About Arhia Kohlmoos

Arhia in Kohlmoosia

Biography

Arhia Kohlmoos grew up in the woods of Wisconsin, where she and her four sisters were raised in a one-room log cabin on twenty acres of land. They used a wood-burning stove, had no indoor plumbing, no telephone or TV, and grew most of their food in large gardens surrounding the house. The family practiced an intense, self-directed education that enabled her and her sisters to deeply explore the subjects that interested them most – music and the fine arts. Kohlmoos' singular childhood continues to be a powerful force in her work.

Kohlmoos graduated summa cum laude from Lawrence University (BA, 2006), where she studied Theatre, Filmmaking, and Italian in addition to Fine Arts. She studied art history in Spain, England, France, Italy, and the Netherlands; seeing the work of Piero della Francesca, Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, and Jan van Eyck in person focused and reified her signature style.

Before attending graduate school, Kohlmoos gained experience as an art educator in Lincoln, Nebraska. She worked one-on-one with young students to help them develop their talents and gain a stronger appreciation for fine art and the creative process.

As an MFA candidate at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Kohlmoos studied painting with Ron Rizzi, Ethan Murrow, and Gerry Bergstein. During her time at SMFA, Kohlmoos was recognized with two Dana Pond Competition Honorable Mentions and a Springborn Fellowship.

A cup of tea with a journal and a pen

Resume

Lives and works in Boston, MA

Education

  • 2012 MFA (concentration in painting), School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA
  • 2006 BA in Studio Art, summa cum laude , Lawrence University, Appleton WI
  • 2005 Art History and Italian studies in London and Florence
  • 2002 Course work in Film Studies at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco CA
  • Art and Theatre Studies at UW Marathon County, Wausau WI

Teaching Experience

  • 2012 Private Art Teacher, Boston MA
  • 2008-2009 Private Art Teacher, Lincoln NE
  • 2007-2009 Curriculum Mentor for the Gifted Program, Lincoln Public Schools, Lincoln NE
  • 2006 Art Studio Assistant, Hands On Art Studio, Fish Creek WI

Freelance and Collaborative Work

  • 2014 Personalized tattoo designs and portraits on commission
  • 2012 Designed the masthead for a cooking blog
  • 2011 Commissioned to produce a logo for Zipline Brewery, Lincoln NE
  • Created two posters for UWMC's production of Romeo and Juliet , Wausau WI
  • 2008 Painted a work for performance artist Kelly Shaw Willman's piece, “inter-”
  • 2006 Illustrated a 21-page children's book for the Ukrainian Power series, Appleton WI
  • 2005 Produced scientific Illustrations for the geology department of Lawrence University, Appleton WI
  • 2004 Worked as freelance Illustrator for Outlook Group Corp, Neenah WI
  • 2001-2003 Designed and painted sets and props for three UWMC theatrical productions, Wausau WI
  • Created posters for UWMC Theater's Cabaret, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hedda Gabbler, Fiddler on the Roof, and
  • The Laramie Project , Wausau WI
  • Developed marketing materials for two full-length albums

Skills

  • Fine Arts: Painting (oils, acrylics, watercolors), drawing (graphite, pen and ink, charcoal), illustration
  • Crafts: Sewing, jewelry, collage, calligraphy
  • Computer: Image editing, word processing, internet research, social media marketing

Honors and Awards

  • 2012 An SMFA nominee for the Joan Mitchell Grant
  • 2012 Dana Pond Competition, Honorable Mention
  • 2010 Winner, Springborn Fellowship
  • Montague Travel Grant for independent research in Amsterdam
  • 2009 Dana Pond Competition, Honorable Mention
  • 2006 Phi Beta Kappa
  • One of two Lawrence University nominees for the national Watson Fellowship
  • 2002 Sole winner, Samuel Weiner Award for Academic Excellence
  • Appel Travel/Study Award for ten-day museum tour of Madrid, Barcelona, and Bilbao
  • Departmental Award for significant contribution in Theatre/Drama

Exhibitions

  • 2019 11:11 The Depth of Perception, national juried group exhibition, Fountain Street Gallery
  • 2015 It's all Personal, group exhibition, Essex Art Center
  • 2012 Totemic: MFA Thesis Exhibition, Aidekman Arts Center, Tufts University
  • 2010 Utopalypse, group exhibition, Yes.Oui.Si Gallery
  • 2008 Objects of Desire, juried exhibition, Haydon Gallery
  • 2008 Cartographic Revolutions, solo show, I & S Studio
  • 2006 Senior Art Exhibition, Wriston Center Galleries, Lawrence University

Publications

  • 2014 Drawing published in Maisonneuve: A Quarterly of Arts, Opinions, and Ideas. Spring 2014 issue.
  • 2012 Featured in “Six to Watch,” an annual article about promising MFA grads in The Boston Globe
  • 2009 Two paintings published in Eleven-Eleven: A Journal of Literature and Art , issue 7
  • 2005 Three works published in Tropos , the literary journal of Lawrence University