b. Memphis, TN
EDUCATION
2013-2015 University of California Santa Barbara, Department of Art, MFA
2012 Santa Monica College, Video Game Design & Storytelling
2003-2009 New York University, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, BFA
SOLO AND TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2021 The Yellowing, Tiny Gallery, UrbanArt Commission, Memphis, TN
2018 Imprismed, Crosstown Arts, Memphis, TN
2016 Virgo Rising, Yellow Bird Artscape, Woodbury, TN (with Silvan Laan)
Electric Pleasure Garden, Napa Gallery, CSU Channel Islands (with Shannon Willis)
2015 Love Whole, Highways Performance Space Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2014 The Etymology of God(dess), The Glass Box Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
Mineralism, Glass Box Gallery, UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA (with Oree Holban)
2013 Tsunami of Spirits, Gallery 1328, Santa Barbara, CA (with Oree Holban)
GROUP EXHIBITIONS AND SCREENINGS
2021 Memphis International Airport 2021-2022 selected artist exhibition Concourse B, Memphis, TN
2020 Eyesolation, curated by Katherine Clark, Clough-Hanson Gallery online, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN
Second Life, Third Life, curated by Lindsay Donnelly-Bullington, Clough-Hanson Gallery, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN
All By Myself, curated by Marlo Morales, Clough-Hanson Gallery online, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN
2019 刹那即永恒 - One Minute is Eternal - Celebrating 21 years of One Minutes, Power Station of Art (PSA), Shanghai, CN
2017 Creating Characters, curated by Egill Sæbjörnsson, The One Minutes series,
Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht, NL and the Reykjavík International Film Festival, IS
Chicago Art Book Fair with Walls Divide Press, Chicago, IL
2016 Visual Pleasure, curated by Jane Mulfinger, Cheadle Hall, UC Santa Barbara, CA
2015 Spiritual Machine, Another Experiment by Women Film Festival (AXW), curated by Lili White, Anthology Film Archives, NY, NY
Prism Pipe: CRYSTAL BALL, curated by Sarah Zucker, Pehrspace, Los Angeles, CA
Mystical Absolutes, Art, Architecture & Design Museum, Santa Barbara, CA
UCFZ, Gone Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
2014 A Wicked Problem, Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts (EFA) Projectspace, New York, NY
Spectacular Subdivisions, curated by Jay Lizo, High Desert Test Sites and Monte Vista Projects, Joshua Tree, CA
Platform Art Festival, Tel Aviv, Isreal
Likewise, curated by Megan Mueller, Gallery 1328, Santa Barbara, CA
Celebración, The Buddy Holly Center, Lubbock, TX
In,On /Onto,Into, The Red Barn, Santa Barbara, CA
Dark Days and Bright Nights, UCSB Media Lab, Santa Barbara, CA
So Not Solo, curated by Cathy Ellis, Glass Box Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
2013 This Is So Art Heaven, Harder Stadium, Santa Barbara, CA
2007 End Times, BFA Thesis Exhibition, The Commons, New York University, New York, NY
PUBLIC ART
2022 South Point Grocery Porch Mural, South Main Arts District, Memphis, TN
AWARDS AND HONORS
2020 UrbanArt Commission (UAC) Bridging the Distance Project Grant (with Silvan Laan)
2015 Interdisciplinary Humanities Center (IHC) Visual, Performing and Media Arts Award
Florimbi-Simon Award
2014 Doctoral Travel Grant to the Middle East
Florimbi-Simon Award
UCIRA Desert Studies Research Mini Grant
Nominated for the Dean's Diversity Fellowship
Nominated for the Siff Foundation Scholarship
2013 Israel Levitan Graduate Fellowship (through 2015)
UC Block Grant (through 2015)
Graduate Teaching Assistantship (through 2015)
2007 NYU Senior Honors Studio
2003- New York University Education Scholarship
2007
2003 Poplar Pike Arts Guild Visual Arts Service Award
RESIDENCIES
2018 Crosstown Arts, Memphis, TN
2016 Yellow Bird Artscape, Woodbury, TN
PUBLICATIONS
2017 Tropical Pubic Hair, printed artist zine, Walls Divide Press, www.wallsdivide.com
2012 Subliminal Lineal Spirit, Los Angeles: Peregrine Publishing House.
PRESENTATIONS
2018 Artist Talk "Imprismed", Crosstown Arts, Memphis, TN
2010 Storyboard Presentation of "Hades and Persephone: A Disneyfied Adaptation." Tisch School of the Arts, NYU
MISCELLANEOUS FILM + ART EXPERIENCE
2016 Co-Art Director for “No Body Holy”, a queer and outsider Sock-Hop at UCSB
featuring performances by El Vez, Oree Holban and the Do Not Worries, and Shannon and the Clams
Animations for Ghana’s Electric Dreams a film by R. Lane Clark and Stephan F. Miescher
2015 Animations and website design for Mount Zuidas by Silvan Laan
Actor inThe Future According to NATURA* directed by Floris Schönfeld
Animations/film backdrop for Mister Hard Angle a performance by Oree Holban at MCA Denver
2005 Extra in Walk the Line directed by James Mangold
TEACHING + RESEARCH
2018- Private Instruction in AfterEffects
present
2016 Research Assistant, Department of History, UC Santa Barbara
2013- Teaching Assistant, Department of Art, UC Santa Barbara,
2015
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2022 "Virtual Studio Visit: Emily C. Thomas," Locate Arts blog The Focus, August 13, 2022.
https://locatearts.org/the-focus/2022/virtual-studio-visit-emily-c-thomas
2018 Carrigan, Margaret, "6 Bucolic Art Centers That Double as Farms and Vineyards," Observer, June 2018.
https://observer.com/2018/06/6-bucolic-art-centers-that-double-as-farms-and-vineyards/
"Imprismed: Emily C. Thomas" Press Release, February 2018.
https://crosstownarts.org/calendar/emily-c-thomas-imprismed/
Crosstown Arts, Exhibition Video for Imprismed, by Justin Thompson, March 2018.
2017 Ciccarone, Erica, "Yellow Bird Art Farm Offers Artists and Writers Sanctuary," Nashville Arts
Magazine, March 2017. www.nashvillearts.com/2017/03/yellow-bird-art-farm-offers-artists-writers- sanctuary/
"Studio Visit: Emily C. Thomas," Locate Arts blog The Focus, March 2, 2017.
https://locatearts.org/the-focus/2017/studio-visit-emily-thomas
2016 Drake, Nora. "Visual Pleasure," The Current. March 1, 2016.
http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2016/016508/visual-pleasure
2015 Diehl, Travis. "Harder Stadium," May 2015.
MFA Thesis Exhibition News Feature, Art Design & Architecture Museum, UC Santa Barbara.
http://www.museum.ucsb.edu/news/feature/358
2014 Vonk, Nathaniel. "Review: UCSB Open Studios/ Annual Group Show Offers Back Stage Pass to the
Creative Process," Santa Barbara Independent, November 11, 2017.
www.independent.com/news/2014/nov/11/review-ucsb-mfa-open-studios/