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Ships Series
Art Park Project:
we represent a unique community project serving to revitalize an underutilized recreation & park green space,
we have renovated an abandon house in tandem with the City of Baltimore; invited to Baltimore
by Rebecca Hoffberger founder/director of the American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore MD.
Brian Dowdall visionary and Alison Spiesman contemporary Sept. 10-13, 2014
an ENGAGING exhibition: SPIRITED VOYAGE …"a satellite visionary experience"
Dowdall animal spirits & goddess paintings will reflect his newly found imagery as both a visionary & Baltimorean;
Spiesman has landed the clipper motif as symbol for their Spirited Voyage together.
This two person exhibition will be their first together showcased during
the Star Spangled Spectacular festivities at the harbor honoring the new signature Visionary Baltimore diptych
recently installed in the hotel lobby via American Visionary Art Museum!
Artists reception & sales of these original paintings will be
Saturday, Sept 13, 6:00-9:00 pm at
Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel 5th floor, Water Table Restaurant, Baltimore, MD
Oct 1-30, 2014 exhibit Top of the World –Observatory
Baltimore Amore
is being featured my 1st BOPA opening
Friday Oct. 10, 2014
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H2O Series
I have served as director of a non-profit visual arts organization SC (state of my birth),
been credentialed for contemporary art history, co-owned EDGE management
information systems for the printing industry with my late husband, additionally
vocationally: restoration in-painter, art instructor continuing ed. & community college
levels, managed galleries and have designed & served as curator for exhibitions. My
formal education started at East Carolina University School of Art 1977-81 B.F.A.
outstanding senior award (major studio painting/minor ceramics) professorial team: Paul
Hartley, Art Haney, Norman Keller, George Danhires & Wes Crawly; later post graduate
work U.S.C. in SC 1985 per portfolio development my advisor Boyd Saunders felt
confident the professors Bob Jones University would allow me the oil painting & art
education I was seeking. I received M.F.A. 1990 (studio painting & public
speaking/double masters) professorial team: Carl Blair, Emory Bopp, Darrel Koons,
Joyce Parks; post gradation I relocated to Charlotte NC managed a commercial gallery
and was privileged to be exposed to professional artist Juan Logan as a mentor prior to
his post University of NC.
There have been pivotal moments that have directed my ship in the most precarious of
ways, one of the earliest was traveling on the celebrated Richard Demarco Edinburgh
Arts Journey summer of 1979, the pinnacle year for the journey & I was awarded the
opportunity to travel the entire summer that year. Other game changers: marriage and
career shifts, relocations and reinventions …while in Florida I served as curator & chair
of NMWA FL committee 2002 Bold & Beautiful exhibit & Event at the Orlando Museum
to build the chapter for the 2005 state exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the
Arts museum DC 2005 (Received Outstanding Patron and Artist Award 2005) In 2003 I was
invited to participate in the BIENNALE INTERNATIONALE DELL’ARTE CONTEMPORANEA,
Firenze, Italy; however that same year the wrong ship came in the
form of CANCER; I lost my husband & partner and everything else with this. I am still
hosted on www.babelearte.it as a reminder of whom & where I was …I’ve not change
the profile information or website SpiesmanArt. Additionally I have served on a
committee charged with Cape Canaveral Redevelopment Plan, post 2004 travels to
Barcelona to absorb all things GAUDI I began to manage an outsider artist traveling to
this whole magical mystery tour world of shows & leaders in the industry outsider/folk-art/
intuitive/self-taught/visionary with Brian.
Enter Brian Dowdall 2004 we banded together in our covet the “Buddy System” to save
what was left of ourselves (Brian too had suffered concentrated loss 2001~2002). We
have managed on a mysterious & miraculous unexpected journey …The rest of the
story brought us here to Baltimore Maryland our one true home! Brian Dowdall not only
a noted folk artist (his sand paintings on paper bag listed in collector guides) However,
as it turns out the aura & benevolence of his animal spirits & goddesses, in bright vivid
energized colors harkens to a more loving peaceable kingdom basking in a nurturing
matriarchal society. Brian Dowdall has been dubbed “one of our visionaries” American
Visionary Art Museum and is rightfully celebrated as a visionary artist in recognition by
Rebecca Alban Hoffberger director/founder. We are settled in here Art Park Project,
Baltimore, MD with new & exciting news in the wings! In this 10 year journey I have even
chronicled a journal that may soon be available: “VooDoo Vessel” a journey dedicated to
the outsiders. Mostly I have begun to paint again myself in a narrative mystical fashion,
ENJOY! Art is a Courtship …Painting is a Dialogue …Studio is Sacred Space
…this is SpiesmanArt
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Bridge Series
10 YEARS AFTER: The Journey continues in Baltimore, It has been ten years since I have produced paintings within a professional studio space. Through traumatization (a new word) 2003 …I no longer had the room, resources nor the energy to paint. My Pain Body was extremely dark. Through an amazing journey of recovery & discovery to reinvent myself again …I have 10 years after, once again begun to paint. These new works chronicle the exploration in this redefinition of me, my work and my new life 2013.
Select Solo Exhibits
"Bring It Home" ECU 1981
2002 East Carolina University, Mendenhall Gallery, Greenville, NC
"VeryLarge Spirit"
2002 University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC
2000 “GAME”, BCC/UCF Library Gallery Space, Cocoa, FL
1997 “Pg. 156”, HoFP Gallery, Columbia, SC
Select Group Exhibits
2002 Pulcheria Arte 2002, Women's Festival, Piacenza Italy
2002 Independent's Show, Puna Contemporary Art Center, Pahoa HI
("Amazon" 2nd award) international juried, www.puna-art.com
2002 Spring Award Bled 2002, Internet Exhibition, www.wf-a.si, Slovenia
2002 4th Annual All Media Exhibition, Touchstone Gallery, D.C.
2001 1st Annual SE Regional Juried, Art International, Ashville, NC
2001 Muse: A Female Perspective, 1st Thur, The Orlando Museum of Art, FL
2001 The Feminine Journey, Harris House of Atlantic Center/Arts, FL
2000 "Walk on White St", Lucky St. Gallery, Key West FL
2000 “Garments”, WomanMade Gallery, Chicago, IL
1998 Four Women, Avery Gallery, Marietta, GA
1998 Florence Museum State Art Competition, Florence, SC
1998 VOICES, Artista Vista Gallery 701, Columbia, SC
1997 "Vista Lights", Motor Supply & Gallery 701, Columbia, SC
1993 "1118 Main Street" Newberry College Faculty Exhibit, Newberry SC
1992 Sensuous Forms, 2-woman, URSA Major(Blue Pony), Charlotte, NC
1987 In Search Of Excellence, SE Juried, Center Gallery Chapel Hill NC
1985 Guild of SC Artist, Juried(merit award)Gibbs Museum Charleston SC