BIOGRAPHY
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Debbie Wolff displayed an aptitude for art at an early age, participating in local art shows and contests throughout her elementary and high school years. Wolff is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s renowned five-year work/study program in the College of Design, Architecture, and Art; she received her BS in Graphic Design in 1981, cum laude.
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Following college Debbie relocated to California, where her professional experience included graphic design work with advertising agencies, book publishers, and various small businesses. During the time that Debbie’s children were young she undertook a home-based art education school for children ages 5 to 18. Since 2001 she has been principal owner of Nevada Fine Arts in Reno, NV, a retail store that provides custom framing, fine art reproduction, giclée printing, art classes and art supplies. The store also includes an exhibition space where numerous local artists have had successful shows. Debbie is involved with local community organizations and businesses as an art consultant and curator.
Other of Wolff’s involvements include serving as photographer on the Burning Man organization’s documentation team. Over the years, much as other Burning Man festival participants, Debbie has also created jewelry for those events; her jewelry has been shown in Burning Man exhibitions at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, the Fuller Craft Museum in Braintree, MA, and the Cincinnati Museum of Art. Her photos have been published in various forms by the Burning Man organization.
Debbie explores photography, encaustic, mark making, mixed media and 3-dimension. While her geographic location inspires her subject matter, she explores the dichotomy of her formal training as a graphic designer with her desire to create intuitively. It is her belief that, in art, beauty arises out of a balance between intuition and the parameters of formal design. She has stated that such an engaging balance is rather like the appreciation and happiness one may experience in a Zen state of being. Debbie senses that in the intensely turbulent world of today there is an acute need for inner calm and peace, both for herself and for others. She hopes to impart this to viewers of her art.
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REPRESENTATION
Studio El Custom Fine Art - www.studioel.com & www.studioelhospitality.com
Reno Fine Arts Collective - www.renofineartscollective.com
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EXHIBITIONS
Nevada Fine Arts Gallery - Reno, Nevada - Group Show
"Urban Life" - 2022
Sierra Arts Foundation Gallery - Reno, Nevada - Group Show
"Ignite" - 2022
Sierra Arts Foundation Gallery - Reno, Nevada - Solo Show
"Retro Metro" - 2020
High Desert Museum - Bend, Oregon - Group Exhibition,
"Burning Man on the Horizon" - 2020
Bellevue Arts Museum - Bellevue, Washington - Group Exhibition,
"Playa Made: The Jewelry of Burning Man" - 2020
Petaluma Arts Center - Petaluma, California - Group Exhibition
"Petaluma to the Playa" - 2020
Oakland Museum of California - Oakland, California - Group Exhibition,
"No Spectators, The Art of Burning Man" - 2020
Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio - Group Exhibition,
"No Spectators, The Art of Burning Man" - 2019
Sierra Arts Foundation Gallery - Reno, Nevada - Solo Show
"Because I Had Ink" - 2019
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian – Washington, D.C. Group Exhibition,
“No Spectators, The Art of Burning Man” – 2018
Fuller Craft Museum – Brockton, Massachusetts Group Exhibition,
“Playa Made: The Jewelry of Burning Man” - 2017
University of Nevada Reno Sheppard Fine Arts Gallery - Reno, Nevada
Group Exhibitions – 2014, 2016, 2018
Wedge Gallery - Reno Nevada Group Exhibitions – 2017, 2018, 2019
Advertising Association of Northern Nevada’s Art Slaves
Group Exhibition – 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 (Awarded Best of Show)
Liberty Fine Art Gallery – Reno, Nevada Group Exhibitions – 2014, 2015
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Burning Man Calendar – Print – 2021, 2018
Burning Man Thank You Card – Print - 2019
Jack Rabbit Speaks, Burning Man – Web Newsletter – 2018 to Present
Renown Regional Medical Center - Permanent Collection
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