Susanne Pitak-Davis

Susanne Pitak-Davis' work is an exploration of the concept "art as talisman," meaning energy is embedded in an object to impart a sense of the divine. In doing this, her art incorporates fragments of memory and myth woven together in a colorful cacophony where joyous, whimsical beings celebrate the rich complexity of life.

Her work in sculpture relies heavily on assemblage. The form underneath is hand-built with either hydrocal, winterstone or das pronto. She then paints and decorates with assemblage and beadwork using either acrylic or oil paint. The colors in her work are very intense and reminiscent of the Southwest, where she lived for about seven years.

Susanne works as an art therapist and is helping others heal through art. She is currently employed at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, NJ. Through the years, she has worked with people of all ages struggling with catastrophic illnesses.

Education and Training
B.A. in Art Education, Montclair University, Montclair, New Jersey, 1969
Master of Professional Studies, Pratt Institute, New York, 1982
Registered Art Therapist, 1984
Workshops with Joesph Campbell (Mythologian), 1990s
Workshop with Isaiah Zagar in Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, 2006

Teachers and Mentors
Niki de Saint Phalle, Leonora Carrington

Connection to Bucks County
Susanne Pitak-Davis moved to Lambertville, New Jersey in the 1980s.

Colleagues and Affiliations
Barry Snyder, Roy Freedle, Janet Waronker, David Kaufman, and Dwight Harris
Pitak-Davis participates in the Artsbridge and Trenton artist organizations. She frequently exhibits at the Phillips' Mill Annual Art Exhibitions.

Solo Exhibitions
The Unicorn Gallery, La Jolla, CA, 1976
Pebble Hill Gallery, Doylestown, PA, 1996, 2001

Group Exhibitions
Muddworks Gallery, Boonton, NJ, 1999
Illness & Healing, Pavilion Galleries, Mt. Holly, NJ, 1995
Mule Gulch Gallery, Bisbee, AZ, 1993
Tucson Psychiatric Institute Show, Tucson, AZ, 1992
Joy Kreeves Gallery, Frenchtown, NJ, 1986, 1988
The Sojourner Gallery, Lambertville, NJ, 1987
Grotto Gallery, Lambertville, NJ, 1986
The Laceworks, Studio Show and Sale, Lambertville, NJ, 1983
Pratt Institute's Student Show, Brooklyn, NY, 1982
Bucks County Arts Alliance, Lahaska, PA, 1978-1980
Stover's Mill Art Exposition, Tinicum, PA, 1980
Lake of Dreams Gallery, Flemington, NJ, 1977-1979
The Beautiful Things Factory, Scotch Plains, NJ, 1978
Explore Gallery, San Diego, CA, 1974-1975
Humble Artists Gallery, La Mesa, CA, 1975
Funky Junque Gallery, San Diego, CA, 1975
The Clay Vine Gallery, La Jolla, CA, 1973
Four Lambertville Artists, The Hunterdon Museum, 2000
Educational Testing Center, Princeton, NJ, 2000
Curves, Fine Art Gallery, Bisbee, AZ, 1992
Princeton Art Association, Princeton, NJ, 2003
The Ellarslie Museum, Trenton, NJ, 2006

Galleries
River Bank Gallery, Stockton, NJ
Go For Baroque, Princeton, NJ

Juried Exhibitions
Sculpture New Hope Arts, New Hope, PA, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007
Center for Being and Becoming, Washington, D.C., 2003
Century 21 Juried Show, New Hope, PA, 2002
Prallsville Mill Arts Bridge Juried Show, Stockton, NJ, 2001, 2002, 2003
Ellarslie Open, Ellarslie Museum, Trenton, NJ, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
Visions Towards Wellness 2000, The Atrium Gallery, Providence, RI
Macy Gallery, Riverside Church, New York, NY, 2000
Open Juried Exhibition, Montgomery Guild of Professional Artists
The Galleries at Schuykill Printing Plant, Conshohocken, NJ, 2000
Healing Loss, Vincent Visceglia Gallery, Caldwell College, NJ, 2000
Picture Trenton, The Ellarslie City Museum, Trenton, NJ, 2000
Concealed \\ Revealed, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL, 1999
Encroachment: Nowhere to Hide, Central Arts Collective, Tucson, AZ, 1998
FOOD, Artworks Gallery, Trenton, NJ, 1998
Creature Features, Galeria Mesa, Mesa, AZ, 1997
Art and Healing, Artwest Gallery, Jackson, WY, 1997
Healing Legacies, The Springfield Art Association, Springfield, IL, 1997
A Time to Heal, Visions Gallery, Albany, NY, 1997, 1999
Contemporary Works of Faith, The Fifteen Biennial Exhibition of the Liturgical Art Guild, Schumacher Gallery, Columbus, OH, 1997
The Dog in American Craft, American Museum of the Dog, Saint Louis, MO, 1997
For the Birds, Audubon Show, The Bird in Art, Mirage Gallery, Albuquerque, NM, 1997
Annual Bucks County Sculpture Show, Chalfont, PA, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2004
Confronting Cancer Through Art, Arthur Ross Gallery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 1996
Beginnings Show, Pearl S. Buck Center, Dublin, PA, 1995
Lehigh Valley Artists, Lehigh University, Lehigh, PA, 1995
Art Show at the Dog Show, Wichita, KS, 1995, 1997
Philadelphia International Contemporary Art Competition of Old City II, Philadelphia, PA, 1995
Phillips' Mill Annual Juried Art Exhibition, New Hope, PA, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995,1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005
Allentown Museum Show of Lehigh Artists, Allentown, PA, 1994
New Hope Arts Commission, Annual Juried Show, New Hope, PA, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
The Art of Art Therapy, Galeria Mesa, Mesa, AZ, 1992
Photography, Hunterdon Art Center, Clinton, NJ, 1988
Enchanted Images, River Center for the Arts, New Hope, PA, 1982
Twenty Third Annual Exhibit, The Gallery, Barnegat Light, NJ, 1980
39th Annual Exhibition, The Woodmere Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, 1979
Fourth Anniversary Show, Women's Cultural Trust Gallery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 1978
23rd and 24th Annual Juried Shows, The Hunterdon Art Center, Clinton, NJ, 1977, 1978
Women Artists of Southern California at San Diego State, 1976
San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, CA: 1973-1976
River Artists at the Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA, 2003
Arts Bridge at the Ellarslie, Trenton, NJ, 2002
International Art Gala, The Russian Embassy, Washington, D.C., 2000
Five Lambertville Artists, The Hunterdon Museum of Art, Clinton, NJ, 2000
A Celebration of Light, ArtWorks, Trenton, NJ, 1998
The Role of the Arts in Healing, Ocean City Arts Center, Ocean City, NJ, 1996
Dia de Los Muertos, Maude Kerns Art Center, Eugene, Oregon, 1996
Folk Art: A Five Year Retrospective, Very Special Arts Gallery, Washington, D.C., 1996
Fish Show, The Cafe, Lambertville, NJ, 1988, 1989
N.C.J.W. Council Art Show, Cherry Hill, NJ, 1979, 1980

Awards
Award for Sculpture, Phillips' Mill, New Hope, PA, 2005
First Place in Sculpture, Ellarslie 21st Open, 2003
Honorable Mention, Century 21 Juried Show, 2002
Honorable Mention, Prallsville Mill, NJ, 2002
Best in Show, Christmas Show, Art Works, Trenton, NJ, 2000
Award for Sculpture by Ann and Herman Silverman, Phillips' Mill, New Hope, PA, 2000
Honorable Mention, Open Juried Exhibition, Montgomery Count Guild of Professional Artists, 2000
Fourth Place in Mixed Media, Art Show at The Dog Show, Wichita, KA, 1997
First Place in Crafts, Shad Festival Art Show, Lambertville, NJ, 1983, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001
Honorable Mention, The Shad Festival Poster Contest, Lambertville, NJ, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996
First Place, The Shad Festival Poster Contest, Lambertville, NJ, 1995, 2001, 2006
Patrons Award Sculpture, Phillips' Mill, New Hope, PA, 1994
Best In Sculpture, New Hope Arts Commission, New Hope, PA, 1994
Special Patron's Award Sculpture, Phillips' Mill, New Hope, PA, 1993
First Place, Carrier Clinic Crafts Exhibit, Princeton, NJ, 1981
First Place in Sculpture, Summit Art Center Members Show, Summit, NJ, 1978
First Place in Sculpture, Second Place in Painting, The Hunterdon County Library Show, Flemington, NJ, 1978

Appointments
Included in Reference Catalogue of Women Sculptors Working in the '90s, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Staten Island, NY, 1990s
Article in Dream Works magazine, 1997
Work included in Very Special Arts Conference, represents contemporary artists making a contribution to folk and outsider art, The Renaissance Washington Hotel, Washington, D.C., 1997
Work included in the book Art and Healing by Brenda Ganim, Published by Random House, 1999
Work included in Working With Images, The Art of Art Therapists by Bruce Moon, Published by Charles C. Thomas, 2001
Work included in Artists of the River Towns by Doris Brandes, River Arts Press, New Hope, PA, 2002
Miles of Mules, History with a Colorful Kick, 2003
Phillips’ Mill-Celebrating 75 Years of Art: A Retrospective, 2005