FLORIN ION FIRIMIŢÃ is a visual artist, teacher, and author who traces his interest in art back to his father’s modest amateur photo lab, in Bucharest, Romania, where he was entrusted with mixing chemicals, developing film, and printing black-and-white photos, at the age of six. His interest in drawing and painting started around the same time, under the influence of his mother, an art teacher and a fashion designer.
In 1990, the artist immigrated to the United States, where he continued his art education. Today he teaches, paints, exhibits, lectures, and writes art-criticism, essays and short stories. In the spring of 2001, he was appointed the art advisor for the State of Connecticut’s International Art Exchange Program, in Port-of-Spain, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Lately, his fiction, essays have appeared in France, Great Britain, and in the U.S. in House Beautiful, The Sun, and the Hartford Courant. His story “Birds” was included in the 2002 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica. The Art of Leaving a 2003 film about Florin’s art and life will be re-released in 2012. The film has been the official selection of seven international film festival such as Santa Fe, Durango, New York City, Chicago, and also Montreal’s 23rd Festival International du Film Sur L’Art.
In 2010 and 2011, Florin was honored at Carnegie Hall, where, among a group of American artist teachers he was presented with two National Gold Medals from Scholastics. His work could be found in many private and public collections in Europe, Australia, and the United States. Between 1990 and 2011 he has participated in over 200 solo and group exhibits in the United States. His newest project, a collaboration with musician Martin Meyer, the music and spoken word album “Fragments from the Salt Diaries,” has been released in the United States, Europe, and Japan, in 2011. Florin’s first novel, Reliquary, is eagerly awaited in the United States.
EXPERIENCE
• 1991-2011 Participated in over 200 solo and group art exhibits in the United States and Europe. Published numerous short stories, essays, criticism and exhibit reviews in the United States, France and the U.K.
• 2002-2004 Screenwriter; "The Art of Leaving," directed by Brian Kamerzel. (re-released in 2012)
• 2002-2007 Visual Arts Co-Director; The Multicultural Arts and Technology program at Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT.
• 2001 Art Advisor/ State Of CT Department of Education - International Art Exchange Program, The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
• 1988-1990 Manager; Painting Department; National Theater of Opera and Ballet, Bucharest, Romania
• 1986-1990 Costume and set painter; National Theater of Opera and Ballet, Bucharest, Romania
EDUCATION
• 2005 Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT. Masters in Art Education
• 1997 Central Connecticut State University. BS in Art Education
• 1994 Naugatuck Valley College. AA in Fine Arts
• 1983 Nicolae Tonitza Lycée, Bucharest, Romania. Fine Arts Major
• 1977-1983 Studies with Romanian artists Constantin Ciocârlie, Adrian Benea, and Gheorghe I. Anghel.
HONORS AND AWARDS
• 2011 National Gold Medal for Art Teaching, awarded by Scholastics, New York City
• 2010 National Gold Medal for Art Teaching, awarded by Scholastics, New York City
• 2007 Honorable Mention, Arts Center Killingworth Juried Exhibition
• 2005 Selected by the editors of Art Business International as one of the year’s Emerging Artists/ Trendsetters
• 2003-2011 The film The Art of Leaving - A Portrait of Florin Ion Firimiţã - official selection of the 2003 Santa Fe International Film Festival; the 4th Annual Durango Film Festival (2004); the 1st Artivist Film Festival, The Egyptian Theater, Hollywood (2004); the 26th Annual Big Muddy Film Festival, Chicago (2004); the New York Film Festival (2004); the Williamsburg Film Festival, New York City (2004); the 23 International Film Festival of Art Films, Montreal (2005)
• 1994 National Prize for Literature - New York University, Suffern Writing Conference
• 1992 Honorable Mention - National Arts Program
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITS
• 2010 Henderson Cultural Center; New Milford, CT
• 2009 The Square Foot Show; Artwell Gallery, Torrington, CT
o Show for a Show; Artwell Gallery, Torrington, CT
• 2008 The Square Foot Show; Art Gotham Gallery, SoHo, New York City
o Sheltered; Central Gallery, Old Saybrook, CT
o Show for a Show; Artwell Gallery, Torrington, CT
o Feast for the Eye; Central Gallery, Old Saybrook, CT 2007
o Necessary Objects; White Space Gallery, New Haven, CT, US
o Persistence of Memory; Central Gallery, Old Saybrook, CT
o Trees and Torsos; Central Gallery, Old Saybrook, CT
o The Feminine Mystique; Gallery 137, Indian Orchard, MA
o Illuminations; Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
o TAP (Teachers as Artists Project) Chashama; New York City
o WAA Gallery, Washington, CT
• 2006 Lascano Gallery, Great Barrington, MA
• 2005 White Space Gallery, New Haven, CT
o Illuminations; Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center,
o Boston, MA
• 2004 Four Visions; The New Hartford Art League Photography Group Show, New Hartford, CT
• 2003 Picturing What Matters: An Offering of Photographs; George Eastman House, Rochester, NY
• 2001 Circle of Learning; Samuel S.T. Chen Gallery, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT
• 2000 Six Painters - Six Visions; Gallery on the Green, Canton, CT
• 1995 The Governor's Mansion, Hartford, CT
o Chen Art Center, Central CT State University
• 1993 Paier College of Art, Hamden, CT
• 1992 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
• 1991 Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITS
• 2011 The Funkey Monkey Café, Cheshire, CT
• 2010 "Reliquaries"; NCCC, Winsted, CT
• 2009 "Reliquaries"; Citicorp Center, New York City, US
o "A la Recherche Du Temps Perdu"; Mixed Media Works 2004-2008, Good News Cafe, Woodbury, CT
• 2008 "Private Labyrinths"; Minor Memorial Library, Roxbury, CT
o "Private Labyrinths"; Downtown Gallery, New Britain, CT
• 2007 "Private Labyrinths"; Marty's Gallery and Cafe, Washington, CT
o "Short Stories"; Marie-Louise Trichet Gallery, Litchfield, CT
o Washington Art Association, Washington, CT
o Mill House Gallery, Chester, CT
o Gallery @ 85 Main Street, Chester, CT
• 2005 White Space Gallery, New Haven, CT
• 2004 ACT II Gallery, New Hartford, C
• 2000 The Bushnell, Hartford, CT
• 1997 Emporium Gallery, Mystic, C
• 1995 Pat Steier Gallery, Litchfield, CT
o Gilbert Gallery, Miss Porter's School, Farmington, CT
• 1994 York Square Gallery, New Haven, CT
o Small Space Gallery, New Haven, CT
o Higher Education Center, Waterbury, CT
• 1993 Paier College of Art, Hamden, CT
• 1992 The Afro-Latin Festival, NOW Gallery, Waterbury, CT
• 1991 Silas Bronson Library, Waterbury, CT
RADIO AND TELEVISION
• 1995 Guest on the Faith Middleton Show, NPR (National Public Radio)
LECTURES AND CONFERENCES
• 2011 A Season Of Change, (reading from the novel Reliquary), Henderson Cultural Center, New Milford, CT
• 2008 Art and Spirituality Forum, Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center, Litchfield, CT
• 1993 Art and Life - Confrontation, Paier College of Art, Hamden, CT
WEB GALLERIES
• www.absolutearts.com/fifstudio
• www.artifolio.com/fifstudio
• www.theartofleaving.com
