ABOUT/CV
Janet Restino is a multimedia visual artist/writer/performer living in NYC, surrounded by art, music, theater, dance, film and first and millions of people… and their pets. And thankfully Central Park!
Coming from a very small town outside Philadelphia, after studying Liberal Arts at Temple University, she concentrated on sculpture at The Pennsylvania Academy of The Fine Arts, winning a European Traveling Scholarship. With her foundation built on drawing from the human figure and exploring abstraction, she worked with numerous materials while carving, hand building and mixing media.
The lack of studio space in NYC, moved her to evolve into a painter/colorist, working in two dimensions, with many small works on paper and canvas. Creating more art digitally now gives her room to create a large body of prints. Returning to create more sculpture is always on her horizon. While exhibiting in NYC, the artist has fulfilled commissions and is in many private collections. Her images have been licensed for products, published as illustrations and used for fundraising. She also has a small business selling a line of her art and photography on blank notecards.
She nurtured her love of writing poetry and performing at a time when the Art and Live Music scene was bursting in the early 80’s. Her love of music started as a child with piano and later playing flute in her High School orchestra. Musicians often appear in her visual art. Her performance poetry is a mixture of spoken word and singing. It won her a Grant from Poets & Writers and several performances at The NY Poetry Festival.
She stays involved in many realms of art, mixing media, photography, sound and text to bring you a fresh and memorable experience.___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
VISUAL ART RESUME & WRITING/PERFORMANCE RESUME
EDUCATION
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Phila., PA (4 year Studio Certificate Program for sculpture)
Fleisher Art Memorial, Phila., PA Sculpture
Temple University, Phila., PA Liberal Arts
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS, WORKS ON PAPER, CANVAS and PHOTOGRAPHY
2022 Culture Lab LIC, Long Island City, NY. Off The Wall Festival. Group Exhibit
2021 Int’l Women Artist’s Salon, St. John’s Church, Revelation Gallery. NYC. Spring Forward. Group Exhibit
2018 Theater for The New City, NYC. Festival of the Arts. Group Exhibit
2017 Cinema Arts Centre, Huntington, NY. Exhibit. Artwork featured in documentary film “Big Fish Blues”
2014 Café Dada, Brooklyn NY. Paintings and Photography, Solo Exhibit
Theater for The New City, NYC. Festival of the Arts, Group Exhibit
2013 Cornelia Street Café, NYC. Halloween Parades/Autumn in NY. Photography, Solo Exhibit
The Producers Club, NYC. “Seeing Red/In the Black” Paintings & Prints, Solo Exhibit
2012 Jadite Gallery, NYC. Group Exhibit
2011 Art of Collaborative Giving, Wallingford CT. International Women’s Day. Group Exhibit
Queens Museum of Art, NY. Legros Cultural Center, SWAN Day Event. Group Exhibit
2010 Estrogenius Festival, Manhattan Theatre Source, NYC. Group Show. My art used for all promotions
Fresh Fruit Festival Group Exhibit at Leslie Lohman Gallery, NYC. Group Exhibit
Jadite Gallery, NYC. “Love’s Body” Solo Exhibit
International Women Artist’s Salon, Exhibition ONE: Zero Gravity, Lolitabar, NYC Group Exhibit
Benefit for Chilean Earthquake, Gabriela Mistral Foundation, Silent Auction, New York Times, NYC
2009 Estrogenius Festival, Manhattan Theatre Source, NYC
Fresh Fruit Festival/Passion Exhibit Leslie-Lohman Gallery, NYC
Pomaire Restaurant, 371 W 46th St, NYC. “All for Love” One Woman Show
2008 A.I.R. Gallery, NYC Generations 6, Invitational and auction to benefit Code Pink
31st Small Works Exhibit, Washington Square East Galleries, NYU, NYC. Juried Group Exhibit
Theater for The New City, NYC. Art Into Action. Group Exhibit
Ryan Chelsea Community Health Center, NYC. Solo Exhibit
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Alumni Exhibit, Brooklyn, NY.
2007 MCCNY Jackson Hall Art Gallery, NYC. Group Exhibit
2006 Haven Arts, Bronx NY. Art of the Word. Group Exhibit
2002 Society of Illustrators, NYC. “Prevailing Human Spirit” Group Exhibit
Here is New York, NYC. Group Photography Show commemorating 9/11
1994 WBGO-FM Radio Station, Newark, NJ. "Music Seen" One-Woman Show
Visiones Jazz Club, NYC. One-Woman Show
1985 Amos Eno, NYC. Solo Exhibit. Works on paper
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS, SCULPTURE
2010 Fresh Fruit Festival at Leslie-Lohman Gallery, NYC. Group Show
2009 Fresh Fruit Festival at Leslie-Lohman Gallery, NYC. Group Show
1979 Suzanne Gross Gallery, Phila., PA. Group Show
Mid-Atlantic Small Sculpture Show, University of DE. Group Show. Catalog
PA Academy of the Fine Arts Fellowship Show, Phila. PA. Group Exhibit
Cultural Arts Center, Ocean City, NJ. Two-Woman Show
GROUP SHOWS: WORKS ON PAPER 1993-1982
International House Gallery, NYC. "Women of Peace” Curator, Exhibitor
Woodstock Town Hall, Woodstock, NY
Bronx River Art Gallery, Bronx, NY. "Consciousness Raising Art"
Now Gallery, NYC. "Micro Show"
Nolo Contendere, NYC
Jack Tilton Gallery, NYC
SELECTED PUBLISHED ART, ILLUSTRATION, PHOTOGRAPHY
2017 FROM SOMEWHERE TO NOWHERE, The End of The American Dream, The Unbearables, Automedia Press 9/11 painting
2017 Riverside Poets Anthology Volume 17 Cover art and design and poetry included
2016 Riverside Poets Anthology Volume 16 Cover art and design and poetry included
2011 Maintenant 4, Three Rooms Press, drawing
2010 Estrogenius Festival of the Arts, “Nude on Belly, Finding Finally” art used for all promotionals
2004 HERE IS NEW YORK, A Democracy of Photographs. Anthology from 9/11/01
2000 Stern’s Performing Arts Directory 2000, Cover art
1990’s The Village Voice, NYC. Illustration
DOWNTOWN, NYC. Regular contributor "Restino's Thought for the Day"
WIN Magazine, NYC , Public Illumination Magazine, NYC
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
2013 A People’s Art History of the United States, Nicholas Lampert, The New Press. Cited in NYC “Groundwork” project
2010 Serena Solomon (Hells Kitchen Open Artists Studio) DNAinfo.com; Bonnie Rosenberg (City Arts)
2009 The New York Optimist www.newyorkoptimist.com
1991 DOWNTOWN, Art Around Town, Gary Azon, 3/6/91. Signs of Intelligent Life, 3/13/91
1989 The New York Times, "Consciousness Raising Art", Vivien Raynor, 10/29/89
The Village Voice, Getting & Spending, Mim Udovitch, 11/7/89
1988 The Village Voice, Getting & Spending, Molly Peacock 10/88
GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS, FUNDING
2017 Hell’s Kitchen Foundation, NYC
1991 Art Matters
1990 Poets & Writers
1989 PEN
1977 Scheidt Travelling Scholarship (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts)
1973 Dolfinger-McMahon Full Tuition Scholarship (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts)
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Here Is New York, A Democracy of Photographs. Exhibit, hardcover book, Scalo Publ. www.hereisnewyork.org
Museum of Television and Radio, NYC. (portrait Tshirts of musician Bill Sims)
Fales Collection, NYU Bobst Library, NYC. Ron Kolm Papers. Art cards, prints, ephemera
The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, NYC. Artwork commissioned for the International Association of Schools of Jazz 1994
The African Activist Archive Project at Michigan State University, art on buttons, Tshirts, posters “Free Nelson Mandela” “Nelson Mandela Released, Abolish Apartheid” and “Free South Africa”
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WRITING/PERFORMANCES
1/25/23 Nublu Club, NYC. Special guest with Victor Kinjo and Band
9/11/22 New York Poetry Festival, Governors Island, NY. Featured performer with Rimes of the
Ancient Mariner
6/19/21 Poets & Writers Grant awarded to Livestream performance with live audience with book signing On Love, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. St. John’s in the Village, Revelation Gallery, NYC
6/10/21 Poets in the Barn; Animals in the Fields: A “Midsommar” Celebration presented by Ezra Lovecroft, Millstone Farm, Wilton CT
4/28/21 Poets at Rose Vineyards and Winery, presented by Ezra Lovecroft. North Branford, CT
1/1/20 The Alternative New Year’s Spoken Word/Performance Extravaganza, St. John’s Church, NYC
11/10/19 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY. Sponsored by One Breath Rising with support from Poets & Writers. Spoken word poetry & performance with guitarist. Book signing.
7/28/18 New York Poetry Festival, Governors Island, NY. Featured with Rimes of the Ancient Mariner
5/19/17 Cornelia St. Cafe, NYC What Were the 60’s Really Like? Chapter 2: Beyond Peace &Love.
3/29/17 Rimes of the Ancient Mariner, hosted by Phillip Giambri, with Stephen Benson, guitar
1/7/17 Riverside Poets, hosted by Anthony Moscini at Riverside Library
9/13/16 New York Story Exchange at Cornelia St. Cafe, hosted by Barbara Aliprantis.
7/30/16 New York Poetry Festival, Governors Island, NY. Featured with Rimes of the Ancient Mariner
2/14/16 Great Weather for Media series at Parkside Lounge, NYC. Featured poet.
1/1/16 The Alternative New Year’s Day Spoken Word/Performance Extravaganza
7/16/15 Nitty Gritty Summer in the City, the Garden 6th & B, NYC. Produced and performed in event featuring eight writers, poets & musicians.
3/4/15 Cornelia St. Cafe, NYC. What the Hell is Love? reading series hosted by Phillip Giambri
2/15 Voelker Orth Museum, Queens, NY The Lure/Lore of Love Solo performance of original songs, stories and poetry at the piano.
1/1/15 Nuyorican Cafe, NYC. The Alternative New Year’s Day Spoken Word/Performance Extravaganza
6/22/14 Voelker Orth Museum, Queens, NY. Birds; Myth; Memory: Poetic Visions from the Soul.
Organized by Bernard Block for the Summer Solstice
3/4/14 Cornelia St. Cafe, NYC . Stoops to Nuts, hosted by Barbara Aliprantis. Featured performer
5/16/14 Cornelia St. Café, NYC Whitman to Ginsburg: Poems That Challenge Conventional Wisdom,hosted by Bernard Block
1/22/14 Rimes of the Ancient Mariner Poetry Series, Phillip Giambri, producer/host
2011 Hells Kitchen Arts Festival, Oasis Garden, NYC with the Int’l Women Artists Salon
2010 Cherry Lane Theatre, Comedy Night, with Fresh Fruit Festival 2009-10 Leslie Lohman Gallery, Fresh Fruit/PASSION Exhibit & Literary Events
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SELECTED PUBLISHED POETRY
2022 At The Crossroads, One Breath Rising Anthology
2022 Un Bordado De Voces (An Embroidery of Voices) New Year’s Re-Deferred Spoken Word/ Performance Extravaganza Anthology. Rogue Scholars Press
2021 After The Clouds, The Sun The Alternative New Year’s Deferred Spoken Word/ Performance Extravaganza Anthology. Rogue Scholars Press
2020 Rimes of the Ancient Mariner Silver Tongued Devil Anthology
2015 - 2022 Riverside Poets Anthology
2017 Teflon Feathers and Copper Empathy, Rimes of The Ancient Mariner Yearbook.
2017 From Somewhere To Nowhere, The Unbearables, Automedia Publishing
2016 Canary in a Coal Mind, chapbook with original artwork, self published, Silvery Moonlight Press
2016 The Alternative New Year’s Day Spoken Word/Performance Extravaganza Anthology “Palabras Luminosas” (Luminous Words) published by Rogue Scholars Press. I Hear The land Crying Grandmother
2015 The Alternative New Year’s Day Spoken Word/Performance Extravaganza Anthology “Shadow of The Geode” Rogue Scholars Press. New Year's Eve Night Poem
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RADIO
2013 www.cityworldradio.com Produced and hosted a weekly one-hour radio show “Heart & Soul” featuring my poetry, short stories, and music along with guest poets, writers, musicians, fine artists, activists and environmentalists. Interviews and live performances archived.
2009 WBAI fm PERSPECTIVES Show with Louis Reyes Rivera, host. guest and live performance.
VIDEO
Numerous live performance videos and original video skits and slideshows on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/@JanetRestino
RECORDINGS
Full Moon/Peace Poem, On Yer Mark, Impeachment Time, The DT’S,
The Clocks Are Tickin Away/Workin Too Hard
https://soundcloud.com/tidecomingin and https://soundcloud.com/janet-391908162/the-dts
Love Poems and Fast Songs, 1990. Original poetry and lyrics accompanied by piano improvisations,
co-produced with Tom Monte, keyboards. Independent release.
GRANTS, FUNDING
Art Matters 1991; Poets & Writers 1990, 2019, 2021; Hells Kitchen Foundation 2017