Alexis Elton is an artist who uses site-as-material to form connections between handwork and the shared experience. Her work is situated where art and agrarian systems meet with aims to create ephemeral sensory encounters. As a farmer and adobe builder, her artwork is informed by the field; likewise, fieldwork is Alexis’ creative practice.
From 2008-2015, Alexis co-operated Jubilee Farm in Chimayo, a rural village in Northern New Mexico. There she maintained a studio in the oldest Plaza in the U.S., a historic building made from adobe bricks. Committed to exploring place, her work takes the form of land reclamation, native seed-saving initiatives, farm and art education programs, and food production. Merging the everyday tasks of land-base living with a studio art sensibility, she creates opportunities to experience the natural world through physical labor, through slowness, and through the senses.
Alexis earned a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and has shown her work internationally and nationally including Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Kochi, India; 5 x 5, Washington, DC; and Kingston Sculpture Biennale, Kingston, NY. She has received awards from Joan Mitchell Foundation, Santa Fe Art Institute, and NYFA amongst others. Alexis grew up in the Hudson Valley, NY where she now lives.
EDUCATION
2003 The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, BFA in sculpture
2001 Munson Williams Proctor Institute, Utica, NY, Associate’s Degree in Fine Art
EXHIBITIONS
2020 Outdoors In, Unison Art Center, New Paltz, NY
2019 Composed to Decomposed: Sequential Response Transformations, Unison Art Center, New Paltz, NY
2019 Composed to Decomposed, Unison Art Center, New Paltz, NY
2019. Deep Time Lab, University of New Mexico Art Museum, Albuquerque, NM
2018 What’s Next, Unison Art Center, New Paltz, NY
2018 POST-EARTH, Art Index, Newark, NJ
2017 Fresh Air, Byrdcliffe Kleinert/James Center for the Arts, Woodstock, NY
2014 Rooting India: The Knowledge Project, Kochi-Muziris Biennial, Yousuf Art Gallery, Kochi, India
2014 Collaborator, 5 X 5 Nonuments, Washington, DC
2012 Cut, Museum of Imagination, Hudson, NY
2008 Habitat for Artists, Beacon, NY
2008 Drawing Revealed, Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY
2007 My Space, A Place for Friends, Phillips de Purry, & Co., New York, NY
2006 Waves of Light, The Pocketbook Factory, Hudson, NY
2006 BAU 21, Beacon, NY
2006 The Curated Office, DBB & Associates, Wappingers Falls, NY
2005 Foresite-explorations of site/non-site, Vanbrunt Gallery, Beacon, NY
2005 Kingston Biennial, Kingston, NY
2005 Tales from a Dark Alley, Third Rail Studio, New Rochelle, NY
2005 Via: Beacon, Dye Works Gallery, Garnerville, NY
2005 The Usual Suspects, Spire Studios, Beacon, NY
2005 Flock, Spire Studios, Beacon NY
2004 Land Grant, Collaborative Concepts Gallery, Beacon, NY
2003 The School of the Art Institute of Chicago BFA exhibition, Chicago, IL
2002 Group Show, Base Space, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
RESIDENCIES
2020 Oak Spring Foundation, remote, Stony Point, NY
2018 Ucross Foundation, Ucross, WI
2016 Byrdcliffe, Woodstock, NY
2016 Catwalk/Catslair Institute, Catskill NY
2015 Burnside Farm, Detroit, MI
2014 Santa Fe Art Institute, Santa Fe, NM
2013 Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
2004 - 2005 Collaborative Concepts, Beacon, NY
UP COMING RESIDENCIES
2021 Oak Spring Foundation, Upperville, VA
AWARDS & HONORS
2018 Ucross Fellow, Ucross, WI
2014 Scholarship, Joan Mitchell Foundation & Santa Fe Art Institute, NM
2013 Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
2006 Commencement Speech, Pratt at Munson Williams Proctor Institute, Utica, NY
2004 Special Opportunity Stipend, New York Foundation For the Arts, NY
2002 Connecting Communities Leadership Award, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL
2001 Merit Scholarship Award, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL
2001 Tim McDermid Honors Sculpture Award, Munson Williams Proctor Institute School of Art, Utica, NY
2000 - 2001 Museum of Munson Williams Proctor Institute Scholarship, Utica, NY
TEACHING & OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2021 - Present Teaching Artist Residency, Manitou School, Cold Spring, NY
2020 Visiting Artist Bennington College, Bennington, VT
2020 Project Manager, Rockland Farm Alliance, New City, New York
2019 Teaching Artist Residency, Arts Horizons, East Fordham Academy for the Arts Middle School, Bronx, NY
2019 Artist on Olana, Hudson, NY
2019 College Art Association Conference panel and performance, Land Art Reconsidered, New York, NY
2018 Visiting Artist, Santa Clara Day School, Española, NM
2018 Visiting Artist, Sheridan Girls School, Sheridan, WY
2016 Visiting Artist, Bennington College, Bennington, VT
2016 Visiting Artist, Teacher Mill Street Loft Dutchess Arts Camp, River Arts, Beacon, NY
2015 Woman & Creativity Presenter for Food As Art issue of Edible Santa Fe, Santa Fe Art Institute, Santa Fe, NM
2014 SFAI 140 presenter
2009 - 2015 Co-operator and manager of Jubilee Farm, Chimayo & Las Trampas, NM
2008 - 2013 SITE- Sante Fe Preparator, Santa, Fe,NM
2009 - 2015 Farm and Art programs, Santa Fe Waldorf annual farm trip at Gemini Farm & Jubilee Farm, NM
2014 Seed Saving & Visual Art workshops (Kindergarten - grade 8), La Tierra Montessori School at Moving Arts, Espanola, NM
2014 Squash Painting in the Field workshops (grades 3 - 4), Santa Fe Waldorf School, NM
2013 Set design and sculpture teacher, Mill Street Loft Dutchess Arts Camp, River Arts, Beacon, NY
2004 Set design and construction, Arsenic & Old Lace, Byram Hills High School, Armonk, NY
2003 Teacher’s assistant to advanced foundry class, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL
1999 Counselor, teacher and teacher’s assistant, The Studio School, New York, NY
1998 Internship, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
COLLECTIONS
Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, Peekskill, NY
Private collections
PUBLICATIONS
2019 Contra Viento Journal
2018 Chronogram
2016 Edible, Santa Fe, NM
2015 Seed Broadcast, Santa Fe, NM
2015 Edible, Santa Fe, NM
2014 Alibi, Albuquerque, NM
2014 Pyragraph, Albuquerque, NM
2013 Albuquerque Journal, NM
2013 New York Magazine, NY
2012 Trend, Santa Fe, NM
2005 Kingston Sculpture Biennial Catalogue, Rivertown, NY