Michele Bonds (b. 1972, Fort Polk, LA) creates sculptural, abstract works that employ paper as their foundational material. By layering sheets of tightly stacked washi papers, hand-dyed papers, print catalogs, and papyrus, she builds the substantive core of her works, many of which contain up to 100 papers. The assembled pages are then cured and affixed to wood panels, creating a hardened surface that Bonds carves and digs into using dremels, trimmers, sanders, and other hand tools. The sloped cuts expose strata of paper edges to reveal paths of intentional and fortuitous colors and lines, the twisting linear routes expose hidden objects like rope, thread, beads, semi-precious stones, and ribbon embedded within the layers.
While the works initially relay a purely abstract topography, Bonds’s selection and order of placement for each component reflect formal, cultural, intuitive, and biographical connotations. Often her choice of materials originates from a specific geographical location and typifies a traditional practice of papermaking. Other compositions bear the subtle characteristics of a portrait--the shadowed outline of a waist and the raised curve of a hip; the dense, fiery tones of a passionate disposition; the reflective glint of a mirroring personality; or the fading pattern of a cherished fabric. Experimenting with the endless iterations of these layered collages allows her to embrace powerful dualities as well as highlight more subtle nuances, inviting all iterations of order and chance into the visual storytelling process.
Bonds studied at The Art Students League, New York, and completed coursework at the School of Visual Arts, New York, the Galisteo Street Studio, Santa Fe, and the International Center of Photography, New York. Her work has been exhibited at The Art Students League and the 92nd Street Y Art Center. She received her MBA from Babson College and an undergraduate degree from Columbia University. She was raised in Northern California and currently lives and works in Queens, New York.
CV/REsume
Exhibitions
2024 BQE - An Iconography of Queens, LIC Artists, Inc., Long Island City, NY
2022 Student Salon, The Art Students League, New York, NY (2)
100 Small Works of Hope, We Create NYC, New York, NY
Student Salon, The Art Students League, New York, NY (1)
2021 Art Center Student Exhibition, 92Y Art Center, New York, NY
Education
2021 - 2022 Combined Media, Assemblage, Art in Three Dimensions, Art Students League, New York, NY
Mixed Media, Art Students League, New York, NY
Layers and Plates Print Workshop, Galisteo Street Studio, Santa Fe, NM
2021 Collage and Mixed Media, 92nd Street Y, New York, NY
Photo Technique and Photo on Assignment, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
2020-2021 Portraiture Techniques with Minimal Lighting, The International Center of Photography, New York, NY
Playing with Motion in Still Photography, The International Center of Photography, New York, NY
Exploring Self-Portraiture, The International Center of Photography, New York, NY
From Golden Light to Blue: Photographing Sunset and Twilight, The International Center of Photography, New York, NY
Advanced Street Photography: Finding Your Voice, The International Center of Photography, New York, NY
2015 MBA, Babson College, Wellesley, MA
2001 BA in Political Science, Columbia University, New York, NY