JOHN PENA
328 Roup Ave #3
Pittsburgh PA 15232
openthesky@gmail.com
EDUCATION
Fulbright Fellowship Recipient (2008-2009)
La Universidad del Valle Cali, Colombia (ETA)
2008
Master of Fine Arts
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
2005
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Specialization Painting
WA State Residency Teaching Certificate K-12 Arts Education
Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA
SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2008
It’s Easy to Find (PO Box) Elizaville, curated by David Horvitz, New York
Human to Robot Army, Meet the Made Exhibit, Robot 250 & The Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, PA
A Moratorium on Make-Believe, MFA Thesis Exhibition, Regina Gouger Miller Gallery Pittsburgh, PA
2007
Pittsburgh Pedal Express, Three River’s Arts Festival, Pittsburgh, PA
Caught Looking, PNC Park Video Screening, Pittsburgh, PA
“EVERYTHING MUST GO!” Future Tenant Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
Baroque Blue, Group Exhibition, Primo Piano Living Gallery, Lecce, Italy
2006
It’s A Meta-Muse-ical, Group Performance, Kresge Theatre, Pittsburgh PA
The Land of Steel, Interactive Performance, University Gallery, Pittsburgh
Size Matters, Fe Gallery, Pittsburgh PA
“BRING IT!” Collaborative Performance, Future Tenant Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
HOMO LUDENS: Yip, Yap and Holler, Brewhouse Theater, Pittsburgh PA
2005
Re-contextualizing Vistas: Concerning Place, Bumbershoot Arts Festival, Seattle
49th Annual Central Washington Artists Exhibition, Yakima, WA
Artist Trust Auction, Seattle, WA
Kittitas County Juried Exhibition, Gallery One, Ellensburg, WA
SOLO EXHIBITIONS & PUBLIC ART PROJECTS
2008
Sprout Fund Mural Commission, Lawrenceville – Pittsburgh, PA
2007
102.9 Sounds You Never Hear, Sponsored by the Steel Valley Arts Council, Homestead, PA
Installation Olympic Theater, Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, PA
Taco Truck Project, Tent Show Productions, Pittsburgh PA
2005
Sorry to Have Missed You, Solo Exhibition, Gallery 76, Wenatchee, WA
The Little Prince, Performance, Gallery One Ellensburg, WA
Enclosure: One Ellensburg Cloud, Performance, Gallery One, Ellensburg, WA
Where the Sky Meets the Horizon, Sarah Spurgeon Gallery, Ellensburg, WA
GRANTS, AWARDS, RESIDENCIES
2008-2009
Fulbright Fellowship Recipient
La Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia (ETA)
2007
AIGA World Studio Scholarship, Peter & Jill Kraus Award, New York, NY
Brookes Scholarship, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass, CO
GuSH Research Grant, Carnegie Mellon University
2005
Sonja Dodge, Prudential Award, 37th Annual Juried Art Exhibitions, Yakima, WA
Bank of America Millotte Grant Recipient, Seattle, WA
C. Farrell Merit Scholarship, Central Washington University
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pittsburgh City Paper, “Finding Real Toads in the Miller Gallery’s Make-Believe Garden.” April 17, 2008
Pittsburgh City Paper, “The FCC has shut down the low-wattage radio experiment ‘Sounds You Never Hear” December 13, 2007
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Mail on Wheels” October 6, 2007
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “Radio Experiment Play Unheard Sounds,” October10
WTAE Pittsburgh Channel 4 News, “Homestead Radio Offers Sound of a Sparrow”
October 8, 2007
Pittsburgh City Paper, “Size Doesn’t Matter,” November 2, 2006