A sculptor in wood and bronze of abstract figurative works, many of them with themes of flight, Cecilia Z. Miguez often uses found objects such as leather strips, Japanese boxes and vials. The result is "finely crafted, elongated creatures, seamlessly melded with the wood and bronze." (165). Many of her figures seem cartoonish and hybrid, such as ones with bird heads and human bodies or ones lifting off in some sort of rigged flying craft.

Her studio is located in Altadena, California, northeast of Los Angeles, and she spends many hours there, referring to it as her "cocoon". She was raised in Montevideo, the capitol of Uruguay in a family where the father was an engineer and the mother a homemaker. Because she liked to draw, Cecilia studied architecture, but gave it up because she wanted something more satisfactory to her creative spirit.

In Spain, she studied painting for several years, and then married an architect. The couple moved to Southern California in 1985. She divorced but remained in the Los Angeles area, at first working for the Uruguayan consulate. In 1994, she joined a group of male artists, The Drawing Group, that met weekly and painted from models they hired. This association sparked her devotion to a fine art career with special interest in flight subjects, inspired by her deep interest in Leonardo Da Vinci and his designs for flying machines. Of this focus, she says: "Many times we don't let ourselves fly and be the most we can be." (168)

Exhibitions followed including one titled "Flights of Imagination".


Source:
Bonnie Gangelhoff, "The Divine Comedy", Southwest Art, July 2006, pp. 164-169

CECILIA Z. MIGUEZ

Born in Montevideo, Uruguay; residing in Los Angeles, California in 2006.

Education:
1990 Studied goldsmithing with Michael Norman Bayes, UCLA, Los Angeles, California

1980 Studied painting, Vicente Martin, Montevideo, Uruguay

1978 Scholarship in Art, San Fernando University of Fine Arts, Madrid, Spain

1977 Studied with Carlos Sgarbi, Circulo de Bellas Artes, Montevideo, Uruguay

1975 Studied painting with Nelson Leites, Montevideo, Uruguay

1971 Studied painting with Maria Cardu de Callebaut, Montevideo, Uruguay


Solo Exhibitions:
2006 Louis Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood, "Twenty Hours Before Dawn", September 14 - December 9

2006 Irving Galleries, Palm Beach, Florida, "Guardians & Angels - Journey of the Spirit", February/March

2005 Buschlen-Mowatt, Vancouver, Canada, March 30 - April 30

2005 Rio Hondo College Art Gallery, "Form & Grace", March 1 - April 12

2005 Buschlen -Mowatt, Palm Desert, January 1 - February 1

2004 Louis Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood, "Flights of Imagination", September 9 - October 29

2003 Riverside Art Museum, Journeys, Riverside, California, April 17- May 24

2002 Louis Stern Fine Arts, "Transmigrations", West Hollywood, California, September 14 - October 26.

2002 The Uruguay Cultural Foundation for the Arts, "Transmigrations", Washington D.C., October 9 - November 5.

2002 Praxis Gallery, New Sculpture Coral Gables, Florida, January 4 - February 4

2001 Praxis Gallery, "Barcos y Sirenas" - Buenos Aires, Argentina, August 24 - September 4

2001 Louis Stern Fine Arts, "Escultura" - West Hollywood, California, March 3 - April 14

1999 Louis Stern Fine Arts, New Work - West Hollywood, California, September 16 - October 30

1999 Praxis Gallery, Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 6 - April 24

1998 Louis Stern Fine Arts, Recent Work - West Hollywood, California, January 13 - February 28

1997 Museo de Arte Americano de Maldonado, Montevideo, Uruguay, February 15 - 28

1996 Praxis Gallery, Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 15 - November 6

1996 Figari Gallery, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Montevideo, Uruguay September 20-30

1992 UCLA, International Student Center, Los Angeles, California May 15 - 29

1985 Casa de Teatro Gallery, Montevideo, Uruguay, August

1985 Cantegril Country Club, Punta del Este, Uruguay, January

1980 Amalfi Gallery, Punta del Este, Uruguay, January

1978 Zorrilla de San Martin Museum, Montevideo, Uruguay September 4 - 15

1978 Cantegril Country Club, Punta del Este, Uruguay, January

Selected Group Exhibitions:
2005 Museum of Latin American Art, Sculpture Garden.

2005 The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts, "Latinas, The Spirit of California"

2003 Long Beach Museum of Art "Suenos y Encuentros Works from the Collection by Latin American Masters", October 4 - January 25, 2004

2003 Gallery International - Cecilia Z. Miguez & Arturo Mallman, September 18 - October 26

2003 Mount St. Mary's College & Southern California Chapter of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Shouts, Whispers, and Cheers, February 9 - March 29.

2001 49 Salon Nacional de Artes Visuales, Montevideo, August 25

2000 Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, MOCA Auction, April 29

2000 Los Angeles City College, Da Vinci Gallery, "The New Classicists", March 1- April 6

2000 Cal State University, Fine Arts Gallery, "The Right to Assemble", Los Angeles, January 31 - February 29

1999 Bakersfield Museum of Art, "A Subliminal Message: The Works of Laddie John Dill and Cecilia Miguez", December 9 - January 14, 2000

1999 Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) "Art of the Southern Cone, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, October 1 - January 31, 2000

1999 Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), "Latin American Retablos", Long Beach, California, December

1998 Cal State University, Los Angeles, Luckman Gallery, "The Labyrinth of Multitude: Contemporary Latin American Artists in Los Angeles", September 24 - November 6

1998 Loyola Marymount University, Laband Gallery, "The Drawing Group" An Emerging School of Los Angeles Los Angeles, California

1997 Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA)," Dancing the Marvelously Real" (with Sergio Camporeale), January - March, Long Beach, California

1997 Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA)- "Archangels in the Latin American Tradition", Contemporary Interpretations, Long Beach, California

1997 Santa Monica College Art Gallery -" Reconfigured II: Drawing & Sculpture", Santa Monica, California

1997 Tirage Art Gallery, Trilogy - Pasadena, California

1996 Louis Stern Fine Arts, "Imaginary Realities: Surrealism Then and Now", September - November, West Hollywood, California

1996 Village Square Gallery - Montrose, California

1992 City Hall - Hispanic Heritage Exhibit, Los Angeles

1991 Santa Monica Public Library, "Arte Latinoamericano", Santa Monica, California

1986 Matrix Gallery, "American Competition", Sacramento, California

1986 Del Bello Gallery, "International Competition of Mini-sculpture", Toronto, Canada

1983 Galeria del Portal, Buenos Aires, Argentina

1981 Bienal de Pintura, Salto, Uruguay

1977 New Young Artist Competition, Montevideo, Uruguay

Related Employments:
1993-95 Docent Volunteer at the J. P. Getty Museum

1986 Design pannels and jewelry for the theater performance "My good looking lover, my good for nothing" by Meg Kruszewska

1985-86 Assisted Steven Glassman and Jonathan Borofsky

Awards, Honors and Comissions:
2005 Museum of Latin American Art, scupture for the Scupture Garden

2001 MTOP Award of Distinction, Salon Nacional, Montevideo, Uruguay

2000 Resnik Commission

1998 Paula Holt Commission

1986 First Prize, Inca National Competition of Painting, Published in art catalog, Uruguay

1985 First Prize, Casa de Teatro, Painting Competition, Montevideo, Uruguay

1984 Second Prize, Christian Art Competition, Painting, Montevideo, Uruguay

1984 Fourth Prize, Banco Republica National Competition of Sculpture, Uruguay

1978 Painting Scholarship to San Fernando Fine Arts University, Madrid, Spain


Public Collections:
Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California

Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, California

Museum of Contemporary Art, Montevideo, Uruguay

Ministerio Transporte (MTOP), Montevideo, Uruguay

Articles and Reviews:
2006 Sculpture Magazine, "A new Garden of Latin American Sculpture", Collette Chattopadhyay, May

2006 Southwest Art, "The Divine Comedy", Bonnie Gangelhoff, July Issue

2006 Palm Beach Daily News, "Angels and Guardians", Jan Sjostrom, March 20

2006 The Palm Beach Post, "Don't Miss Cecilia Z. Miguez", Gary Schwan, February 24

2005 Los Angeles Times, "Expansion Project flowers at Museum", September 14

2005 La Opinion, Los Angeles, "Molaa crece hacia afuera", September 16

2005 Press Telegram, "Outdoor Sculpture", September 17

2004 Baltimore City Paper, Baltimore, "Wonderland" by J. Bowers, January 14-20

2004 The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, "DIverse in so many ways" by Glenn McNatt, January 13

2003 The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, "Two Uruguayans see sureealism's darkness and light" by Glenn McNatt, October 16

2003 The Press Enterprise, Riverside, "Making of the gods" by Devoran L. Knaff, May

2002 The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, "What you see isn't what you get, by Glenn McNatt, February

2002 Art Scene, Los Angeles "Cecilia Miguez" Exhibition Review, Bill Lazarow, September

2001 Busqueda (Uruguay), "Pluralidad de lenguajes y participantes de calidad", August 30

2001 Art Scene, "Escultura by Cecilia Miguez," Exhibition Review, Dr. Margarita Nieto, March

2001 Los Angeles Times "Best Bet"

2000 Pasadena Weekly, "The Road to Respect," Judy Seckler, February 3

2000 Los Angeles Times, "Brave, New Millennium," Josef Woodard, January 28

2000 Sculpture Magazine, "Cecilia Miguez," Collette Chattopadhyay, Janaruy/February Issue

1999 The Bakersfield Californian, "Art Just Behind the Mind's Eye is at Fingertips," Richard Chang

1999 La Weekly, Art Pick of the Week, "The Labyrinth of Multitude," Peter Frank, October 29

1999 La Opinión, Los Angeles, "Figuras que Hablan," Juan Rodriguez Flores, November 10

1999 La Nacion, Buenos Aires, "Dos Muestras de Jerarquia," Rafael Squirru, April 25

1999 Pagina/12, Buenos Aires, "Ceremonia de Materiales," Silvia Ambrosini, April 20

1998 Los Angeles Times, "More Angst than Answers Created...," William Wilson, April 11

1998 LA Weekly, "The Drawing Group at Loyola Marymount," Carmine Iannaccone, April 10

1998 La Prensa de Los Angeles, "Exhibición," February 19

1998 La Opinión, Los Angeles, "Magia en la Escultura," Juan Rodriguez Flores, February 8

1997 La Opinión, Los Angeles, "Casi el Paraiso," Ricardo Camarena, December 29

1997 Orange County Weekly, "Hark! Los Angeles ...," Rebecca Schoenkopf, December 19

1997 La Mañana, (Uruguay)"Muestra de C.Z.M. en Los Angeles," Maylin Carro Amorin

1997 North County Times, "Carlsbad Recognizes...," Diane Carpenter, March 30

1997 The Beach News, "Variety in Carslbad's Art Exhibition," March 27

1997 Posdata (Uruguay), "Inquietante Poetica," Alfredo Torres, February 28

1997 La Opinión, Los Angeles, "Arte y Danza," Ricardo Camarena, February 21

1997 The Orange County Register, "Tesoros de Arte Fill a Museum in Long Beach," February 23

1997 Daily Bruin, UCLA, "Beyond Mexico," Amanda Miller

1997 Brecha, (Uruguay), "Cecilia Miguez+++," Nelson Di Maggio, February 21

1997 Búsqueda (Uruguay), "Circo, Magia y Surrealismo," Marcela Berthet, February 20

1997 La Mañana (Uruguay), "C.Z.M. entre Nosotros," Maylin Carro Amorin, February 18

1997 La República (Uruguay), "Artes Plasticas," Nelson Di Maggio, February 17

1997 Union Gazzette, "Exhibit Moves with Tempo...," Harry Saltzgaver, January 30

1997 The Orange County Register, "Latin Tempos: Dancing the Marvelously Real," January 23

1996 Brecha (Uruguay), "Los mejor del ano," Nelson Di Maggio, December 30

1996 El País (Uruguay), "Recorrido de buen nivel," Elisa Roubaud, October 9

1996 Búsqueda (Uruguay), "Un Coctel de Magia y Mitos," Marcela Berthet, October 4
1996 La Mañana (Uruguay), "C.Z.M. las Excelencias de una Artista," Maylin Carro Amorin

1996 La Opinión, Los Angeles, "Mito y fantasia en la escultura contemporanea," Margarita Nieto, August 18

1996 La Opinión, Los Angeles, "Las Dimensiones Artisticas de C.Z.M.," Juan Rodriguez Flores

1996 American Arts Quarterly, Gerald M. Ackerman, Spring Issue

1991 La Opinion, "C.M. expone pinturas y esculturas en UCLA", Luis Gonzalez, May

1991 Westside, L.A. Times, "Accent on Spanish speakers" by Marilyn Martinez, September 11

1985 La Manana (Uruguay), "Premio Nacional de Pintura 1986, October 24

1985 El Dia, (Uruguay), "A beneficio de inventario" Roberto de Espada, July 27

1985 El Pais, (Uruguay), "Tres Jovenes", Alicia Haber

1978 El Pais, (Uruguay), "Cecilia Miguez", by Dolores Castillo

1978 El Dia (Uruguay) , "C.M.: Entre el Poema y el Color"