Profiles: Julie Paveglio

Julie Paveglio, Prosperity, 2019, acrylic on vintage handkerchief, image size: 11 ¼ x 11 ¼ in., credit: © Julie Paveglio, courtesy of the artist

New York-based artist Julie Paveglio and I had a conversation about her life, career, and her artwork. Paveglio (b.1979) was born to a working-class family in Bay City, Michigan. Early on, she knew she had an interest in art, but being from a small city, she never had exposure to it. Her mother teaching her how to cross-stitch was the closest training she had to a craft. In high school, her art teachers encouraged and praised her talents, but she found the environment stifling.

After graduating from high school in 1998, Paveglio enrolled in Delta College, a community college in Michigan. There she met a supportive instructor (and motorcycle riding Buddhist) named Larry Butcher. Butcher never tore anyone down, and instead, fostered a sense of freedom, championing students when they produced exceptional work. Paveglio found comfort in the classes she took because he would say things like “art and the humanities are the only things that will love you back.”

Following her parents advice to look into art school, Paveglio transferred to Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids a year after studying at Delta College. Unfortunately, Paveglio soon realized that although she took art seriously, many other students did not. She instead returned to Bay City and continued to take classes at Delta College with Larry Butcher, as well as courses at Saginaw Valley State University. After realizing she did not want to get a degree from Saginaw Valley, Paveglio transferred to Central Michigan University and graduated with a BFA in 2007. 

Julie Paveglio, Spring Moon, 2019, acrylic on doily, image size: 13 in. diameter, credit: © Julie Paveglio, courtesy of the artist

Eager to continue learning about art, Paveglio applied to three graduate schools, but received rejection notices from all of them. Instead, Paveglio postponed graduate school and had a residency at the Vermont Studio Center in 2007. She describes her residency as life-changing because for the first time in her life, she met artists that took art as seriously as her. “It was the first time I met real artists, people who lived in New York City, [who] were artist’s assistants or had been making work for years… I saw that… there were communities outside of my small world,” she said.

In 2012, Paveglio moved to New York City for her graduate studies at Brooklyn College. There, she took classes with Vito Acconci every semester. Paveglio recalls many positive experiences with him and even remembers some of his notorious quotes, like “I hate art,” and “If your mother loves your work, it is bad.” Acconci influenced her own thinking about experimentation and the use of unfamiliar mediums, especially when he told her “don’t just paint. There aren’t mediums anymore. There is just doing. As artists, we do.”

Other students were less interested in learning about work and executing his assignments, and instead focused on solely getting his stamp of approval because of his notoriety. Paveglio focused on having personal conversations with him about existence and mortality. Most rewarding of all was when Acconci told her that he enjoyed her paintings based on children’s toys.

Paveglio graduated with an MFA from Brooklyn College in 2014.

Julie Paveglio, Never Asked, 2015, acrylic and lace on canvas, image size: 30 x 24 in., credit: © Julie Paveglio, courtesy of the artist

Paveglio’s art making practice focuses on creation as catharsis. While her subject matter is based on reality, it is heavily touched by Surrealism and spirituality. Painterly depictions of disembodied body parts, flora and fauna, and the mother goddess archetype are frequently represented in her work. Like Judy Chicago, she uses saturated colors and vivid hues, and does not shy away from using explicit imagery. 

Stylistically, her approach connects to feminist art of the 1960s and the 1970s with significant parallels to the Pattern and Decoration movement. Her use of lace, handkerchiefs, and doilies as materials and painting surfaces strongly ties her work with Miriam Schapiro and her definition of femmage. However, Paveglio’s work is not on the scale of Schapiro’s monumental collages. Her handkerchief paintings are intentionally small-scale because she wants a sense of intimacy to be communicated.

Julie Paveglio, Mother, 2019, acrylic on vintage handkercheif on canvas, image size: 10 ½ x 11 in., credit: © Julie Paveglio, courtesy of the artist

Currently, Paveglio has work in Got It For Cheap and Velvet Ropes. Curated by Charlie Roberts, Chris Rexroad, and Jordan “Watts” Watson, Got It For Cheap is a series of group shows that travels to major cities around the world, with all works priced at $30 USD. Velvet Ropes is similar to Got It For Cheap but works sell for $100 USD instead.

Professionally, Paveglio is an art handler in Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art department dealing with day sales. Since last year, she has been working on sales back to back, with each sale having 200-300 works. Maintaining her studio practice is difficult for her because her department is the busiest at Christie’s with hardly a quiet day.

While Paveglio does work hard, she enjoys her job. And there is the occasional celebrity spotting at Christie’s. She recalled a satisfying moment in which she saw Cyndi Lauper looking at the sale she handled for. While her working conditions dictate she cannot disturb clients, it left a lasting impression on her.

Like many other artists, Julie Paveglio made her way to New York City in search of art and artists. Many in her hometown believed she couldn’t make it and would eventually go back, but Paveglio has succeeded in living in the art capital of the United States since 2012. She couldn’t think of any other way of living.

Julie Paveglio, credit: © Julie Paveglio, courtesy of the artist

Julie Paveglio currently resides in Prospect Park South in Brooklyn, New York City.  

Her Instagram handle is: @juliepaveglio.