Deborah Ugoretz

Biography

I was born in Milwaukee Wisconsin, studied painting at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. But, I really learned my craft when I moved to New York City and then to New Jersey and back again to Brooklyn, New York, my current home.

There are several things that have influenced my work over the years. I can't focus on one medium- I jump around from painting to cut paper to paper sculpture, to mobiles and screens. Currently, I am working on developing my skills doing drypoint printing.

Getting back to things that influence me, I am fascinated by the natural world- the diversity of plant life in particular and therefore, I worry about its future.

I am an avid student of the folk art traditions of Jewish Paper cuts and the religious/cultural teachings that often inspire my work. Finally, I can't ignore the conflicts and complexities of the World, and often my art is a reaction to the things that concern me most; peace and conflict in the Middle East and environmental challenges.

Here are some details about my art career:

I am proud to announce that in 2024 I was awarded a NYFA/NYSCA Fellowship in Folk Arts. To me this was the culmination of decades of studying and creating work in cut paper in the Jewish tradition. 

My latest major solo show was at Fordham University, Rosedale Campus, in  2024. From 2018-19, I was given a retrospective of my cut paper work at the Museum at Eldridge Street, New York City. I have shown many times at the Hebrew Union College art exhibitions and  have had work in shows all over the Tri-State area.

In 2000, I was given the opportunity to create a set of stained glass windows, an Eternal Light and Torah covers for a small chapel in New Jersey. This introduced me to the work of artisans like metal workers, glass blowers, and fabric artists and expanded my artistic world.

In the '90s, I was recognized as a Master paper cutter by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. In 2017-2019 I received a grant to mentor a young apprentice and I worked with her, teaching her about the techniques, art, and customs of traditional Jewish Papercutting. This rich tradition goes back hundreds of years and was found primarily in Eastern Europe, North Africa, and Italy.

My work appeared in the catalog "Slash; under the knife", the exhibition of work in a cut paper that was held at the Museum of Art and Design 2009-10.

I teach workshops and give lectures about Jewish Papercutting and Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts.

Here are some interviews about my process and my work:

On Scissors and Shavuot. Jewish Standard, Times of Israel. April 2021

https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/on-scissors-and-shavuot/    

Dreaming of a Third Eye: Deborah Ugoretz on art and Spirituality

http://www.star-revue.com/dreaming-of-a-third-eye-deborah-ugoretz-on-art-and-spirituality/#sthash.yzvUb64G.dpbs

The most recent article and interview about my inspiration and processes and a story about the Master/Apprentice program sponsored by the New Jersey Council on the Arts;

PASSING IT ON: New Jersey State Council on the Arts. 2019

https://conta.cc/2JJkWLN

Deborah Uses Papercuts to heal Wounds: Lilith Magazine blog post. 2019

 https://www.lilith.org/blog/2019/05/deborah-ugoretz-heals-wounds-with-paper-cuts/

My studio is located in Red Hook, Brooklyn. For a complete view of my CV, visit my website; www.deborahugoretz.com

Here is my Instagram handle:@debugoretz

You can view my Instagram account  which focuses on my Ketubah collection: @ketubah_for_life

www.deborahugoretz.com

Artist statement

Deborah Ugoretz has two loves in her artistic life: creating work in cut paper and painting with acrylics.

Her work in cut paper moves beyond traditional iconography to interpret Jewish and universal thought and texts. She believes that the act of cutting away is a process that reveals the graphic form of things and illuminates the concept of balance through the structure.This to her feels almost spiritual, suggesting that there are forces in the world and in science that keep things endlessly dynamic. Without what has been cut away there is no revelation of an object or of a design.

As a painter, she infuses her work with color to celebrate the spectrum and uses it as a metaphor for how the “life force" reveals itself. Color is used to illustrate a sense of movement and energy.Whether painting themes from the natural world or in abstraction, her goal is to delve into the visceral nature of painting; its color and sensuousness; in its opaque application- its creaminess and in glazes- its luminescence.

All of her works -paintings, constructions and mobiles - deal with the exploration of feminism, the natural world and political issues. Her three dimensional paper constructions seek to communicate through pattern, movement and shadow. She seeks to bring two things to her audience: a deep awareness of the natural world and the profound visual meaning and relevance found in poetry and texts.