Art has been a constant in my life.  One of my earliest memories is of drawing in my father’s art studio. I am interested in capturing the moment of seeing when something changes and the magic in the everyday. Hiraesh - a home sickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home that maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past is essential to my work.  My interior world is of memories of childhood, books, songs, and stories steers my work.    

My work is inspired by my daughter Cecile, father Zevi Blum, and childhood memories. 

ALEXANDRA BLUM
 

EDUCATION     

M.F.A., Printmaking, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 1996
B.F.A., Painting, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y, 1992

EXPERIENCE        

EDUCATION     

M.F.A., Printmaking, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 1996
B.F.A., Painting, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y, 1992

REGISTRIES

City of Wichita Public Art Registry

EXPERIENCE   

Publications:

“The Politics of Art, 2020” : Our interview with Alexandra Blum, mixed -media artist. by BROADSTREETMAG on Sep 6, 2020 Broad Street

Virtual Workshops: 

San Francisco Public Library Summer Stride, “Art of the Mandala”, August 9,2021

San Francisco Public Library Summer Stride, “Monoprinting”, July 23,2021

San Francisco Public Library Summer Stride, “Reduction Printing”, July 30,2021

San Francisco Public Library Summer Stride,“Letter of Release”, March 15,2021

San Francisco Public Library, “Art in the time of COVID”, September 22, 2020

Red Poppy Art House, MAPP Event, “Kitchen Printing with Ali Blum”, August 2, 2020

TEACHING

Drew School, San Francisco, CA
Art Teacher, September 1997- present
Head of Visual Art Department  December 2014- present
Focus on developing individual student voices and technical foundation, enriched with field trips, visiting artists, and collaborative projects. Developed curriculum, budgeted, and taught, Introduction to Drawing and Design, Sculpture, Fine Arts, Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking, and Advanced Studio. Setup complete Printmaking studio including two presses, exposure unit, washout station, and printing tables. Taught elective courses including screen-printing, linoleum, monoprint, mixed media, classical still life painting, mask making, botanical illustration,  collage, and electric elective courses. Adviser to 10 students per year. As Head of the Visual Arts Department, responsible for budget, curriculum, and collaborating with three visual arts teachers. 

The Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, San Francisco, CA
Grafica Assistant Printer and Printmaking Instructor, April 1996- December 2007
Taught all levels of etching, monoprinting, lithography, and screen-printing. Taught printmaking and mural making to youth in the Horizons and Escuela Más summer programs on site. Assisted printing fine art posters. Participated in several printmaking exchange portfolios in Gráfica. 

LEAP... Imagination and Learning, San Francisco, CA
Artist in Residence, October 1996- 2000
Designed, budgeted, and taught semester-long collaborative art residencies in public and private elementary schools with curricular tie to classroom work. Projects included murals, painting, drawing, mosaic, sculpture and portraiture. Served on Board from 1998-2000.

WORKSHOPS

Talk on Art and Social Justice, Hilton ,“Recognition: Labor Meets Art in Explorations of Identity and Social Justice”, SF, CA, September 2019

 Academy of Sciences. San Francisco, CA- Artist, August 2014
Four-screen, live printmaking demonstration in conjunction with Modernist Show

De Young Museum, San Francisco, CA- Artist, August 2014
Four-screen, live printmaking demonstration in conjunction with Night Crawl of Claude the albino crocodile

The Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA- Artist, July 2014
Family Day Spotlight screen-printing workshop on vinyl records, fabric, and t-shirts in the Modernist spirit 

Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA- Artist Studio Visit and Teacher, November 2014
Training workshop for high school students in Asian Art Museum's intern program; focus on historical context and techniques for wood block printing in preparation for public programming for Floating World exhibit

Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA- Artist Teacher, November 2005
Designed and taught Day of the Dead sarcophagus Friday workshop to museum visitors

De Young Museum, San Francisco, CA- Artist, May 2006
Designed and presented original screen-printed Chronicle Newspaper Box at Friday Nights at the Museum, eventually placed back on the street for public use

SFMOMA Family Day Artist, San Francisco, CA- Artist Teacher, May and October 2004
Designed and taught "Pop Art Self Portrait" and "Josef Albers Homage to a Square" projects to museum visitors and children

Galef Institute, San Francisco, CA- Workshop Leader, April 1999
Co-taught workshop to 20 teachers on printmaking techniques for public schools

CURATOR

de Young Art Center, San Francisco, CA- November 2004
Co-Curated Day of The Dead Exhibit and Event with 30 artists at the educational department and gallery of the de Young Art Center, a partner of the Legion of Honor

Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA- November 2004
Co-Curated first  Dia de los Muertos,” Arco de Culturas en Homenaje a nuestros Muertos, with over twenty artists.

RESIDENCIES

Residency, Curtiduria Printshop, Oaxaca, Mexico- June-August 2015: Suite of monoprints and lithograph prints

Artist in Residence, de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA- August 2010: Completed a one-month residency interviewing museum visitors and creating a suite of mixed-media prints, each inspired by visitors' words and silhouettes

Nahual Rojo Printshop, Guest Artist, Oaxaca, Mexico- July 2010: Produced four-plate coedition etching 

Artist in Residence, de Young Art Center, San Francisco, CA- June 2004: Completed work in-studio and on-site at Legion of Honor, culminating in final presentation and opening

EXHIBITS
SOLO
2019 Marin Headlands Visitor Center, “Wild Life”, Marin, CA

2018 Paxton Gate Curiosities for Kids, “Endangered”, San Francisco, CA
2012     Paxton Gate Gallery, “Weather”, San Francisco, CA

2010 de Young Museum Artist in Residence Exhibit,”Silhouettes” San Francisco, CA

2004     de Young Art Center, “Memories: A Mixed Media Tale”, San Francisco, CA
2002     Cornell University, “Talk”, Hartell Gallery, School of Architecture, Art, and City Planning, Ithaca, NY
2001     The Mission Cultural Center, “Trumansbug”, San Francisco, CA
2001 Artists’ Television Access, “Reify”, San Francisco, CA

GROUP

2022 The Mission Cultural Center, “”Solo Mujeres”, San Francisco, CA

2020 Puerto Alegre, “Women Against Climate Change”, San Francisco, CA 

2019 The Hilton, “Recognition: Labor Meets Art in Explorations of Identity and Social Justice”, SF, CA

2019    Jewish Community Center, ”La Frontera” San Francisco, CA

2019 Paxton Gate Curiosities for Kids, “She/Her”, San Francisco, CA

2018 Ruth’s Table, “The Dreaming”,  San Francisco, CA
2015 Museo de la Filatelia de Oaxaca, “Exhibicion Colectiva”, Oaxaca, Mexico
2015 Curtiduria Prinshop, “Exhibicion Colectiva”, Oaxaca, Mexico
2014     Jewish Library, “Facing East” & Radio Mutiny, “Eviction Times”, San Francisco, CA
2013     Hotel Biron, ‘New Works”San Francisco, CA
2012     Alley Cat Gallery,”Mission Art” San Francisco, CA
2011     Meridian Gallery, “In Extremis:  Prints Monumental, Intimate, and Encompassing”, San Francisco, CA
2010     Taller de Artes Plastica, Oaxaca, Mexico “Grafica de SF, CA”, San Francisco, CA
2007     Front Gallery, “Oaxaca Resistance and Color”, Oakland, CA
2006     de Young Museum, “Chicano Vision”, San Francisco, CA
2006 Ligne Roset, “Four Artists”, San Francisco, CA
2006 The Legion of Honor, “The Day of The Dead”, San Francisco, CA
2006 The Mexican Museum, “Holiday Sale”, San Francisco, CA
2006 The Mission Cultural Center, “CSP Show,” San Francisco, CA
2006 Amaru Gallery, “The Day of the Dead”, San Francisco, CA
2004 Balmy Gallery, “Alexandra Blum and Alissa Kaplan” San Francisco, CA
2004 Markham Vineyards, “The Eye of the Storm”, St. Helena, CA
2004 Works Gallery, “90th CSP Members’ Exhibit”, San Jose, CA            
2004 The Lab, “Inside of Inside”, San Francisco, CA

MEMBERSHIPS
Member of California Printmaking Society, 2001- present  

COLLECTIONS

Cornell University

Library of Congress