Alicia Barton is a multidisciplinary visual artist from Albany, NY. Her amorphous sculptures contrast the alluring and attractive with the repulsive and grotesque and are self referential. She received her M.F.A. in Studio Art in Sculpture from the University at Albany in 2022. She completed her B.F.A. in Studio Art with dual concentrations in Sculpture and Painting & Drawing from The College of Saint Rose in 2020, which she began at the Fashion Institute of Technology. In 2022, Alicia co-founded The Box Party artist collective with 5 of her peers, which is committed to creating and bringing accessible art to the community. In 2023, Alicia graduated her apprenticeship and now works as a tattoo artist in Troy, NY.
Through a repetitive and intuitive process, I create visceral, ambiguous sculptures. I am influenced by the goth aesthetic, creating work which contrasts the alluring and attractive with the repulsive and grotesque. A sensation of familiarity shrouds the sculptures challenges what is known or unknown, living or decaying, with intent to simultaneously comfort and unsettle. My process forces me to surrender myself to materiality—as bulbous forms and cavernous areas emerge, I react and respond through building, stuffing, carving, and dripping. Miniature works allow for a greater sense of play, as I embellish the works with found and owned objects referring to my adolescent self. Underneath these imposing “monsters’” whimsical skins, an unnerving emotional weight is revealed which holds no absolutes. These forms serve as a mirror of my identity—exposing internal existential anxieties and grief, yet adorned by a luxurious, candy-colored shell
Inquiries: aliciabartonartist@gmail.com
Education
2022 MFA in Studio Art in Sculpture,
University at Albany, Albany, NY
2020 BFA in Studio Art in Sculpture and Painting & Drawing (dual concentration),
The College of Saint Rose, Albany, NY
2015 AAS in Fine Arts,
Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, NY
Professional Experiences
June 2022 - Present Founding Member, The Box Party Artist Collective
Aug. 2021 - May 2022 Instructor of Record, AART 115 Three-Dimensional Design,
University at Albany, Albany, NY
Aug. 2020 - May 2021 Graduate Assistant, University at Albany, Albany, NY
May 2019 - Aug. 2019 Curatorial & Exhibition Assistant Intern, Albany Center Gallery, Albany, NY
Awards
2024 Individual Artist Grant, Arts Thrive & Grow Regrant (funded by NYS Governor Kathy Hochul) for Art by Mail
2023 2023 Community Arts Grant, NYSCA Statewide Community Regrants for The Box Party Project, Sponsored by Collar Works, Troy, NY.
2022 Material Award, The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, NY
2020 Graduate Teaching Fellowship, University at Albany, Albany, NY
Juries
2024
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2024 Congressional Art Competition, Paul D. Tonko Congressional District, NY
2023
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2023 Congressional Art Competition, Paul D. Tonko Congressional District, NY
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Art in Dimensions Regional 3D Show, Mohonasen High School, Schenectady, NY
Curatorial Projects
2023
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Cleanse//Cleanse, in collaboration with The Box Party, Wallace Gallery, The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy, NY
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Panty Riot, in collaboration with The Box Party, The Storefront Gallery, Troy, NY
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Pottery Department Pop-Up Exhibition, Wallace Gallery, The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy, NY
Public Art Projects
2023
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Sweet Surface, Sculptural Skin 2.0, public art installation at 33 Maiden Lane, Albany, NY as a part of the All Hallow E’en Art Path (Curated by Albany Center Gallery)
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The Box Party Project- a series of public artworks exhibited around the Capital District. Our installations are interactive machines which engage the audience through miniature sculptures, digital illustrations, paintings, poetry, prose, and various other objects. We intend to support small local businesses and artists, while bringing art to the community. For more information, please click me.
Solo Exhibitions
2020 Anesthetic Precondition, Picotte Gallery, The College of St. Rose, Albany, NY
2019 Alicia Barton, Stacks Espresso Bar, Albany, NY (Curated by Albany Center Gallery)
Two-Person Exhibitions
2024
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Absolute Viscosity, Collar Works x Baba Yaga, Hudson, NY
Group Exhibitions
2024
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Dissecting the Binary, Lark Hall, Albany, NY
2023
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Cleanse//Cleanse, Wallace Gallery, The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy, NY
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Panty Riot, The Storefront Gallery, Troy, NY
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Fence Select, The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy, NY (Curated by Corinna Ripps Schaming, Director, University Art Museum)
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Fence, The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy, NY
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Eat Me, Collar Works, Troy, NY (Juror: Natalie Kates, Founder Kates-Ferri Projects and Style Curator Inc., co-Founder LatchKey Gallery)
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Kaleidocombs: The Subconscious Playground, Collar Works, Troy, NY
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The Great Art Swap, Collar Works, Troy, NY
2022
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Juried Small Works Show, R Gallery at Arlene’s, Albany, NY
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Split and Becloud: 2022 Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson, The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, NY (Juror: Sophie Landres, Director, River Valley Arts Collective and Professor of Visual Studies, The New School)
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Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, University Art Museum, Albany, NY
2021
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Seen, Albany Center Gallery, Albany, NY
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February Virtual Gallery, Greenpoint Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (virtual)
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120° Intercollegiate Art Regional, The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy, NY (Juror: Anthony Cafritz, founding director, Salem Art Works, NY)
2020
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Senior Thesis Exhibition, Esther Massry Gallery, The College of St. Rose, Albany, NY
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120° Intercollegiate Art Regional, Saratoga Arts, Saratoga Springs, NY (Juror: Daniel Buckingham, Professor, PrattMWP, Utica, NY)(virtual)
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Art & Design Show, Picotte Gallery, The College of St. Rose, Albany, NY (Juror: Julie Torres, Co-Director, LABspace, Hillsdale, NY)
2019
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Creations: Connections & Collections, Albany Center Gallery, Albany, NY
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Itty Bitty, Picotte Gallery, The College of St. Rose, Albany, NY
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Triptych, Picotte Gallery, The College of St. Rose, Albany, NY
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Critical Concepts, Picotte Gallery, The College of St. Rose, Albany, NY
2018
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The Few Cubic Centimeters Inside Your Skull, Picotte Gallery, The College of St. Rose, Albany, NY
Press (Chronologic)
Justin Baker, ”Art Town with The Box Party”, podcast.
October 25, 2023. https://player.fm/series/3466063/377217669
Indiana Nash. “At the Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, ‘Split and Becloud’ is a Fresh Take on a Long-Running Show.”
The Daily Gazette, 19 Nov. 2022,
Sophia Landres. “Split and Becloud l AMHR 2022: Motifs Inside and Outside of the Work of Art.” Hyde Digital
Catalog, Oct. 2022, https://www.hydecollection.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/AMHR2022_Hyde_DigitalCatalog-Final-1.pdf
Katherine Kim. “Intersection of Race, Gender, and Sexuality at the Albany Center Gallery.” Trixie’s List: Hudson’s
Happenings, 20 Aug. 2021, https://www.trixieslist.com/2021/08/20/intersection-of-race-gender-and-sexuality-at-the-albany-center-gallery/
Shrishti Mathew. "Albany Center Gallery exhibit a proving ground for up-and-coming curator.” Albany Times Union,
11 Aug. 2021, https://www.timesunion.com/art/article/ACG-16379893.php
