Intrigued by “the uncanny similarity of structures, from the microscopic to the macroscopic, found in biology, botany, geology and anthropology,” Ava Blitz’s installations explore the cycles of life and the passage of time. A background in printmaking informs her work, and is evident through her experimental process, her use of multiples, series and other techniques.A love of stone and materials from the earth has developed through the artist’s exploration of natural and human history. In her artwork, this translates into an ambiguity between fossil and artifact.
Ava Blitz earned her BA from the University of Toronto, and an MFA from the University of Georgia. From 1986 to 1998 she was Associate Lecturer and Fine Arts program Director at Bryn Mawr College. Recent public works and commissions include Beauty & the Beast at Appel Farm Arts and Music Center, NJ; Floating World at the University City Science Center, created under the auspices of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority 1% FRO Art Program; and Seeds of Memory in Tokyo, Japan. Blitz has been the recipient of numerous honors, awards, and fellowships from organizations such as the Japan Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Art Foundation, and Leeway Foundation. She has shown major installations at the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PA; the Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts in Wilmington, DE; the Philadelphia Art Alliance; and the Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA.