Stephanie Karamitsos
doctor8sak@yahoo.com

Autobiographical Sketch

I have identified as an artist just about my entire life. I feel closest to the label of painter now, but certainly wouldn’t want it tattooed on my forehead. At the same time, my MFA from University of Illinois at Chicago is in painting, after all.

In the 1990s the stars were aligned for me for a few years. My art was shown in various venues, including art galleries such as Tony Fitzpatrick’s. Professionally this is too long ago to be claimed as an exhibition record, so I’m doing without for the time being. However, the major expectation now is to rally for a significant artistic comeback.

In 1995 a close mentor encouraged me back to graduate school, just as my artwork seemed to be catching on with some success. Thereafter, the person who had been an almost exclusively a 2-D artist found new direction, as I became much more interested in time-arts or performance. Northwestern University awarded me a PhD in Performance Studies in 2006. Theirs is an interdisciplinary program allowing me to go beyond my supposed terminal masters and through a truly fascinating journey. I worked a great deal with the award-winning director Mary Zimmerman and she served as committee chairperson. This was to be a life-altering experience.

My primary written accomplishment to date is my magnum opus dissertation on modern/contemporary art and the work of Janine Antoni - The Art of Janine Antoni: Labor, Gender and the Object of Performance. I’ve taught courses at School of the Art Institute in the Art History, Theory and Criticism department. My deepest passion is for making art now. While I have made art most of my life, this last couple of years has been the most committed and productive ever. I have the opportunity to devote myself full-time now and it’s absolutely thrilling. The hope is to re-emerge as an artist after a bit of a detour. Look out world!