John Pusateri

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, John Pusateri moved to New York in 1996 to study fine arts at Syracuse University. While in Syracuse, Pusateri became involved in a series of projects and art workshops that took place in New York Correctional Facilities. Here, he came to understand the importance of creativity and the many positive roles it can have on people and communities. After graduating with his BFA (Hons) in 2001 he participated in numerous exhibitions in The USA, Canada, Costa Rica, England, Japan and Mexico. In 2004, Pusateri moved to NZ to undertake a Master’s degree at Elam School of Fine Arts. While in NZ, Pusateri developed a strong appreciation for the country’s culture and ecology. He decided to remain here and apply for residency upon the completion of his Masters degree in 2005. Pusateri’s work not only engages in creative image making, but also adds to our knowledge of local ecology; all the while raising issues around biodiversity and conservation, and more universal comments about loss and death. Pusateri's drawings and lithographs tap into the artistic tradition of memento mori, a practice dating back to antiquity wherein artists include imagery designed to remind the viewer of their mortality and of the transience and fragility of human life. In 2008, Pusateri opened Auckland Print Studio, a professional lithography studio which is involved in projects with professional artists, architects and other design-based practitioners. He was recently awarded the prestigious 2010 Black Church Print Studio Residency in Ireland and was a finalist in the Waiheke Art Award in both 2009 and 2010, the 2010 Wallace Art Award and the WSA New Zealand Painting and Printmaking award in 2010 and 2011. Pusateri currently lives and works in Auckland.
Born
1978	Pennsylvania, USA.
Education
2005	Master of Fine Arts, Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland.
2001	Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honors), Syracuse University School of Fine Arts.
Solo Exhibitions
2010	Skin and Bone, Seed gallery, Auckland, NZ.
2009	Rest, Seed gallery, Auckland, NZ.
2008	Wrest, Seed gallery, Auckland, NZ.
2007	Fallen, Seed gallery, Auckland, NZ.
2006	Quiet, Seed gallery, Auckland, NZ.
2001	John Pusateri PRINTS, College of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
2000	Coupled Prints, E-Fest, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
	Local Artist’s Exhibition, The Artist’s Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2010	Ruffle Your Feathers, Seed Gallery, Auckland, NZ.
	House of Cards, Seed Gallery, Auckland, NZ.
	Box of Birds, Seed Gallery, Auckland, NZ.
	Twentyten, Seed Gallery, Auckland, NZ.
2009	Hoopla, Seed Gallery, Auckland, NZ.
	Infusion, group exhibition with Claudia Pond Eyley, Miriam Van Wezel, Clinton Weaver and Finn Scott, Embrice Gallery, Rome, Italy.
	Imprint, Seed Gallery, Auckland, NZ.
2007	Big Heads, Seed Gallery, Auckland, NZ.
2006	Act Normal, Seed Gallery, Auckland, NZ.
	Draw the line, Seed Gallery, Auckland, NZ.
	Origins and Originality, Seed Gallery, Auckland, NZ.
	Unstitched, Unbound: Imprints for Change, Nathan Cummings Foundation, New York, NY, USA.
2005	National Drawing Award, The Physics Room, Wellington, NZ.
	Bring your Caddy, Stanbeth House Gallery, Auckland, NZ.
	Salted Skin, MFA exhibition, Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland, NZ.
2004	Carnegie Mellon Technician Exhibition, The Frame Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
	Book Mobile Project, Travelling art exhibition, United States and Canada.
2002	Artists and the Art of the Book, Costa Rica, England, Japan, Mexico, USA.
2001	Art for Earth’s Sake, The Frick Environmental Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
	Central New York Book Arts: Traditional to Innovative, Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY, USA.
	Senior Printmakers, Coyne Gallery, Syracuse, NY, USA.
	Printmaking Exhibition: Selected Post-Moderns, William Busta Gallery, Cleveland, OH, USA.
2000	Printmaking: Traditional and Contemporary Techniques, Chautauqua Center for the Visual Arts, Chautauqua, NY, USA.
	Sixth Great Plains National, Moss-Thorns Gallery of Art, Fort Hays, KS, USA.
	Third Biennial S.U. Book Arts Exhibition, Department of Special Collections, Bird Library, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
	Artist’s Books and Beyond, Cooperstown Art Association, Cooperstown, NY, USA.
1999	Discourse in Sepia, The Drawing Room, Syracuse, NY, USA.
	Art for Mumia, Community Folk Art Gallery, Syracuse, NY, USA.
Awards
2011	Finalist, The New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Award, Hamilton, Auckland, NZ.
2010	Finalist, Wallace Art Awards, Auckland, NZ.
	Finalist, Waiheke Art Award, Waiheke, Auckland, NZ.
2009	Finalist, Waiheke Art Award, Waiheke, Auckland, NZ.
2006	Winner, Team McMillan BMW emerging artist award, Auckland, NZ.
2005	Exposure'05 Audience Choice Award, University of Auckland, NZ.
2003	Blue Mountain Residency, USA.
2001	David Orlin Prize for top honors thesis, Syracuse University, USA.
2001	Syracuse University Scholar Award, USA.
	Chancellor’s Award for Public Service, Syracuse University.
	Syracuse University Printmaking Award, USA.

2000	College of Visual and Performing Arts Scholar Award, Syracuse University, USA.
2000	Ruth Meyer Undergraduate Research Award, Syracuse University, USA.
	Syracuse University Printmaking Award, USA.
Publications
2011	John Pusateri, "Nothing but skin and bone." Art News NZ. Autumn 2011, pg 116.
	Natalie Smith, "John Pusateri." No Magazine. vol. 13, pg 58.
2008	John Pusateri, Fallen. Rim Books, Auckland: 2008. summary of Pusateri's involvement in a NZ biodiversity research project with Dan Blanchon. Includes essays by John Early, Dan Blanchon and Mel Galbraith.
2001	Graham Shearing, “New Complexities.” Tribune Review. 5 Jan. 2001: pg 22.
2001	Jay Cox, “Bringing Art to Inmates.” Syracuse Magazine. Winter 2001: vol. 17, no. 2, pg 17.
2000	Hanzivasilis, Stephanie. “VPA Student Organizes...” Syracuse Record. 23 Oct. 2000: vol. 31, no. 10, pg 1.
2000	Review Magazine. January, 2000
Selected Projects
2010	Black Church Print Studio residency, Dublin, Ireland.
2009	‘Biosecurity and the Art of Cleaning Insects’ Visiting artist lecture, Syracuse University in Florence, Italy.
2001	Physical Incarceration, Catalogue, documenting artworks that inmates created during John's prison workshop.
2000	Curator: Physical Incarceration, Works by Eight Inmates, Coyne Gallery, Syracuse, NY, USA.
	2000 Monotype Prison Workshop: Developed and facilitated a six-week workshop at Cape Vincent Correctional Facility, Cape Vincent, NY, USA.
Experience
2000	A.I.R. Internship, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
1999-05	Print Technician, various Universities