Joanne Mattera

Joanne Mattera grew up in an extended Italian family that included the colorful collision of dialect, "broken English," expansive gestures, and the strong second-generation emphasis on excelling in English. After a childhood spent learning needlework skills from her aunts, Mattera went to art school and became a painter, channeling a textile sensibility into her work. In a decades-long career, Mattera has had over 50 solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows here and abroad. She...See more

Joanne Mattera grew up in an extended Italian family that included the colorful collision of dialect, "broken English," expansive gestures, and the strong second-generation emphasis on excelling in English. After a childhood spent learning needlework skills from her aunts, Mattera went to art school and became a painter, channeling a textile sensibility into her work. In a decades-long career, Mattera has had over 50 solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows here and abroad. She is the author of "The Art of Encaustic Painting" (Watson-Guptill, 2001) and "Vita, a Memoir: Growing Up Italian, Coming Out, and Making a Life in Art" (Well-Fed Artist Press, 2019), as well as "Italianit� ." She still talks with her hands. See less