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Christa Donner was born in 1975 in Morristown, New Jersey. Her father, an oboe player with a doctorate in physics and her mother, a professional flautist and talented accordionist, soon decided to relocate to the bustling metropolis that is Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is where Christa spent most of her formative years.

After a brief introduction to the world of modeling via Sassy magazine, Christa started Sissy, a zine based on that now-defunct publication, and developed various techniques to disseminate information on body image and the media to teenage girls. Christa then relocated to Memphis, Tennessee to attend the Memphis College of Art and to broaden her appreciation for Elvis impersonators. A year or so later, she transferred to the Cleveland Institute of Art.

In 1997, Christa was accepted into the New York Studio Program in New York City, where she worked as an assistant to sculptor Jeanne Silverthorne, studied with critics and artists, gained further perspective into the creepy world of modeling, developed some health problems, and began a new body of work based on her personal experiences. She returned to Cleveland to get her BFA in drawing in 1998, and in 1999 was awarded the Wendy L. Moore Emerging Artist Award.

Christa has exhibited at the New York Studio Program in New York City; the Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, The Sculpture Center, The McCullough Center, Reinberger Galleries and The Idea Garage in Cleveland, Ohio; the 1*2*F*U art space in Akron, Ohio; and the Brew House SPACE 101 gallery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Upcoming shows include a group exhibition at Bad Girrls Studios in Boston, Massachusetts, and a show at Acme Art in Columbus, Ohio. Christa Donner: Pretty on the Insides, a solo museum exhibition with accompanying catalog was presented at the Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art from December 10. 1999- February 6, 2000.

In January of 2000, Christa helped organize and lead a conference on expanded ideas of body image and its relationship to the media at the Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art. She has spoken on panels including "Beauty Bytes: Creating and Critiquing the Image of Girl Power" with editors of "Hues", "Bust" and "Ms." magazines, and has led workshops and classes at Hawken School, the Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, and the Cleveland Institute of Art's continuing education program. In February, 2000 she served as a juror for the 2000 Wendy L. Moore Emerging Artist Award.

Currently Ms. Donner works as gallery associate and website coordinator at SPACES, a nonprofit alternative space gallery. She makes a lot of art in her attic, continues her work on zines, comics and websites, and plots her next career move.

EDUCATION:

1998
BFA, Cleveland Institute of Art, Drawing Cleveland, OH

1993-94
Memphis College of Art Memphis, TN

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:

2000
> or = (Greater Than or Equal To)
Newsense Productions
Lakewood, OH

48 Hours of Making Art
Lake Erie College, BK Smith Gallery
Painesville, OH

8- Hour Drawings, Part III
Allegheny College, Bowman & Penelec Galleries
Meadville, PA

Trail of Narratives
Here Here Gallery
Cleveland, OH

Gut Reactions
Cuyahoga Community College, Metropolitan Campus, Metro Galleries
Cleveland, OH

Reading Visual/Text: Regional Volumes
Brew House SPACE 101
Pittsburgh, PA

1999
Christa Donner: Pretty on the Insides
Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art
Cleveland, OH

Mach Schau
1*2*F*U Gallery
Akron, OH

Faster than a Speeding Bullet: Superheroes in Contemporary Art
Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art
Cleveland, OH

1998
New and Improved (four-person show)
McCullough Center
Cleveland, OH

1997
Team Adventure
New York Studio Program
New York, NY

1996
Student Independent Exhibition
Reinberger Gallery, Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland, OH

Girl Potion (four woman show)
McCullough Center
Cleveland, OH

Summer Design Show
The Sculpture Center
Cleveland, OH

Creative Drawings
The Idea Garage
Cleveland, OH

WORK EXPERIENCE:

1999-2000
Visiting Artist
The Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH
artist's lecture and studio visits with drawing and printmaking majors

Gallery Associate
SPACES Gallery, Cleveland, OH
coordinate group exhibitions, SPACE Lab program, and website; write and distribute all press materials, assist in grant preparation, lead gallery tours

Juror
Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, Cleveland, OH
Wendy L. Moore Emerging Artist Award jury, 2000-2001

Visiting Artist
Hawken School, Gates-Mills, OH
artists' lecture and workshop

1998
Art Instructor
Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH
taught summer drawing class of 5th - 8th graders

1997
Residency Participant
New York Studio Program, New York, NY
participated in three-month residency in the Tribeca area

Assistant to Sculptor Jeanne Siverthorne
Artist's Studio, New York NY
assisted in mold-making, casting and keeping inventory of artwork

AWARDS AND HONORS:

1999
Wendy L. Moore Emerging Artist Award
Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art

1998
Keller Award in Drawing
Cleveland Institute of Art

1997
Sue Wall Award
Cleveland Institute of Art

1996-97
Honorary Scholarships
Cleveland Institute of Art

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