Back to Chicago Artists

Artists Statement/Bio

Paul Rinaldi is a Chicago based visual artist, specializing in non-representational work in encaustic, acrylic, and mixed-media. He received his MFA degree in Painting & Drawing from the City University of New York, Brooklyn College, where he studied with Philip Pearlstein, Allen D’Arcangelo, and Lee Bontecou. From 1991 through 1998 he lived in Egypt and taught painting & drawing at the American University in Cairo. His artwork has been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions around the United States, and in Europe and the Middle East. His paintings are represented in private and corporate collections across the United States. Rinaldi shows his work at Perimeter Gallery in Chicago, and Circa Gallery in Minneapolis. In 1988, Rinaldi received the Silvermine Guild Prize for Painting in the Art of the Northeast USA exhibition juried by Linda Shearer, Curator of Contemporary Art at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Rinaldi is a Professor of Art and Coordinator of the Fine Arts program at Prairie State College.

Selected Exhibitions

2016: Solo Exhibit, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, IL

2015: Two-Person Exhibition, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
          One + One, A Gallery Art, Provincetown, MA
          Organic to Geometric: Investigations into Structure and Surface, Heftler Gallery,
          Manninen Center for the Arts, Endicott College, Beverly, MA
          Summer Salon, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
          Pedagogy, Union Street Gallery, Chicago Heights
          Winter Salon, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
          Roan & Black Chicago Pop-Up Show, Chicago, IL

2014: Solo Exhibition, Christopher Art Gallery, Prairie State College
          Summer Show, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, MN

2013: Through a Glass Darkly: New Works by Paul Rinaldi, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, IL
          Cumulative Force, (4 person exhibit), R & F Gallery, Kingston, NY
          FUSEDChicago: A Group Encaustic Exhibition, Robert T. Wright Gallery, College of Lake County, IL

2012: Ariel’s Song: New Paintings by Paul Rinaldi, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
          Something Sacred (two-person show), Imogen Holloway Gallery, Saugerties, NY
          Tactile Encounters, Kemper Gallery, Paul V. Galvin Library, Illinois Institute of Technology

2011: Solo Exhibition, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, IL
          New Encaustic Explorations, Noyes Cultural Arts Center, Evanston, IL
          Fused, Black Cloud Gallery, Chicago, IL
          Summer Group Exhibition, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, MN

2010: Encaustic: Hot Art, The Art Center, Highland Park, IL
          Summer Group Exhibition, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
          Art Chicago, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, IL
          Brainstorm, Visual Arts Gallery, Governors State University, IL
          (Juried by Tricia Van Eck, curator, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago)
          Fused Chicago II, Gallery 537, Chicago, IL

2009: Winter Show, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
          Fused! Art & Wax in Chicago, Gallery 537, Chicago, IL

2008: The Drawing Show, Beverly Arts Center, Chicago, IL
          Regional Faculty Exhibition, Visual Arts Gallery, Governors State University, University Park, IL

2007: Summer Show, Shimmery Gallery Munster, IN

2006: Group Exhibition, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, IL
          Intersections, Shimmery Gallery, Munster, IN (solo exhibition)
          Group Exhibit, EXP Gallery, Chicago, IL
          10th Anniversary Show, Christopher Art Gallery, Prairie State College, IL

2005: New in Chicago, Gwenda Jay Addington Gallery, Chicago, IL
          3 x 5, CRN Exhibition Space, Chicago, IL
          Emergence, Traveling group show: EXP Gallery (Chicago), Lincoln Land College, (Jacksonville),
          Governors State University, IL, Prairie State College, IL
          In House III, Christopher Art Gallery, Prairie State College, IL

2004: Halleluiah, Union Street Gallery, Chicago Heights, IL
          2004 Regional Exhibition, Governors State University, IL

2003: Islands in a Stream Juried Exhibit, Union Street Gallery, Chicago Heights, IL
          2003 Resident Exhibition, Union Street Gallery, IL
          In House II, Christopher Gallery, Prairie State College, IL

2002: Hidden Memories (solo exhibition), Dorothea Thiel Gallery, South Suburban College, South Holland, IL
          2002 Regional Exhibition, Governors State University, IL
          Remembering the People of September 11th, Purdue North Central University, IN
          Reflections: September 11th and Beyond, Christopher Gallery, PSC, IL

2001: Passage (solo exhibition), Tall Grass Art Gallery, Park Forest, IL

2000: Ten American Artists, Venues: Case Museum, Jersey City, NJ; Harkov, Ukraine; Odessa Fine Arts Museum, Odessa;
          Simpheropol Museum, Crimea; Russian Museum of Decorative & Fine Arts, Moscow
          2000 Regional Exhibition, Visual Arts Gallery, Governors State University, University Park, IL

1999: Annual Winter Exhibition, The Painting Center, Greene St., New York City

1998: The Seventh Seal (solo), Ragab Gallery, Giza, Egypt

1997: Nida Invitational Exhibit, Hanager Gallery, Cairo, Egypt
          Rinaldi/Coash: New Works, Ewart Art Gallery, Cairo, Egypt
          Sacred Spaces, Group Exhibition, Ragab Gallery, Cairo, Egypt

1996: New Paintings & Photographs (solo), O’Connor Gallery, Rosary College, River Forest, IL
          Cairo Tapestry: An Installation of Drawings, Photographs and Video (solo),
          ARC Gallery, Chicago, IL

1995: Paul Rinaldi: New Painting & Photographs (solo), Lukacs Art Gallery, Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT
          Works from the Collection of the American University in Cairo, Ewart Art Gallery,
          The American University in Cairo, Egypt

1994: Paul Rinaldi (solo), The Egyptian Center for International Cultural Cooperation, Cairo, Egypt

1993: Paul Rinaldi, Paintings and Photographs (solo), Center for the Arts,
          Akhnaton Gallery IV, Cairo, Egypt
          Group Exhibition, Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery, Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT

1992: Recent Paintings & Photographs (solo), Ewart Art Gallery, AUC, Egypt

1990: New Paintings (solo), Tompkins Square Gallery, New York City

1989: Summer Group Exhibition, The Penson Gallery, New York City

1988: Paul Rinaldi New Works (solo), The Penson Gallery, New York City
          New Paintings (solo), Merril Hall Gallery, New York University, New York City
          M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition, Museum of the Borough of Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY
          Art of the Northeast USA, Silvermine Guild, New Canaan, CT
          Juror: Lowery Stokes Sims, Curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
          Barnum Juried Exhibition, Museum of Art, Science and Industry, Bridgeport, CT
          Sheffield Art League Juried Exhibition, Sheffield, MA
          Oak Room Juried Exhibition, Fairfield, CT

1987: Recent Paintings (solo), Merril Hall Gallery, New York University, New York City
          Annual Juried ’87, The Queens Museum, Queens, NY
          Grümbacher Emerging Artist’s Exhibition, Gregg Galleries, Gramercy Park, NYC

1986: Art of the Northeast USA, Silvermine Guild, New Canaan, CT
          Springfield Art League Juried Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, MA

Mural Projects

2006:       Garfield School, Chicago Hts., IL

2004/2005: Prairie State College, Chicago Hts., IL (30 murals)

2003:         SouthStar Enterprises, Chicago Hts., IL (17 murals)

Awards/Residencies

2012:       Sabbatical Grant, Prairie State College

2004-05: Resident Artist, Union Street Gallery, Chicago Heights, IL
                Honorable Mention, Islands in a Stream, Union Street Gallery, Chicago Heights, IL
                (Juried by Ruth Crnkovich, Director, Vietnam Veterans Museum of Art, Chicago, IL)

1999:       Resident Artist, Potash Artists Colony, Cummington, MA

1997/98: Grant for Photographic Research in Egypt, American University in Cairo

1994:       Research Grant, American University in Cairo

1992:       Resident Artist, Shona Artists Colony, Alexandria, Egypt

1988:       Individual Artist Grant, Artists Space, New York City

1987/88: Graduate Fellowships, Brooklyn College, City University of New York

1986:       Silvermine Guild Award (First-Prize in Painting), Art of the Northeast USA
                (Juried by Linda Shearer, Curator, Museum of Modern Art, NYC)

Education

1986-1988: City University of New York, Brooklyn College
          M.F.A., Painting and Drawing, 1988
          Studied with Lee Bontecou, Philip Pearlstein, & Allan D’Arcangelo

1984-1986: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
          Graduate Studies in Art History & Fine Arts

1980-1983: Fairfield University, B.A., 1983
          Post-Graduate Studies in Art, 1983–Urbino, Italy

Teaching and Related Experience

2000-present: Professor/Coordinator of Fine Arts, Prairie State College, Chicago Heights, IL

1999-2000: Adjunct Associate Professor of Art, New York Institute of Technology, NY, NY

1999-2000: Museum Registrar/Preparator, Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY

1991-1998: Assistant Professor of Art. The American University in Cairo, Egypt

1989-90: Adjunct Professor of Art, Dowling College, Oakdale, NY

1983-84: Teacher, Peace Corps Volunteer, Fiji

Service to the Profession

2005: Visiting Artist, Artist in Action, Greenbriar School, Chicago Hts., IL
          Juror, 50th Annual Park Forest Art Fair

2003/04: Juror, Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce Art Fair, Homewood, IL

1998: Selection Committee Member, The Bi-national Fulbright Commission in Egypt

1996: External Referee, The Bi-national Fulbright Commission in Egypt

Back to Chicago Artists