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Biography
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Painter/sculptor Rita Blitt celebrates her love of nature, music, and dance in drawings, paintings, film and sculpture. She has installed over 45 monumental sculptures up to 60 feet in height, had 74 solo exhibitions and participated in many group shows. Her works have been shown and installed in Australia, France, Germany, Israel, Italy (including an award in the Florence Biennale), Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States. Rabbi Brad Hirschfield recently wrote, Blitt's work "affirms life and inspires joy". Commenting on Blitt's work in a 2003 NYC exhibition David Cleveland reviewer and novelist wrote, "Translating intimate gesture of line…Blitt has created sculptures which invoke her signature sensuous curves and ethereal harmonies of form, mirroring in compelling ways the human figure in motion."
Museums: Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri; Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, Kansas; Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, Nevada; Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, St. Joseph, Missouri; John F. Kennedy Library, Boston, Massachusetts; Spertus Museum, Chicago; Kansas City Children's Museum; Kennedy Museum of American Art, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio; National Museum, Singapore; and Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
Collaborations with: composer Lansing McLoskey; poet Collette Inez; cellist Yehuda Hanani; dancer Jason McDole; composer/percussionist Michael Udow; University Dancers, University of Florida, Gainesville Dancers; photographer Lois Greenfield, dancer/choreographer David Parsons; Atlanta Ballet; St. Joseph Ballet; Buglisi-Forman Dance company; guitarist Josh Breakstone; singer Biaja Fran Solomon; poet Dennis Bernstein; poet John Ciardi; composer Mario Lavista; author Barbara Glanz.
Films: Caught In Paint, 2003 is the most celebrated of the Blitt films. Blitt collaborated with choreographer David Parsons and photographer Lois Greenfield to create this six-minute improv film. The film has won sixteen awards, has been accepted in over 130 film festivals, and was shown in 2008 by Moving Pictures Magazine at the Cannes Film Festival. Other films include: Flag, Rita Blitt, 1976; Dancing Hands, Caught In Nature, Visual Rhythms, Blur. Workshops follow showing of Blitt's films to encourage everyone to create. The Visual Rhythms workshop for dancers combines improvisational dance with spontaneous drawing. Blitt has presented dance workshops at Texas A and M University; University of Florida, Gainesville; and Mount San Antonio College, Walnut, California.
Gifting: Blitt enjoys gifting her works for meaningful causes and institutions, in 1993 Blitt gifted a thank you sculpture through the UN to Norway for their participation in bringing Israel and the Palestinians together for their first step towards peace.
Since 1986 Blitt's words and poster, "Kindness is Contagious. Catch it!" have led to worldwide kindness activities touching the lives of millions of people. The poster can be downloaded from www.ritablitt.com.
Blitt was the keynote speaker at the 2007 Texas Art Educators conference after which Karen Harman reported "the educators were moved and inspired by your workshop and keynote presentation. Your sharing of your passion for art, your innovations and creative results, and especially your thought processes on the how and why you create your art, gave a shout of encouragement and validation to all present. You reminded us all of the joy and love we have for the act of creating and the importance of being an artist."
Mini Blitt Collections are being established at not-for-profit institutions by Rita Blitt Inc. and the Rita Blitt Foundation: Conservatory of Music, University of Missouri – Kansas City; The Heart Center, Kansas University Hospital; University Hospitals of Cleveland; University of California San Francisco Hospital; Health Care Rehabilitation Center, Springfield, Vermont.
History: Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Blitt received scholarships from the Kansas City Art Institute at ages 10 and 11 and returned there after attending the University of Illinois and graduating from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. In 2010, Rita Blitt received the UMKC Alumnus Spotlight Award, recognizing the regional and national attention her work has garnered for the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Kansas City community. Also that year Blitt was featured in The View published by the Kansas City Art Institute.
Blitt paintings, sculpture, films, the 2000 book Rita Blitt / The Passionate Gesture and her website are award winners. Blitt's signature sculpture Inspiration (Sensuously Stacked Steel) received an award at the Invitational Florence Biennale, Italy, 2005.
Blitt has studios in California, Kansas and Colorado. For further information call 913 307 0910 to leave a message.
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