"Dionysus (D4464)" Original Contemporary Art by Karen May

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Mixed media on found magazine page, 2017

Karen May (b. 1950) is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans collage, ceramics, … Read more Mixed media on found magazine page, 2017

Karen May (b. 1950) is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans collage, ceramics, drawing, painting, poetry, and fiber art. She returns to motifs related to gardening, cats, and dolls to conjure childhood memories. May refers to her art as a “memory tool,” explaining, “If I have to remember my mom I can draw a picture of my mom. One way or the other I’m always thinking of my mom.”

In addition to themes of personal history, May also frequently works on found ephemera from art publications, co-opting the imagery with her own line-work and text. In 2023, seven of these mixed-media detournements were acquired by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Karen May has worked at NIAD Art Center in Richmond, CA since 2011. Her work has been published and exhibited widely in the Bay Area, notably at the Oakland Museum of California, Minnesota Street Project in San Francisco, and Personal Space Gallery in Vallejo, CA. A two-part solo exhibition entitled Karen May: ArtForum Interventions (2024) was presented by the Arts Center at Duck Creek in East Hampton, NY. See less