About
Bio - CV
Blog Post about Art and MS
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Location:
Plymouth, MN Artist statement: My work is influenced by my experiences with pediatric-onset Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I was diagnosed with MS in 2010, at the age of fifteen. Due to my young age and the “invisible” nature of MS, I was often met with skepticism while talking about my illness. In response, my work visualizes how I navigate the world with MS, focusing on my relationship with healthcare, the physical evidence of my symptoms in MRI scans, and how I and others perceive the world when struggling with MS symptoms. Using art as a means of communication, I spread MS awareness and advocate for people with invisible illnesses. |
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Bio:
May Ling Kopecky is an artist based in Plymouth, Minnesota. She specializes in highly detailed, hyper-realistic drawings and paintings. Kopecky received a BFA from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and is currently pursuing an MFA at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). She has been an art instructor for both adults and children and is currently a teaching assistant and tutor at MCAD. She was a grant recipient of the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council’s Next Step Fund in 2019, and was awarded the MCAD MFA Trustees Scholarship. Her work has been published in New American Paintings, and has received multiple awards in exhibitions across the US. This past year, Kopecky was awarded Second Place for the Kennedy Center VSA Emerging Young Artist Competition, a Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Program of the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Her recent solo exhibition, Invisible Obstacles, explores her experiences with MS symptoms, as well as the MRI scans that act as “proof” of her chronic illness. |
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May Ling Kopecky
b. 1994
Education:
2022 Master of Fine Arts, Minneapolis College of Art and Design
2018 Bachelor of Fine Arts, High Distinction, 3.93 GPA, University of Minnesota
Awards and Honors:
2021
Exhibitions:
2022
Teaching Experience:
2021 - present, Graduate Assistant and Tutor, Learning Center and Accessibility Services, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN
2020 - present, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN
2018 - 2021, Teaching Assistant, West Suburban Summer School, Maple Grove, MN
Professional Service
2018 - present, Secretary of the Plymouth Arts Council, Plymouth, MN
2021, Selection Panelist, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council – Flexible Support Program, St. Paul, MN
2020, Selection Panelist, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council - Equity Response Fund, St. Paul, MN
2020, Selection Panelist, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council - Next Step Fund, St. Paul, MN
b. 1994
Education:
2022 Master of Fine Arts, Minneapolis College of Art and Design
2018 Bachelor of Fine Arts, High Distinction, 3.93 GPA, University of Minnesota
Awards and Honors:
2021
- Second Place, The Kennedy Center’s VSA Emerging Young Artists Program, Merge
- Best of Show, Hopkins Center for the Arts Spring Members' Exhibition
- Second Place in Acrylic Painting, Arts North International
- Best of Show, Hopkins Center for the Arts Fall Members' Juried Exhibition
- Award of Excellence, Hopkins Center for the Arts Spring Members' Show
- MCAD MFA Trustees Scholarship
- GOLDEN Artist Colors Award, Arts North International
- Second Place, National Juried Exhibition - NorthStar Watermedia Society
- Grant Recipient, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council - Next Step Fund
- Award of Excellence, Primavera Art Show
- Award of Excellence, Primavera Art Show
- Best Painting, CLA Student Board Art Gallery
- Primavera Award, Primavera Art Show
- Banner Contest – Second Place, Primavera Art Show
Exhibitions:
2022
- Curator, Human, Gallery 148, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN (forthcoming)
- Merge, The Kennedy Center’s VSA Emerging Young Artists Program, Washington D.C., 2-year traveling exhibition (forthcoming)
- COHORTS – alone : together, University of Montana, Online exhibition
- Solo Exhibition, Invisible Obstacles, Library Gallery, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN
- MCAD MFA Fall Show, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN
- Hopkins Center for the Arts Spring Members’ Show, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, MN
- Primavera, Plymouth Creek Center, Plymouth, MN
- Hopkins Center for the Arts Spring Members' Show, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, MN
- Mid-Program Exhibition, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN
- Arts North International, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, MN
- Open Door 16, Rosalux Gallery, Minneapolis, MN, Online exhibition
- Foot in the Door, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN, Online exhibition
- Hopkins Center for the Arts Fall Members' Juried Exhibition, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, MN
- MCAD MFA Fall Show, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN
- Here, There & Elsewhere: Exploring the Idea of Place, Visionary Art Collective, Online exhibition
- Hopkins Center for the Arts Spring Members' Show, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, MN
- Juried Floral Art Exhibition, Studio Pintura, Minneapolis, MN
- Arts & Influence, Coffman Art Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
- Arts North International, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, MN
- Small Works, Depot Gallery, Red Wing, MN
- National Juried Exhibition - NorthStar Watermedia Society, Lakeville Area Arts Center, Lakeville, MN
- Hopkins Center for the Arts Fall Members' Juried Exhibition, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, MN
- 6x6x2019 - The International Small Art Phenomenon, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Rochester, NY
- Hopkins Center for the Arts Spring Members' Show, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, MN
- Greetings From, Squirrel Haus Arts, Minneapolis, MN
- Spitting Image, Eagan Art House, Eagan, MN
- Justice Train Pop-up Show, St. Paul, MN
- Primavera, Plymouth Creek Center, Plymouth, MN
- Arts Quarter Festival, Regis Center for Art, Minneapolis, MN
- Minnesota State Fair's Fine Arts Exhibition, Fine Arts Center, St. Paul, MN
- www.mit.edu/~ruchill/lazycurator.submit.html, Katherine E. Nash Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
- Primavera, Plymouth Creek Center, Plymouth, MN
- Board of Regents Showcase, McNamara Alumni Center, Minneapolis, MN
- The Chicken Feet Artist Collective’s Chicken Feet Art Show, Outdoor exhibition, Minneapolis, MN
- Primavera, Plymouth Creek Center, Plymouth, MN
- CLA Student Board Art Gallery, Coffman Memorial Union, Minneapolis, MN
- Primavera, Plymouth Creek Center, Plymouth, MN
- Primavera, Plymouth Creek Center, Plymouth, MN
- Skyline Art Crawl, Maple Grove, MN
- Primavera, Plymouth Creek Center, Plymouth, MN
- Skyline Art Crawl, Maple Grove, MN
Teaching Experience:
2021 - present, Graduate Assistant and Tutor, Learning Center and Accessibility Services, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN
2020 - present, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN
- Fall 2020, Introduction to Art and Design History I
- Spring 2021, Experience Anatomy
- Fall 2021, Sophomore Seminar
2018 - 2021, Teaching Assistant, West Suburban Summer School, Maple Grove, MN
Professional Service
2018 - present, Secretary of the Plymouth Arts Council, Plymouth, MN
2021, Selection Panelist, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council – Flexible Support Program, St. Paul, MN
2020, Selection Panelist, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council - Equity Response Fund, St. Paul, MN
2020, Selection Panelist, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council - Next Step Fund, St. Paul, MN
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