carol prusa

Science and art come together in Carol Prusa’s large-scale silver point works.

The artist: Growing up on Chicago’s south side, Prusa was drawn to the unknown. She studied chemistry at the University of Illinois and earned a B.S. in biocommunication arts and later received a MFA in painting and drawing from Drake University (1985). Prusa is a professor of art at Florida Atlantic University.

In the beginning: After she earned her MFA, Prusa taught art at Iowa State University. She moved to Florida after reading a two-part article in Art in America in 1999 saying South Florida was the next great place for art.

The studio: Prusa’s studio is in a separate building behind her house in Boca Raton.

The goods & materials: Silverpoint works created with unexpected materials, including: sculpted fiberglass, metal leaf, fiber optics, video and programmed lights. Forms are generally circular.

What is silverpoint: A technique that mimics pencil drawing but with silver replacing the graphite.

What’s popular: Silverpoint drawings incorporating sculptural forms and new technologies ($4,000 to $40,000).

Museums tend to exhibit her large domes with videos and programmed lights, while individual collectors favor flat, square or circular panels that are easier to install.

Others commonly like work that references complex geometries and incorporates aluminum leaf.

Big break: In 2001, having her work exhibited in the Bernice Steinbaum gallery in Miami.

Claim to fame: Her work can be found in private and public collections, including:

Museum of Arts and Design in NYC
Perez Art Museum in Miami
Telfair Art Museum in Savannah
The Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga

Awards: Many, including:

In 2020, selected through peer review (20 panelists) for the Manifest Prize ($5,000 award and a solo show at non-profit Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati).
2020 Selected for “Scientific Delirium Madness,” a unique, month-long residency, public and academic forums, published blogs and articles in LEONARDO/ISAST’s journal published by MIT Press.

Honors: Many, including:

A solo exhibition, Dark Light (2019-20), at the Boca Raton Museum of Art. The exhibit generated many interviews and stories, including one in Space.com.
In 2018, Prusa was exhibited alongside other artists in “The Future of Craft” at the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC.

What’s next: Leaving teaching to pursue her art full-time. Also, making an artist book this summer through an IS Projects/Knight Foundation grant.

Where to buy: