Julia Clift is a visual artist living and working in the Philadelphia area. Her paintings and works on paper combine imagery from different American regions with invention and abstraction, reflecting on American culture, mediated perception, and humankind’s fraught relationship with the natural world. Julia’s work has been widely exhibited throughout the United States, at locations including Massey Klein Gallery, Gross McCleaf Gallery, Pentimenti Gallery, Fleisher Art Memorial, MassoniArt, Bloomfield Richwood Gallery, GreenHill Center for NC Art, Philip Slein Gallery, University of Texas of the Permian Basin, Susquehanna University, James Madison University, Pennsylvania State University, and Arnot Art Museum. Her paintings are held in permanent collections at Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn, NY, and Penn Medicine’s Clifton Center for Medical Breakthroughs in Philadelphia. A passionate educator, Julia has taught painting and drawing at The Pennsylvania State University, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Maryland Institute College of Art, and West Chester University. At Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Julia co-created and continues to teach Visualizing Anatomy, a course that deepens medical students’ understanding of anatomy through visual arts curriculum. In 2023, she conceived and curated Seeing the Anthropocene, a multi-venue exhibition in Philadelphia featuring works by over a dozen international artists, scientists, and musicians all grappling with urgent environmental issues. Julia received her BFA from Washington University in St. Louis and her MFA from Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University. She additionally studied under the painter Odd Nerdrum from 2009-2010. Her writing has been featured in BOMB, Hyperallergic, and Title Magazine.

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CONTACT: juliaclift5 [at] gmail [dot] com