de Teresa, Eppink Art Gallery, King Hall, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS
2002
Los Labios de Teresa, Sala Augusto Schiavoni, Centro Cultural Bernardino Rivadavia, Rosario, Argentina
2001
tierra de nadie, Gallery 1101, Department of Cinema and Photography, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL
2000
Recent Work, Individual Artists of Oklahoma Gallery, Oklahoma City, OK
Recent Work. Mallin Gallery, Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, MO
1999
tierra de nadie/nobody’s land, Art And Music Center Gallery, Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI
1998
tierra de nadie. Museo Del Barro, Asunción, Paraguay
Remember Lot’s Wife..., Raw Space Gallery, Artists Residents of Chicago Gallery, Chicago, IL
Remember Lot’s Wife..., Willard Hall Art Gallery, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
1997
Remember Lot’s Wife..., Salina Art Center, Salina, KS
1996
Of Loss and Endurance, New Art Department Faculty Show (two person). Art and Design Gallery, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
1995
Unseen Unheard: Voices of Children of Battered Women, curated by Rita Ferri, Contemporary Arts Forum, Santa Barbara, CA
1993
Speaking KnotsHablando Nudos, Women's Center Gallery, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
Collaborative Projects
2007-08
Stop Look Listen, Audio Tour and Outdoor Installation (with Janet Davidson-Hues), curated by Dr. Susan Earle, Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, KS
2005
Step-By-Step Ascension To Paradise, Outdoor Installation (with Janet Davidson-Hues), curated by Ute Ritschel, Paradise Gardens Biennial VI, Darmstadt, Germany.
1996
Ebb + Flow: Never Step Same River Twice, (with Diana Dunkley). Riverfront Plaza Outdoor Promenade and the Kansas River sandbar, Lawrence, KS
1994
In the Presence of Absence, (with Lisa Kaftori), Ridley-Tree Education Center, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA
Urban Interventions
2018 Cosas De Blanca (Spaces of Conviviality), Artisan Market Booth, Blanca, Murcia, Spain
2016 Breaking Patterns, Cafe Bertuchi, Tetouan, Morocco
Vanishing Patterns, Hotel Blanco Riad, Tetouan, Morocco
2001 Untitled. Asunción, Paraguay
Proyecto de Beso (Kiss Project), Asunción, Paraguay
Film Screenings and Special Mentions (selected)
2023 A City with A View, Official Selection, Madrid International Short Film Festival, Madrid, Spain
2022 All of Me: Artists+Mothers, Semi-finalist, New York International Women Festival, New York, NY
All of Me: Artists+Mothers, Official Selection, Skia International Film Festival, New York, NY
A City with A View, Official Selection, Tokyo International Short Film Festival, Tokyo, Japoan
A City with A View, Official Selection, New York Tri-State International Film Festival, New York, USA
A City with A View, Official Selection, Roma Short Film Festival, Rome, Italy
All of Me: Artists+Mothers, Official Selection, MOM Film Fest, New York, NY
All of Me: Artists+Mothers, Official Selection, Hispanic International Film Festival (IHFF), Nassau, DE
2021 All of Me: Artists+Mothers, Official Selection, Global Indie Film Fest (GIFF), Glasgow, UK
All of Me: Artists+Mothers, Semi-finalist, Dumbo Film Festival, New York, NY
All of Me: Artists+Mothers, Official Selection, FlickFair Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA
All of Me: Artists+Mothers, Semi-finalist, Boden International Film Festival (BIFF), Boden, Sweden
All of Me: Artists+Mothers, Official Selection, Screen Power Film Festival, London, UK
All of Me: Artists+Mothers, Screening, Directors’ Q+A, Spilt Milk gallery, Edinburgh, UK
2020 All of Me: Artists+Mothers, Official Selection + Screening, Female Filmmakers Fuse Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA
All of Me: Artists+Mothers, Official Selection + Screening, (WIFTA), Short Film Showcase, Film Impact Georgia, GA
Group Exhibitions (selected)
2020
Artists Respond (online exhibition), Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, KS
Home-Works: Online Exhibition and Zine, Spilt Milk, Edinburgh, UK
2016
Kansas City Flatfiles, H&R Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO
2015
Patterns and Mobiles, Coolture Lab, Madrid, Spain
Patterns and Mobiles, Factoría Cultural, Matadero-Madrid, Madrid, Spain
2012
Earth: Language and Symbols, Cara and Cabezas Contemporary, Kansas City, MO
2008
In Residence: Recent Projects from Sculpture Space. Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, curated by Christa Erickson and Patterson Sims
New York City, NY
2007
BLUEprints of the Heart, Video Screening. School of Fine Arts Collage Concert, Lied Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Works-In-Progress, SculptureSpace, Utica, NY
Material Matters, the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, Saint Joseph, MO
2001
Esperando a Goya. Muestra De Arte Español, curated by Osvaldo Salerno and Ticio Escobar, Museo del Barro, Asunción, Paraguay
1999
tierra de nadie, Estampa--VII International Printmaking Art Fair, curated by Víctor del Campo, Salón Tentaciones, Recinto ferial Casa de Campo, Madrid, Spain
Body, curated by Saralyn Reece-Hardy, Salina Art Center, Salina, KS
1998
Light Sensitive, Galeria Mesa, Mesa, AZ
1997
Material/Immaterial, No Name Exhibitions @ The Soap Factory Gallery, Minneapolis, MN.
A Woman’s Place is in the World, Alexandre Hoghe Gallery, School of Art, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
1995
Time Capsule: A Concise Encyclopedia by Women Artists, Paula Cooper Gallery, New York City, NY
Women Beyond Borders, Traveling Exhibition, Contemporary Arts Forum, Santa Barbara, CA
1993
Speaking KnotsHablando Nudos, MFA Thesis Show, University Art Museum, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA.
Artist Residencies
2019 MOTHRA, Artscape Gibraltar Point, Toronto, Canada (cancelled due to COVID 19)
Marble House Project, Dorset, VT
Elsewhere Studios, Paonia, CO
Womens’ Studio Workshop, Rosendale, NY ( listed as an alternate)
2018 Artist Residency, Centro Negra-AADK, Murcia, Spain
2016 Convergence Residency, Green Olive Arts, Tetouan, Morocco
2012 International Artist Residency, Proyecto 'Ace, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2007 Artist Residency, Sculpture Space, Utica, NY
1986 Artist-in-Residence, Atelier Nord, Oslo, Norway
Performances
2002 Disrupting Pharaoh’s Dream: Devouring Mother. Lunar Performances Series, with B. Haum and J. Davidson-Hues, NYU/KU
2001 Fan Club, with a.k.a., Nightingale Theater, New Genre Festival, sponsored by Living Arts of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
2000 Fan Club, with a.k.a., Context Theater, The 4th New York International Fringe Festival, New York City, NY
1999 Body Speech, Salina Art Center, Salina, KS
1997 Seeing Red, with a.k.a., Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, KS
1994 In The Spirit Of Fluxus, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA
Teaching Experience
2019-present Professor of Art, Visual Art Department, School of the Arts, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS. Teach courses in Installation Art, Expanded Media, Professional Activities Seminar, Social Practice, Drawing, and Life Drawing.
Awards /Funding (selected)
2020 Best Female Representation Award, All of Me: Artists+Mothers, WIFTA, Short Film Showcase, Film Impact Georgia
2019 General Research Fund (Toronto), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
International Reseach Travel Fund (Toronto), International Programs, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
2018 Award of Excellence, Animation category, Depth of Field International Film Festival (DOFIFF)
Official Selection, Depth of Field International Film Festival (DOFIFF)
The Research Excellence Fund (Spain), College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
International Travel Fund-Humanities Research (Spain), Office of International Programs, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
General Research Fund (Spain), School of the Arts, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
2017 CLAS Faculty Travel Award (Spain), School of the Arts, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
2016 Washburn Outdoor Sculpture Competition Award, Washburn University, Topeka, KS
Hall Center Faculty Travel Grant (Morocco), Hall Center for the Humanities, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
International Reseach Travel Fund (Morocco), International Programs, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Diversity Scholars Program, Center for Teaching Excellence, University Of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
2014 Rocket Grants Program, (Charlotte Street Foundation, Spencer Museum of Art, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.)
CLAS Faculty Travel Award (Tulsa, OK), School of The Arts, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
2013 Rocket Grants Program, (Charlotte Street Foundation, Spencer Museum of Art, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.)
2012 International Reseach Travel Fund (Argentina), International Programs, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Lighton International Artist Exchange Program, (Argentina), Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, MO
General Research Fund (Argentina), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
2010 Collaborative Grant, Kansas Arts Commission, Topeka, KS
2007 Hall Center Creative Work Fellowship, Hall Center for the Humanities, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
2005 Hall Center Faculty Travel Grant (Germany), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
General Research Fund, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
2004 International Faculty Development Seminar in Cuba, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Avenue of the Arts Foundation Grant, Kansas City, MO
2003 General Research Fund (Argentina), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
2002 International Travel Fund (Argentina), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
2001 Big Twelve Faculty Fellowship (Boulder, CO), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Individual Artist Fellowship For Interdisciplinary Art, Kansas Arts Commission, Topeka, KS
General Research Fund (Paraguay), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
2000 Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, Emerging Artists Grant, Akron, OH
1997 Graduate Student Mentorship Award for The School of Fine Arts, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
1996 Certificate of Recognition, Multicultural Resource Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
1995 Certificate of Appreciation, California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives (CEMA), University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
1991 Madrid-California Education Abroad Program Scholarship, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain
Administrative Service (selected)
2004-10 Board Member, Board of Directors, MidAmerica College Art Association (MACAA)
2002-05 Member, Cultural Diversity Committee, College Art Association (CAA)
2001-03 Member, Board of Directors, Nominating Committee, College Art Association (CAA)
Mentor, Career Development Workshop, College Art Association (CAA)