About

Brenda Oelbaum is a feminist, multimedia, conceptual artist, working in whatever medium best translates the intended message.  Increasingly her work has become political and ecologically minded, re-purposing objects found, donated or bought on the resale market objects in her artwork.  From diet books, to piggy banks and now unwanted seascape paintings, Oelbaum finds inspiration in hunting for the weird and unloved.  Buying antiques and collectibles and re-purposing them is an ecologically sound practice.

Classically trained in painting and drawing at the Ontario College of Art and Design University in Toronto Canada, her work has been shown in South Korea, Iceland, and Mainland China, and throughout the contiguous United States.  Her Venus of Willendorf Project which focus’ on the multi-billion-dollar diet industry has been studied and written about internationally from Belgium to India many countries in Latin America.

Brenda holds a MA in Gallery Administration from the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and was the founding President of the Michigan Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art and is the Michigan Representative for the Feminist Art Project. From 2014 to 2016 she held the post of President of the National Women’s Caucus for Art.  When she is not working on her own work in her brand new studio in Dexter, MI she is helping to promote women in the arts through her affiliation with the WCA through her vast knowledge of the art and gallery industry, attained by living and working in Soho as a ‘Gallerina’ and Archivist for the estate of May Wilson 1905-1986, and curating exhibitions for the WCA Membership regionally and nationally.  Helping others is a great way to build a like minded community no matter where you are.  You don’t need to be on either coast to be a successful exhibiting artist.