Carolyn Mary Kleefeld

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Carolyn Mary Kleefeld
BornCarolyn Mary Taper
UCLA
Notable awardsPushcart Prize (Nominee)
Website
carolynmarykleefeld.com

Carolyn Mary Kleefeld (née Taper) is an English-American author, poet, and visual artist.[1] She is the author of twenty-five books,[2] has a line of fine art cards, and has had numerous gallery and museum awards and exhibitions between 1981 and the present, in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other major cities.[3]

Biography

Early life

Kleefeld was born in

UCLA
.

Career

Kleefeld is the author of twenty-five books. She has created an extensive and diverse body of paintings and drawings, ranging in style from romantic figurative to abstract. Her art is featured internationally in galleries, museums, private collections, and multimedia presentations.

Personal life

Kleefeld currently lives in

Valentine’s Day 2017, she wed David Campagna. Campagna died three weeks later from a long-term illness.[7]
She had previously been married to Tony Kleefeld, known professionally as Tony Travis.

Poetry and writings

Kleefeld's writings include poetry, prose, and art. Her work has been translated into Korean, Romanian, Japanese, Italian, Sicilian, Chinese, Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Russian, Spanish, Catalan, Greek, and Persian.

Artwork

Kleefeld’s artwork has appeared in numerous galleries and museums.

The

Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, exhibited a retrospective of her paintings and drawings and published an exhibition catalog, Carolyn Mary Kleefeld: Visions from Big Sur, with art from the exhibit and a commentary by museum curator and director, Michael Zakian
.

Other solo exhibitions include “30 years of Abstract Visions” at the Gallery at the Ventana Inn in Big Sur, California (2014), “The Divine Kiss” at the

University of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California (2001), National Arts Club in New York, New York (2001), and Nassau County Museum of Art
, Roslyn Harbor, New York, among others.

Kleefeld’s art is in the permanent collections, among others, of The Downey Museum of Art, The

Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, The Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur, and The Dylan Thomas Theatre
, in Swansea, Wales.

Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum

In 2019, Kleefeld gifted $10 million to the California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), which was by far the largest donation received by the school.[8] Consequently, the University Art Museum was renamed the Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum later that year. [9] Months later, Kleefeld donated 120 of her own artworks to the institution’s permanent collection.[8]

After undergoing a two-year-long expansion and renovation, the museum re-opened on February 12, 2022,[10] and now holds 178 of Kleefeld's drawings and paintings as part of its permanent collection. In addition, the University houses Kleefeld's literary archives, and an endowment will fund annual scholarships for the College of the Arts, an interdisciplinary lecture series at the university, a student intern, and museum program enhancement.[11]

After the opening of the Kleefeld exhibit at CSULB, Los Angeles Times art critic Christopher Knight described Kleefeld's work as "frankly terrible - by far the worst I’ve seen on display in a serious exhibition venue, public or private, for profit or nonprofit, in years."[8][12] An anonymous professor at the university also noted: “If that was a student applicant’s portfolio, they wouldn’t get admitted to the program."[8]

Awards and honors

  • Nominations for The Pushcart Prize, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
  • World Poetry Empowered Poet Award / Vancouver, Canada, 2014
  • Il Meleto Di Guido Gozanno Award for Poetry / Torino, Italy, 2014
  • First place, Short Story Contest: 101 Words / Monterey County Weekly / Monterey, CA, 2006
  • First Place, Light, Space & Time Art Competition: Abstraction, Judge’s Award for Excellence, John Nichols Gallery, Santa Paula, CA, 2001

Bibliography

Poetry

  • Climates of the Mind (1979) (5th Reprint: Author's Choice Press: Lincoln, NE (2005)
    ISBN 978-0595365647
  • Satan Sleeps With The Holy: Word Paintings (1982) Horse and Bird Press; Big Sur, CA
    ISBN 978-0960221486
  • Lovers in Evolution (1983) Editor: Patricia Karahan. Horse and Bird Press: Big Sur, CA
    ISBN 9780960221400
  • Vagabond Dawns (2009) Cross-Cultural Communications, New York
    ISBN 978-0-89304-186-1
  • Poet to Poet #4: Poems--East Coast/West Coast with Stanley Barkan (2010) The Seventh Quarry/Cross Cultural Communications,
    ISBN 978-0-89304-279-0

Poetry and Art

Poetry, Prose, and Art

Art

Translated Collections

References

  1. ^ "Carolyn Mary Kleefeld's short stories captures Monterey County scenes". The Salinas Californian. Nov 20, 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  2. ^ Immortal Seeds: Bearing Gold From The Abyss (The Seventh Quarry & Cross-Cultural Communications, Wales/New York, 2022).
  3. ^ a b Michael Zakian, Ph.D, Carolyn Mary Kleefeld: Visions from Big Sur, artwork by Carolyn Mary Kleefeld, Frederick R Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, 2008.
  4. ^ "Mark Taper, Financier and Philanthropist, Dies at 92 : Charity: Music Center theater bears his name. He also gave large donations to the county art museum and UCLA. - Los Angeles Times".
  5. ^ David Jay Brown & Rebecca McClen Novick, Mavericks of the Mind: Conversations for the New Millennium, Crossing Press, Freedom, California, 1993.
  6. ^ "Carolyn Mary Kleefeld: The Artist and Her Life". Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  7. ^ "David Campagna Obituary - Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  8. ^ a b c d Taylor Dafoe (June 14, 2022). "A University Museum Has Come Under Fire for Displaying the 'Terrible' Art of a Self-Help Author and Major Donor". ART News.
  9. ^ Munguia, Haley (April 9, 2019). "Award-winning artist Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld donates 120 pieces to Cal State Long Beach". Press Telegram. California State University, Long Beach. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  10. ^ Carr, Janis (February 11, 2022). "CSULB'S Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum Opens Its Doors With New Look, New Exhibits". California State University, Long Beach. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  11. ^ Close Conoley, Jane (January 22, 2021). "INSIDE LONG BEACH STATE: A Sparkling Art Museum On Way". Press The Grunion. Gazette Newspapers. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  12. ^ Knight, Christopher (June 13, 2022). "Commentary: The artist in CSULB's new exhibit is a major donor. That's bad, and so is the art". LA Times. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  13. ^ Walch, Robert (Jul 17, 2009). "Soul Seeds' may prompt some'soul-searching". The Salinas California. Retrieved 9 November 2012.

Further reading

External links

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