Biography
Curriculum Vitae- MFA in Painting, University of Michigan
- MA in Art History, Michigan State University
- Individual Creative Artist Grant, Michigan Council for the Arts
Cathy VanVoorhis’ oil landscape paintings represent her experience of the healing power of nature. Cathy travels to lakes, rivers and streams to witness the ecology and beauty of natural coastlines of Michigan. She finds inspiration in the writing of naturalists such as Rachel Carson, and the understanding of the intricate web of all life.
Cathy’s work has been featured in group exhibitions at The Muskegon Museum of Art, The Saginaw Art Museum, The Dennos Art Museum in Traverse City, and The Alden B. Dow Museum of Art and Science in Midland. Her recent solo exhibits include: Rogel Cancer Center, Gifts of Art Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI ; The Center Gallery, Glen Arbor, MI; and Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, MI.
Cathy’s paintings have been published in Art of the Sleeping Bear Dunes, Transforming Nature into Art (Leelanau Press, 2013) and The Saugatuck Dunes: Artists Respond to a Freshwater Landscape (Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance, 2009). This publication raised public awareness for preservation of Saugatuck Dunes.
Cathy has been an artist in residence at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park, Glen Arbor Art Association, Golden Apple Residency in Maine, and Glen Oaks Community College, MI.
Cathy curated the exhibit: A Northern Refuge: Cherish, Protect at the U-M Work Gallery in Ann Arbor in collaboration with the Legacy Land Conservancy of Southeast Michigan. She has participated in exhibits to benefit The Huron River Watershed Alliance as well as The Leslie Science Center, Ann Arbor.
Currently, Cathy teaches drawing, painting, and color at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at The University of Michigan. She is working on a book about teaching color.
