about

Dominice Gilbert grew up on a family farm in rural Indiana. She began creating art at an early age and won a national drawing competition when she was seven. Though out elementary and high school she continued to explore every artistic form she had access to. At age seventeen she took her first welding class and quickly knew she had found her medium.
Dominice graduated high school early and left for Chicago where she earned a bachelor of fine arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with help from a merit scholarship.
After Graduation she completed artist residencies at CrabTree Farm in Lake Bluff , Illinois and The National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.
She returned to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2005 to work as a metal shop manager.
In 2010 she left the position to pursue working full time as an artist and moved to Saint Petersburg Florida, where she bought a commercial property with her lifelong partner JR Lodico. She spent the next eight years developing her work out of a make shift studio, as she sold work in galleries, online, but mostly though displaying at juried fine art festivals.
In 2018, after two years of construction Dominice and JR opened a newly built artist studio adjacent to their home where she continues to create original art.
Her award winning work can be found in private and public collections both nationally and internationally.

"Creating the best work I can is my primary focus, I am always pushing myself to the next level which causes my sculpture to be constantly evolving, as every new design works off the last. My work is about a feeling, I like to create tension between forms, mixing opposing textures and shapes in harmony, creating balance in opposition. My sculptures are a replication of my emotions, but also a reflection of the viewer."

"I tend to live a pretty solitary lifestyle, I prefer to spend my time working in the studio, gardening or developing new hobbies and skills. I have always been a bit quiet, except around the few people I am very close to. I have Prosopagnosia (face blindness) which tends to cause a lot of misinterpretation, in social situations. With time I can memorize people, but with new acquaintances, I remember them by their voice, a defining feature, gesture or their clothing. If I don't recognize you please understand I am trying my best."

Education:

1999-2003,
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Bachelor in Fine Arts

Awards/Grants
1988- National winner of Scholastic News/Playskool Definitely Dinosaurs drawling contest
1999-Merit Scholarship award
2000-Monetary Award Program Grant
2003-Remet “Shaping the Future Award”
2014-Honorable Mention, Mayfair by the Lake
2014-Best in Metal, Dunedin Art Harvest
2016-Best in Metal, Dunedin Art Harvest
2017- Award of Merit, Naples National
2017-Best In Metal, Dunedin Art Harvest
2017- Award of Merit, CraftArt Festival
2018-Second Place in Sculpture, Under the Oaks
2018-Award of Excellence, Dunedin Art Harvest
2020-Collectors Krewe Award, Gasparilla Festival of the Arts
2021- Judges Selection, Winter Park Autumn Festival
2022-Award of Excellence, Tarpon Springs Fine Art Festival
2022-Award of Merit, Mainsail Art Festival
2022-Award of Merit, CraftArt Festival
2023- Best InShow, Tarpon Springs Fine Art Festival
2023- Silver Award (2nd Place), Mainsail Art Festival

Permanent Collections
" Luminary" Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland FL.
"Goodbye" " National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis, TN.

Gallery Exhibitions
2002 "Home" Betty Rymer Gallery, Chicago IL.
2003 "SAIC Graduate Exhibition" Chicago IL.
2012 "Scratch the Surface" Blue Lucy Gallery, Saint Petersburg Fl.
2013 "Eat This" Blue Lucy Gallery, Saint Petersburg Fl.
2014 "SexXx Dreams" Station Number Three, Saint Petersburg Fl.
2021 Solo Exhibition "Duality" Art Center Sarasota, Sarasota, FL.
2021 "Metallic" The Chihuly Collection, Saint Petersburg, Fl.
2023 "Clearly Collaborative" Florida CraftArt, Saint Petersburg, Fl.

Public Art
"Fractal" Chamber of Commerce, Bartow FL.
"Plectile"Fort Blount Park, Bartow FL.

Press
Destination Tampa Bay "Of Might and Metal"
destinationtampabay.com/of-might-metal/
The Ledger "Fine Art at the Magnolia returns this weekend"
www.theledger.com/story/lifestyle/2021/08/19/fine-art-magnolia-returns-weekend/8164621002/
Sarasota Scene " Art Center Sarasota offers four new exhibitions"
www.scenesarasota.com/magazine/art-center-sarasota-offers-four-new-exhibitions/
The Florida Arts Journal " Dominice Gilbert on Zen, Childhood and the moment of self discovery"
thebohrergallery.com/journal/fam2021_dominice_gilbert_on_zen_childhood_and_the_moment_of_self_discovery.html
83 degrees Media "Gasparilla Festival of the Arts goes virtual, still awards prize money" www.83degreesmedia.com/forgood/garparilla-art-festival-goes-virtual-for-first-time-021621.aspx
Warehouse Arts District "Featured Artist Member Dominice Gilbert"
www.warehouseartsdistrictstpete.org/Member-Blog/9232558
Childhood Press
USA Today"Todays dinosaurs are blue and go to school"
Young American "Studious dinosaur comes up a winner"
Chronicle Tribune"Her dinosaurs are blue but she's pretty happy"
Chronicle Tribune "Poneto girls' art displayed in New York"
Indianapolis Star "Art from the heart earned them prizes Indiana youngsters find fame"

Residencies
2003-2004
Crab Tree Farm Artist Residency, Lake Buff, IL.
Artist in Residence

2004-2005
National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis, TN.
Artist in Residence

Employment
2005-2006
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Wood and Metal Shop Training Coordinator

2006-2010
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Metal Shop Manager

2011-2020
Morean Art Center, St. Petersburg FL.
Metal Sculpture Instructor

2011-2019
Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin FL.
Metalworking and Welding Instructor

Juried Fine Art Festivals
Dunedin Art Harvest
Mayfair By The Lake
Saint Petersburg Fine Art Festival
Mount Dora Art Festival
Uptown Art Expo
St. Armands Fine Art Festival
Art Festival Beth-El
CraftArt
ArtFest Fort Myers
Coconut Point Art Fair
Mainsail Art Festival
Melbourne Art Festival
Sarasota Winter Fine Arts Festival
Ocala Fine Arts Festival
Naples National Fine Arts Festival
Bonita Springs National Art Festival
Under The Oaks Fine Arts Festival
Gasparilla Fine Arts Festival
Winter Park Autumn Art Festival
Fine Art at the Magnolia
Tarpon Springs Fine Art Festival