Joseph Barbaccia
Georgetown, DE 703-969-8813
Joseph Barbaccia (American, born Philadelphia, PA, 1952) studied at Tyler School of Fine Art in Philadelphia. Barbaccia spent the following 8 years (1976- 84) traveling through the United States and South Pacific, concentrating on drawing and painting in a mostly representational style.
In 1996, Barbaccia moved to Potomac Falls, VA. Over the next 4 years he began to paint with encaustics on carved plaster reliefs. With his “Animal Metaphors” series in 2000 and the 2002 “Santos” series, he fully evolved to freestanding sculpture, creating pieces that employed the act of wrapping and winding materials over a mixed media framework.
In 2003 Barbaccia’s art took another definitive step. By incorporating the most basic of materials in assemblies that underscore craftsmanship and meaning, he had pared down visual insight to a more essential level of expression.
2008 saw Barbaccia’s work recognized in the Greater Washington Metro area as some of the most compelling by his becoming a finalist for the Trawick Prize.
In 2014 he began to create with polymer clay. The resulting works are three dimensional in form, similar to bas reliefs.
In 2018 Barbaccia moved to Delaware, USA. His images have been presented as covers and interior pieces for magazines, books, and more.
Barbaccia has written articles about his unique style for Polymer Arts magazine. His work has been featured in Luzer’s Archive 200 BEST Illustrators Worldwide, Illustration Annual 57,
3 X 3 Illustration Directory, Polymer Journeys (The Art and Craft of Polymer), Creative Quarterly, Illustration West 54, and the AOI World Illustration Awards.
Joseph Barbaccia is a member of The Rehoboth Art League,The Society of Illustrators, The Illustrators Club of Washington DC, Association of Illustrators, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and The International Polymer Clay Association.
You can find more of Barbaccia’s work at www.paradisestudio.com.
Selected Exhibitions
2022
Group – CONTEMPORARY ABSTRACTION II, Salisbury Art Space, Salisbury, MD
Group – Award Winners XXII, Cab Calloway School of Art, Wilmington, DE
Solo – Mezzanine Gallery, Wilmington, DE
Group – As Seen Through New Eyes, Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO, Jurors: Yulia
Hanansen and Eriq Hochuli
Group – Multifarious, The d'Art Center, Norfolk, VA, Jurors: Co-curated by gallery
manager Amanda Bradley, and exhibition juror, Rick Nickel
Solo – The Blue Streak Gallery, Wilmington, DE
Group – Award Winners XXII, CAMP, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Group – The Rehoboth Art League, “Members Fine Craft Exhibition” Rehoboth Beach, DE
Group – Award Winners XXII, Biggs Museum of American Art, Dover, DE
Group – POP: Perspectives on Polymer, Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA
Group – Handcrafted: Maria V. Howard Arts Center, Rocky Mount, NC, Juror: Anne Havel
2021
Group – The Rehoboth Art League, “Members Fine Craft Exhibition” Rehoboth Beach, DE
2012
Solo – The Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts, “”, Wilmington, DE
2010
Solo – Greater Reston Art Center, “Currents”, Reston, VA
Group – The Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts, “The Eight Currents”, Wilmington, DE
2009
Group – Washington Project for the Arts, “Turning the Page”, Washington, DC Solo – Gallery Neptune, Bethesda, MD
Solo – Deleplane Art Center, Frederick, MD Solo - Tysons Corner, VA
Group – Gallery 10 Invitational Exhibition, Washington Square, Washington, DC
2008
Group – Trawick Prize, Heineman Myers Gallery, Bethesda, MD Jurors: Molly Donovan,Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Art, Irene Hofmann, Executive Director of the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore, Leah Stoddard, Director of Second Street Gallery in Charlottesville, VA Group – Move It, Gallery Neptune, Bethesda, MD
Group – Art Addiction, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Group – Annual Member’s Show, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, DE Juror: Eleanor Heartney
2007
Group – Holiday Show, Light Street Gallery, Baltimore, MD
Group – Foot Long, Runnels Gallery, Eastern New Mexico University, Juror: Steven Fleming Group – JO’MA’MA, Gallery Neptune, Bethesda, MD
Group - Colorfield REMIX: SATURATED, Heineman Myers Gallery, Bethesda, MD Group - Erotic Signature, Miami FL
Group - Corcoran Gallery of Art , WPA\C Annual Art Auction & Gala; Curated by Mary Early, Hemphill Fine Arts
2005
Group - “OH HO 05 A Holiday Exhibition of Contemporary Art”, Union Printmakers Atelier, Washington DC Group - “2005 Gallery Neptune Holiday Exhibition” Bethesda, MD, Curated by Elyse Harrison, owner
Solo - “Solo3”, Warehouse Gallery, Washington, DC; Curated by Molly Rupert, owner
Group - “Seven”, Washington Project for the Arts\Corcoran, Washington, DC; Curated by F. Lennox Campello Group - “48th Annual National Juried Art Exhibition ”, Rocky Mount Art Center, Rocky Mount, NC; Juror: George
Hemphill, Hemphill Fine Arts
Group - “Top 10”, Fraser Gallery, Bethesda, MD; Curated by: Catriona Fraser and F. Lennox Campello Group - “8th Annual National Competition”, Gallery West, Alexandria, VA; Curated by: Deborah McLeod
(Independent curator, consultant and writer)
2004
Group - “WPA\Corcoran Group Exhibition: CORE 13”, CORE Gallery, Washington, DC; Curated by: Alexandra Olin, Program Manager
Group - “All Media Exhibition”, APEX Gallery
Group - “A Tribute to Fiber Art”, APEX Gallery, Washington, DC Juror: Trudy Vandyke, Director of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, Alexandria, VA
Group - Visions III International Juried Art Exhibition, Covington, KY Juror: John Begley, Gallery Director, Hite Art Institute, University of Louisville
Group - Artists’ Museum, Washington, DC Juror: Nancy Palmer, Corcoran College of Art and Design
2003
Group - 4Seasons, Oatlands , Leesburg, VA Juror: Sarah Huntington Phillips Solo - HNTB Gallery, Washington, DC "Looking Back/Looking Forward"
Solo - Rendezvous Gallery, Leesburg, VA, Viewpoints
Group - Corcoran Gallery of Art , WPA\C Annual Art Auction & Gala;
Juror: Stacy Schmidt, Asst Curator of Contemporary Art at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Group - Borders Gallery, Sterling, VA "Breaking Bread w/Ross Taylor
2002 and before
Group - Museum of Contemporary Art, Washington, DC Annual Members Show (2002)
Group - 6th Intnl All-Media Exhibition , eklektikos gallery, Washington, DC Juror: Stephen Bennett Phillips (Assoc. Curator, The Phillips Collection) (2002)
Group - "Artists' Screens", Eleven Eleven Sculpture Space Curator: Binnie Fry (2002)
Group - "The Freed Bead", Target Gallery, Alexandria, VA Juror: Valerie Hector (Artist, author) (2002) Group - "11th International", Havre de Grace, MD Juror: Katie Roskoff (Baltimore Museum of Art) (2002) Group - "Television", San Mateo, CA Juror: Chris Fitzpatrick (Artist, Critic) (2002)
Solo - Byrne Gallery, Middleburg, VA (1998)
Group - Greater Reston Art Center, Reston, VA (1998) Group - Arts Council of Fairfax County, VA (1996, 97) Solo - Kling Galleries, Philadelphia, PA (1986)
Gallery Representation
Gallery Neptune, Bethesda, MD
Grants & Awards
2022 - Individual Artist Fellowship Grant, Delaware Division of the Arts
2016 – World Illustration Awards, Highlighted Works
2016 – Finalist, Niche Awards, Niche Magazine
2008 – Finalist, Trawick Prize, Bethesda, MD Jurors: Molly Donovan, Irene Hofmann and Leah Stoddard
– Honorable Mention, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, DE Juror: Eleanor Heartney
– Honorarium, Art Addiction, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
2007 - Best In Show, “National Juried Exhibition”, Runnels Gallery, Eastern New Mexico University Juror: Stephen Fleming, Director of the Roswell Artist in Residence Program
2004 - Best In Show, “All Media Exhibition”, APEX Gallery, Washington, DC 2003 - Artist In Residence, Waterford, VA
2002 - Artist of the Month; Loudoun Art Council, Leesburg, VA
Best of Show; Target Gallery "The Freed Bead", Alexandria, VA Honorarium; DC Commission for the Arts, "Party Animals" Washington, DC
Affiliations
Rehoboth Art League
Washington Project for the Arts (Artist Council/Membership Committee Member) Washington Sculptors Group
Greater Reston Art Center Loudoun Arts Council
Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts International Sculpture Center
Fairfax Art Council
Education
Tyler School of Fine Art (Temple University), Philadelphia, PA
Private and Public Collections
Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Savarese Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Chuckla Mr. & Mrs. Michael Troutman
Mr. Christopher Barnes
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
Bibliography
2019 – Polymer Journeys Magazine
2018 – Polymer Week Magazine, August
2018 – Highlighter Magazine, In the Spotlight
2016 – Polymer Journeys Magazine
2014 - Polymer Arts Magazine, Winter, Bounderies
2008 - 2008 Art & Addiction Book, Johns Hopkins University Press 2007- The World's Greatest Erotic Artists of Today, Spring
- Washington Post, October 26, Galleries Section, Jessica Dawson 2005 - Elan Magazine, October
2004 - Bead and Button magazine, June 2003 - Elan Magazine, July/August
- Surface Design Journal, Spring 2002 - CNN Inside Politics, April
- Elan Magazine, July
- Washington City Paper, May
- Loudoun Magazine, March 2001 - Digital Fine Art Magazine 1998 - Reston Times
Articles/Reviews/Etc
Trendhunter Magazine, April 3, 2009, by Alexandra Choli http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/contemporary-sculpture-sequin-art-Joseph-Barbaccia-Euphoria- Qualm
Frederick News-Post, April 2, 2009
Joseph Barbaccia Exhibits, by Lauren LaRocca http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/art_life/display_comments.htm?section=entertainment&StoryI D=88473
Montgomery Co. Sentinel, June 11, 2009
The Sculptures are Light, Bright and Full of Life, by Calandria Somuah
Montgomery Co. Gazzette, June 10, 2009 Material world, by Jordan Edwards
http://www.gazette.net/stories/06102009/entemon120357_32524.shtml
American Contemporary Art, Summer 2009 Beyond the Big Museums, by Lennox Campello http://www.acamagazine.com/
Daily Campello Art News
The Trawick Prize at Heineman Myers, by Lennox Campello http://dcartnews.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_dcartnews_archive.html
Montgomery Co. Gazzette, by Karen Schafer | Staff Writer “Eyes on the Prize”
http://www.gazette.net/stories/09032008/entenew214923_32470.shtml
The Washington Post, by Jessica Dawson Bethesda as Art Destination
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/25/AR2007102502577.html
The Artery Blogspot
Seven at the Warehouse Theatre and Galleries http://arteryartery.blogspot.com/2005/08/seven-at-warehouse-theatre-and.html Marriage
http://arteryartery.blogspot.com/2005/12/marriage.html
Black Cat Bone - Burning The Flesh Off Modern Art
The Right Reverend James W. Bailey's Top 10 2005 Metro, D.C. Area Friendly Fire Art Attacks
http://blackcatbone.blogspot.com/2006/01/right-reverend-james-w-baileys-top-ten.html
Blogcritics.org
Artomatic Energymatic Daggermatic Review by Lenny Campello
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/12/02/105948.php Art-O-Matic Top Ten List Lenny Campello http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/11/19/225555.php
Interviews:
Conversation with Joseph Barbaccia - Blue Bottle Insiders
Conversation with Joseph Barbaccia - Blue Bottle Insiders - YouTube
Black Cat Bone - Burning The Flesh Off Modern Art "The Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other Modern Art Questions
http://blackcatbone.blogspot.com/2005/08/joseph-barbaccia-on-six-of-one-half.html
Thinking About Art Artists Interview Artists:
http://thinkingaboutart.blogs.com/art/2005/06/artists_intervi_2.html
Thinking About Art One Word Project
http://thinkingaboutart.blogs.com/art/2004/12/joseph_barbacci.html
Teaching & Lecturing
2022 – Milton Art Guild
2003 - Art In Residence Program, Waterford, VA 1998 - Digital Art, Byrne Gallery, Middleburg, VA
1990 - Computer Graphics, Berkley Corp, Philadelphia, PA
