Cyndi Gusler

Cyndi Gusler is an EMU alum and an MFA graduate of James Madison University. Cyndi has a background in painting and drawing and working with mixed-media. Cyndi uses cast off objects as the raw material from which she creates alluring three-dimensional forms. Her work includes paintings on collaged found fabric, and eclectic found object sculpture. Her show, Conglomerate, a group of sculptures that reference raw minerals, is made from post-consumer found objects. Conglomerate has traveled to California, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and to several galleries in Virginia.

Recent work includes a mosaic mural wall inspired by the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, commissioned by the Massanutten Regional Library in Harrisonburg, VA. The mural which depicts a mockingbird perched atop a tangling vine of bittersweet, is part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read Project. Additionally, she directed a group of EMU students in the creation of Trash Fashion II, a runway fashion show of innovative attire created entirely from found, cast-off materials. Click here to read more about the show and see photos: http://www.emu.edu/news/index.php/1568 Trash Fashion will travel to Columbus, OH for Mennonite Youth Convention. See new designs hit the runway Friday, July 3rd right after fireworks!

Cyndi enjoys collaborative art-making, hiking, swimming, organic gardening, playing outside with her two children, and attending fine arts performances.

• B.S., Eastern Mennonite College, Summa cum laude, 1993.
  Major: Liberal Arts
  Minor: Art
  Teaching Certification: NK-8th grade

• Post-baccalaureate course work in studio art and art history, James Madison University

• M.F.A., Painting and Drawing, James Madison University

Rocks and Minerals Magazine, Featured Artist, Cyndi Gusler. Nov-Dec. 2008.

The Studiono.15 June 2001

Slide Lecture, Solo and Collaborative Work of Cyndi Gusler, Pen Women of the Valley, Bridgewater, VA (Mar. 2009)

Lecture with images, _ Practicing Resurrection with Cast-offs and Left-overs_. Mennonite Arts Weekend, Cincinnati, OH (Feb. 2008)

Commission
Tile Mosaic Mural at the Massanutten Regional Library in Harrisonburg, VA for the National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read Project. (Working dates: Aug.-Nov. 2007. The mural is a permanent installation and was created with collaborator, Kurt Rosenberger.)

Solo/ Two-person Exhibitions:

Hybrid. Collaborative drawings by Cyndi and Lily Gusler. Harrisonburg League of Therapists, Harrisonburg, VA. Part of their “Creative Families” series. (May 2009)

Hybrid. Collaboration with Lily Gusler. Miller Gallery, Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, VA. (Sept.-Oct. 2008)

• Conglomerate. Main Gallery, McGuffey Art Center, Charlottesville, VA. (July-Aug. 2007)

• Conglomerate. Weinman Mineral Museum/Tellus: Northwest Georgia Science Museum, Cartersville, GA. (Feb-May 2007)

• Artist of the Month, Java Java, Charlottesville, VA. (July – Aug. 2006)

Group Exhibitions:

_ Best in Show, 5th Annual VMRC National Juried Art Exhibition, Park Gables Gallery, Harrisonburg, VA. (June 2009)

Battle of the Universities: JMU vs. EMU. Juried Show. Clementine Art Space, Harrisonburg, VA. (May 2009)

Red, Invitational. Darrin McHone Arts Gallery, Harrisonburg, VA. (Dec. ‘08-Jan ’09)

Love and Lust, McGuffey Art Center, Members’ Show, Charlottesville, VA. (Feb. 2009

• McGuffey Art Center, Members’ Show, Charlottesville, VA. (July 2008)

*Mennonite Arts Weekend, Cincinnati, OH (Feb. 2008)

• Trash Fashion II, EMU. (Dec. 2007)

• 4th Annual VMRC Juried Art Exhibition, Park Gables Gallery, Harrisonburg, VA. Purchase Award Recipient. (June 2007)

• Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA) Transforming Spaces Conference, Walk-in Show. Grantham, PA. (June 2007)

• His Gifts His Presence, New England Arts Festival. Portland, Maine. (June 2007)

• McGuffey Art Center, Members’ Show, Charlottesville, VA. (Dec. 2006)

• Nature Working with Artists, Gualala Arts, Art Center for Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, CA. (Sept. 2006)

*Co-Curator Three (3), Collaborative art show representing the work of art students at EMU, JMU, and Bridgewater College, co-curated by faculty from the three schools. The Miller Gallery, Bridgewater College. Harrisonburg, VA (Oct. 2008)
*Awards Judge, _ Shennandoah Valley Arts Center Members’ Show_. SVAC, Waynesboro, VA.(Oct. 2008)

*Juror, Reflections Arts CompetitionThomas Harrison Middle School, Harrisonburg, VA. (Dec. 2007)

Curator, three(3); a collaborative exhibition featuring artwork by students from Bridgewater College, EMU, and James Madison University. EMU’s Student Gallery. (Nov. 2007)

*Volunteer, Keister Elementary School (2003-2008)

*Volunteer, childcare, Shalom Mennonite Congregation (2003-2008)

• MFA Thesis Committee, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA. (Dec. 2006)

• Director and/or Teacher for Summer Art Institute for Children and Youth, James Madison University School of Art and Art History, Harrisonburg, VA (summers 2000-2008)

• Juror: Student Works, Cleo Driver Miller Art Gallery. Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, VA.(April 2007)

• Juror: Central Shenandoah Arts Annual Members Show. Houff Community Center, Bridgewater, VA. (May 2006)

• Juror: The ARC of Harrisonburg Annual Art Show, Harrisonburg, VA. (March 2006)

Best in Show $1000.oo prize, 5th Annual VMRC National Juried Art Exhibition, Park Gables Gallery, Harrisonburg, VA. (June 2009)

$1500.00 Artist Grant, Arts Council of the Valley, Harrisonburg, VA for the Flexible Geography Project, a collaborative project with artists with Greg Stewart and Scott Keen. Flexible Geography includes a mobile, community garden/sculpture in reconfigurable parts; seedbomber attire and accessories, website and interactive blogsite, and educational/outreach activities. (2009)

*Faculty Scholarship Grant for …and this is not everything.
Six SH’s of release time and $500.00. Eastern Mennonite University. (2008-2009)

• Purchase Award. 4th Annual VMRC Juried Art Exhibition, Park Gables Gallery, Harrisonburg, VA. (June 2007)

• Arts Council of the Valley Individual Artist Grant; Shenandoah Valley, VA. (2006)

• Jump-starting Nesting. Eastern Mennonite University Summer Research Grant. $1,500.00 (2006)

• The Art of Salvadoran Refugee Children. Lilly Foundation Grant through the EMU Lilly Fund to frame and display a body of drawings by El Salvadoran children expressing their memories of the El Salvadoran civil war. (2005)

*Faculty Scholarship Grant, 3 SH Release Time and $500.00.
Eastern Mennonite University. (2004-2005)

Teaching Certification: NK-8th grade

• Christians in the Visual Arts

*Women Environmental Artists Directory (WEAD)

• McGuffey Art Center, Charlottesville, VA; juried member.McGuffey Art Center, Charlottesville, VA; juried member.

*Greenmuseum.org

• Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA.

The Glen Workshop: The Artist and the City. Workshop and seminar with Tim Rollins of K.O.S. (Kids of Survival, NYC). St. John’s College, Santa Fe, New Mexico. (July 2008)

Interrupt! Intervene!: Rethinking Art as Social Practice, UCSC, Santa Cruz, CA. May 15-17, 2008. Interruptions fostered exchange between scholars, innovative regional and international artists and curators, through panel presentations, performances and indoor and outdoor exhibitions. There was a Wikipedia dedicated to real-time collaboration and exchange between participants. The conference will generate a publication documenting the scholarly and artistic work emerging from this event.

• The Glen Workshop: Collage and Assemblage with artist Barry Krames (Six days of workshop and lectures). St. John’s College, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Aug. 2006

*The Glen Workshop: Tile Mosaic with Ginger Geyer (Six days of workshop and lectures). St. John’s College, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Aug. 2007

• Chair, Dept. of Visual and Communication Arts (2003-2009)

• EMU Faculty Scholarship Committee, Chair (2005-2009)

*Undergraduate Council (2003-2009)

*Senior Class Advisor (2007-2008)

*Student-teacher Professional Consultant, Art Education (2006-2009)

Guest lecturer:

• Passion and Obsession Colloquium (2008, 2009)

• First Year Seminar (Fall 2008)

Mentoring and Advising:
*Honors Student Mentor (2005-2009)
*Advisor, VaCA students (2003-2009) and Undeclared students (2007-2008)

• New Faculty Mentor (2006-2007)

*Biannual Student Art Shows, Campus Center, EMU (2006-2009)
*Barista, New Menu Item Competition, Common Grounds. (2008 and 2009)