Artist Bio
Maddy Keener (b. 1995) is an acrylic portrait painter based in Richmond, VA. In 2014, she graduated summa cum laude from Goshen College with a BA in Art Administration and English. Her most recent body of work, titled, "The Diners," conveys the Richmond restaurant community's experiences of working in the service industry over the course of the COVID pandemic, and culminated in a solo exhibition at Quirk Gallery in Richmond, VA. She has exhibited in shows around Richmond, Northern Virginia, and D.C., including group shows at the Torpedo Factory Target Gallery in Fairfax, Virginia; and the Hill Center Galleries in D.C. In 2023, she was a long-listed artist for the Jackson Painting Prize, and received Special Mention for the Women United Art Prize.
Work Statement
My work combines portraiture with my interest in curating objects to examine presentation vs. facade. I use lavish table settings of food, drinks, and homewares to construct narratives about the inner-workings of the people depicted, and to critique the habit of surrounding ourselves with objects that project our desired self image, which helps us avoid divulging the more vulnerable, darker, and truer aspects of our humanity, although the cracks in the facade nonetheless show.
CV
Education
2020 Class, Contemporary Art, VCU, Richmond, VA
2020 Class, Beyond the Social in Contemporary Art, VCU, Richmond, VA
2018 BA, Art Administration and English, Goshen College, Goshen, IN
Selected Awards
2023 Longlisted Artist, Jackson’s Painting Prize.
2022 Shortlisted Artist, Women United Art Prize.
2022 Honorable Mention, Regional Juried Exhibition, Hill Center Galleries, Washington, D.C.
2021 Judge’s Choice Award, ALL Figurative/Portrait Exhibition, Contemporary Gallery Online
Solo Exhibition
2022 The Diners, Quirk Gallery, Richmond, VA.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 Arts in the Park, Byrd Park, Richmond, VA
2022 Regional Juried Exhibition, Hill Center Galleries, Washington, D.C.
2021 Regional Painting Competition, Torpedo Factory Art Association, Fairfax, VA
2018 Senior Exhibit, Hershberger Gallery, Goshen, IN
Selected Press/Publications
2021 Envision Arts Magazine, Volume 7.
2019 “‘Red Cents’ Staff Wins Literary Awards,” The Goshen News, Goshen, IN
2018 “Goshen art major exhibit work,” South Bend Tribune, South Bend, IN