Born in 1970 in San Antonio, Texas, Deborah Lawrence Schafer lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. She earned an A.B. in Visual Arts from Princeton University, Schafer and then worked in art museums for over a decade in curatorial and tech-related capacities. After some detours, Schafer emerged as a multimedia artist.
Born to a Mexican mother, Schafer questions the prevailing industrial Western worldview in which human beings are separated and disconnected from the natural world, allowing exploitation and devastation. Using diverse materials for her investigations, from rituals and scientific data to writings from various sources, Schafer gives new interpretations of the world mainly in the form of painting, digital collage, photography, and video to realize symbolic restoration. Recent work explores the complex construction of identity and gives rise to stories that have been silenced.
Schafer’s work has been exhibited nationally including in Texas, Maine, Nevada, New York, and the San Francisco Bay Area, and is featured in numerous private collections. In 2020, she was a R.A.R.O resident in Madrid, Spain.
Born to a Mexican mother, Schafer questions the prevailing industrial Western worldview in which human beings are separated and disconnected from the natural world, allowing exploitation and devastation. Using diverse materials for her investigations, from rituals and scientific data to writings from various sources, Schafer gives new interpretations of the world mainly in the form of painting, digital collage, photography, and video to realize symbolic restoration. Recent work explores the complex construction of identity and gives rise to stories that have been silenced.
Schafer’s work has been exhibited nationally including in Texas, Maine, Nevada, New York, and the San Francisco Bay Area, and is featured in numerous private collections. In 2020, she was a R.A.R.O resident in Madrid, Spain.
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EDUCATION
Princeton University, A.B. June 1992. Department of Art and Archeology, Visual Arts Program.
Awarded the F. LeMoyne Page Thesis Prize in Visual Art for water and fire sculptures.
EXHIBITIONS & PRESENTATIONS
CICA Museum, In Touch 2022 exhibition, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
November 16 — December 4, 2022
Upstart Modern, Resilience | A Visual Proclamation, Sausalito, California
September 14 - October 21, 2022
La Quinta del Sordo, R.A.R.Os Tesoros Felices, Madrid, Spain
Curated by María Lightowler
June 30 — July 8, 2022
Artemis Gallery, Group exhibition, Northeast Harbor, Maine
May 26 — June 22, 2022
The Holy Art Gallery, Oppositions II, London, UK
Online at theholyart.com. May 22 — 28, 2022
440 Gallery, 17th Annual Small Works Show,
Brooklyn, New York
Curated by George Del Barrio
December 1, 2021 — January 7, 2022
Casa de América, Arte en la Red, octava edición, Madrid, Spain
Online at www.casamerica.es/es/exposiciones/deborah-lawrence-schafer-eeuumexico
Published: November 6, 2021
Pacific Art League, 100th Anniversary Exhibition, Palo Alto, California
Juried by George Rivera
November 5, 2021 — January 24, 2022
Illustrative Voices, Oneness: A Social Justice Exhibition,
www.illustrativevoices.org
January 13 — February 10, 2021
Quarry Hill Antiques curated by UpstartModern, Brave New World, Mill Valley, California
January 9 — February 12, 2021
Artemis Gallery, Group exhibition, Northeast Harbor Maine, July 23 — August 5, 2020
Quinta del Sordo, Residencias R.A.R.O. Madrid, Spain,
March 25, 2020– canceled due to COVID-19 lockdown
Residencias R.A.R.O. Madrid, Spain
February and March 2020
Art Market San Francisco, Studio Shop Gallery, Booth 207, Fort Mason, San Francisco, April 25 — 28, 2019
Tahoe Gallery, Prim Library, Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, Nevada
Colors of Lake Tahoe by Deborah Lawrence Schafer in collaboration with the Tahoe Environmental Research Center, Incline Village, Nevada, February 14 — March 22, 2019
Prim Library, Sierra Nevada College, Artist talk, Incline Village, Nevada, March 14, 2019
PALETTE, NEW GROWTH, San Francisco, California
October 27, 2018 — December 2, 2018
and March 4 — April1, 2019
Artemis Gallery, Group exhibition, Northeast Harbor, Maine,
July 19 — August 1, 2018
A.Space, Group exhibition, Menlo Park, California
February 1 — March 10, 2018
Pacific Art League, Science, Technology and the Future of Art, Palo Alto, California
August 4 — 24th, 2017
Guest Artist
Shaw Jewelry, Group exhibition, Northeast Harbor, Maine
August 2017
Private sale event, Menlo Park, California, May 18, 2017
Stanford Red Barn auction. May 2017
505 Montgomery Street, Deborah Lawrence Schafer, San Francisco, California
Art Program lobby exhibition curated by Artsource Consulting
Spring 2017
Pacific Art League, Science, Technology and the Future of Art, Palo Alto, California
First Place, juried by David Evan Harris of the Institute for the Future (IFTF)
June 3 — 23, 2016
Pacific Art League, Artists Talks, presentation about Colors of Lake Tahoe series, Palo Alto, California
June 3, 2016
Pacific Art League, Landscape, Seascape, Urbanscape, Palo Alto, California
October 2 — 29, 2015
Pacific Art League, Members' Exhibition, Palo Alto, California
July 3 — 30, 2015
California College of Arts, Dis-Ease: Medical Imagery and Contemporary Looking, MFA class, Visual Criticism Department, presentation about artwork and infectious diseases, San Francisco, California, March 9, 2006
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, Solo Mujeres–Corazonada: Quinceañera/Fifteen Years of Women’s Work, San Francisco, California
February 14 — March 21, 2003
Lucas Gallery, Princeton University, Paintings by Deborah Lawrence, Princeton, New Jersey
April 1991
Lucas Gallery, Princeton University, Water and fire sculptures by Deborah Lawrence, Princeton, New Jersey
May 1992
Program in the Study of Women and Gender Department Office, Princeton University, Solo photography exhibition: Is Any Place Truly Natural?, Princeton, New Jersey
Spring 1991
Visual Arts Gallery, The Hockaday School, Watercolor paintings by Deborah Lawrence and Brandy Bowen, Dallas, Texas
Spring 1987
EDUCATION
Princeton University, A.B. June 1992. Department of Art and Archeology, Visual Arts Program.
Awarded the F. LeMoyne Page Thesis Prize in Visual Art for water and fire sculptures.
EXHIBITIONS & PRESENTATIONS
CICA Museum, In Touch 2022 exhibition, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
November 16 — December 4, 2022
Upstart Modern, Resilience | A Visual Proclamation, Sausalito, California
September 14 - October 21, 2022
La Quinta del Sordo, R.A.R.Os Tesoros Felices, Madrid, Spain
Curated by María Lightowler
June 30 — July 8, 2022
Artemis Gallery, Group exhibition, Northeast Harbor, Maine
May 26 — June 22, 2022
The Holy Art Gallery, Oppositions II, London, UK
Online at theholyart.com. May 22 — 28, 2022
440 Gallery, 17th Annual Small Works Show,
Brooklyn, New York
Curated by George Del Barrio
December 1, 2021 — January 7, 2022
Casa de América, Arte en la Red, octava edición, Madrid, Spain
Online at www.casamerica.es/es/exposiciones/deborah-lawrence-schafer-eeuumexico
Published: November 6, 2021
Pacific Art League, 100th Anniversary Exhibition, Palo Alto, California
Juried by George Rivera
November 5, 2021 — January 24, 2022
Illustrative Voices, Oneness: A Social Justice Exhibition,
www.illustrativevoices.org
January 13 — February 10, 2021
Quarry Hill Antiques curated by UpstartModern, Brave New World, Mill Valley, California
January 9 — February 12, 2021
Artemis Gallery, Group exhibition, Northeast Harbor Maine, July 23 — August 5, 2020
Quinta del Sordo, Residencias R.A.R.O. Madrid, Spain,
March 25, 2020– canceled due to COVID-19 lockdown
Residencias R.A.R.O. Madrid, Spain
February and March 2020
Art Market San Francisco, Studio Shop Gallery, Booth 207, Fort Mason, San Francisco, April 25 — 28, 2019
Tahoe Gallery, Prim Library, Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, Nevada
Colors of Lake Tahoe by Deborah Lawrence Schafer in collaboration with the Tahoe Environmental Research Center, Incline Village, Nevada, February 14 — March 22, 2019
Prim Library, Sierra Nevada College, Artist talk, Incline Village, Nevada, March 14, 2019
PALETTE, NEW GROWTH, San Francisco, California
October 27, 2018 — December 2, 2018
and March 4 — April1, 2019
Artemis Gallery, Group exhibition, Northeast Harbor, Maine,
July 19 — August 1, 2018
A.Space, Group exhibition, Menlo Park, California
February 1 — March 10, 2018
Pacific Art League, Science, Technology and the Future of Art, Palo Alto, California
August 4 — 24th, 2017
Guest Artist
Shaw Jewelry, Group exhibition, Northeast Harbor, Maine
August 2017
Private sale event, Menlo Park, California, May 18, 2017
Stanford Red Barn auction. May 2017
505 Montgomery Street, Deborah Lawrence Schafer, San Francisco, California
Art Program lobby exhibition curated by Artsource Consulting
Spring 2017
Pacific Art League, Science, Technology and the Future of Art, Palo Alto, California
First Place, juried by David Evan Harris of the Institute for the Future (IFTF)
June 3 — 23, 2016
Pacific Art League, Artists Talks, presentation about Colors of Lake Tahoe series, Palo Alto, California
June 3, 2016
Pacific Art League, Landscape, Seascape, Urbanscape, Palo Alto, California
October 2 — 29, 2015
Pacific Art League, Members' Exhibition, Palo Alto, California
July 3 — 30, 2015
California College of Arts, Dis-Ease: Medical Imagery and Contemporary Looking, MFA class, Visual Criticism Department, presentation about artwork and infectious diseases, San Francisco, California, March 9, 2006
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, Solo Mujeres–Corazonada: Quinceañera/Fifteen Years of Women’s Work, San Francisco, California
February 14 — March 21, 2003
Lucas Gallery, Princeton University, Paintings by Deborah Lawrence, Princeton, New Jersey
April 1991
Lucas Gallery, Princeton University, Water and fire sculptures by Deborah Lawrence, Princeton, New Jersey
May 1992
Program in the Study of Women and Gender Department Office, Princeton University, Solo photography exhibition: Is Any Place Truly Natural?, Princeton, New Jersey
Spring 1991
Visual Arts Gallery, The Hockaday School, Watercolor paintings by Deborah Lawrence and Brandy Bowen, Dallas, Texas
Spring 1987