MFA University of New Mexico 2004
BFA Illinois State University 2000
Marilee Salvator was born in Bloomington/Normal, IL in 1974. She was born into a blue collar, middle class family. Her mother, a hairstylist and dedicated house wife and father a plumber. She lived in this small midwestern town until age 19.
Following in her mothers foot steps, she went to cosmetology school during her senior year of high school. Most of this time was spend making hair sculptures with the long hair mannequin heads (used for practice). "At one point in time, I remember the schools display case being full of my sculptures", she said.
After spending a few years working as a hair stylist, she decided to return to school. As a first generation college student, she began at a local community college. She took general education classes, and became highly interested in Philosophy, Religious Studies and Psychology.
In 1997 she moved to Santa Fe, NM to study art therapy at The College of Santa Fe, a small liberal arts college. She majored in art therapy and minored in Psychology. She took her first printmaking class at this college. After falling in love with this process and accepting that fine art was her true passion (and running out of money), she left Santa Fe and returned to the her home town to study printmaking at Illinois State University.
She found a true home within the department of fine art at Illinois State University, and worked very closely with Professor Sean Caulfield. During this time, she began her mapping series. She had her first solo show at the University Galleries titled, Meditation and Obsession. She received her BFA in Printmaking (honors) in 2000.
Moving back to New Mexico, she enrolled in the MFA program at University of New Mexico in the same year. She spend 4 years emerged in her artist work at the university. At UNM she had the opportunity to work with highly inspirational artist, Yoshiko Shimano (printmaker), Steve Barry (sculpter) and Jocelyn Nevel (photographer). There she finished her mapping series. She also creating her rain, droppings and the beginnings of her sexual confusion series's. She earned her MFA and had her solo exhibition ...And Everything Nice in 2004.
After graduation she moved to Winnipeg, MB where she taught printmaking and design as a visiting assistant professor at University of Manitoba for two years.
While residing in Winnipeg, Salvator was highly involved in the Manitoba Printmaking Association/Martha Street Studio, a nonprofit, community based printmaking facility and artist center. At the center, she taught workshops in various printmaking techniques, served as a mentor to at-risk youth and an occasional contract printer.
In 2006 she returned to the U.S., accepting a position as Assistant Professor of Printmaking and 2-d design at Bloomsburg University.
In the last 5 years, Marilee Salvator’s work has been exhibited in over 35 solo and group exhibitions throughout the world. In May, her next solo show, "Circles", will be at Fairbanks Gallery, Oregon State University. In October she will exhibit a new solo show "Mary Had a Little Lamb" at Open Studio in Tornonto, Canada. Other recent exhibition venues include SNAP, Edmonton AB, Anyang Albaroshija Hall, Anyang, S. Korea, Gallery at Center for Cultural Pormotion, Warszawa, Poland, Federation Gallery, Granville Island, Vancouver, BC, Fondazione Bevilacquq La Masa, Italian Cultural Institute, Italian Embassy, Washington, DC, Dedalo Center for Contemporary Art and Castle of Castiglione Museum, Abruzzo, Italy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, and Florean Museum, Maramures, Romania.