Darlene Nguyen-Ely

Darlene Nguyen-Ely Journey#46: Fusaero 1998 52"x12"x6" wall mounted wood & mixed media

View Photos (6) Image © 2000 Darlene Nguyen-Ely

Darlene Nguyen-Ely was born in Saigon in 1968. Being very shy, she spent much of her childhood upstairs making quilts, small sculptures and doll clothes instead of playing with other children. Her mother finally hired a private art tutor to visit several days a week and young Nguyen-Ely won a "Best of Show" prize at a 1974 children's exhibition in Saigon sponsored by UNICEF.

During the summers, her parents would send her to Dalat or to a Catholic summer camp in Vung Tau. This annual move was probably good preparation for her experience of being frequently uprooted in future years. In 1975, Ms. Nguyen-Ely's family was split up. She ended up in Hong Kong for a year prior to immigrating to the United States. After one very snowy and cold winter in Pennsylvania, she and her family came to Los Angeles.

Nguyen-Ely later studied art at Cal State Long Beach and found inspiration in an exhibition by sculptor Ron Pippin in the mid 1980s, work that reflected a concern with spirituality using assemblages and found objects. "I responded right away because that's what I do. It really encouraged me to do more," she says. "It's better to leave the past behind and move on," she says of the bitter war that ended two decades ago. "I would rather have peace than war."

Nguyen-Ely has exhibited her work extensively throughout the United States and is the recipient of numerous art awards and grants.

Selected Solo Exhibiitons:

1998 King County Art Gallery, Seattle, WA
1997 Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
1996 SITE Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1995 Rogue Community College, Grants Pass, OR
1994 Acme Art Company, Columbus, OH

Selected Group Exhibitions:

1998 Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
1997 Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
1996 Centre Interculturel Strathearn, Montreal, Canada
1995 Women/Beyond Borders, World traveling exhibition
1995-2000 Downey Museum of Art, Downey, CA
1994 California State University, Fullerton, CA
1993 Downey Museum of Art, Downey, CA
1992 California State University, Long Beach, CA

Selected Grants:

Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant Recipient 1998-1999
Elizabeth Greenshield Foundation Grant Recipient 1996-1997
Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant Recipient 1994-1995

Education:

BFA, California State University, Long Beach, 1990-1992 AA, Los Angeles Valley College, Van Nuys, CA 1986-1990

Published on 9/1/98