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Biography
Monika Jastrzębiec Czepielewska was born on May 1, 1982, in
Kraków, Poland. She grew up in Nova Huta, a suburban district of
Kraków built in the early 1950s. Organized around a large steel plant dedicated
to Vladimir Lenin, Nova Huta was intended to be the stronghold of communism in
Kraków. Today, however,
Poland is part of
the European Union and Kraków is a completely different place, filled with
culture and a frequent tourist destination. Monika was raised with the awareness
of the importance of cultural heritage with regard to the growth and
development of society. This was one major motivation for her to pursue an
education at the National School of Visual Arts in Kraków where she developed
her interests in painting and photography. After a five-year high school
program, Monika graduated in 2002 with concentrations on visual composition and
photography. She later received a Master of Arts degree in June 2007 from the
Pontifical Academy of Theology in Kraków, studying sacred art and textile
conservation. Although she is now concentrating on career in her major
profession, textile conservation, painting is more then a hobby for Monika. She
is still deepening her knowledge about that active and changing medium.
“Since the beginning of
Poland’s integration into the European
Union structures, I have been specifically interested in the way Art, Media and
History can be used to open intercultural dialogues for social integration and
socio-economic development as they encourage cultural mobility and access to
culture for all. I believe that the art has a very important role to play in
the integration process, while preserving the cultural identity of member
nations. It’s especially true in United
States, an exemplary country of coexistence various cultures.
Language-barriers, uneven social status, long held stereotypes and strong
feelings of national identity are often fuel for cultural misunderstanding”.
During her university studies and travels abroad, as she worked toward degree
in conservation, Monika earned a certificate of culture management training and
developed interests in graphic design, painting, visual composition,
photography, drawing and printmaking. Experiences in
Finland,
Belgium and
especially
United States motivated Monika to seek opportunities for personal growth outside of
her home country. Working for the Arts Council of Greater New Haven and
Exposure Gallery, being a member of Polish-American Photographic Club in New
York, and participating in several exhibitions in Poland and the United States
has given her the opportunity to gain experience in planning, organizing and
designing exhibits. She has had several exhibitions in Kraków and the
United States, including exhibits at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical
Library at
Yale
University and at the Exposure Gallery of Photography.
©2008 Monika Jastrzebiec Czepielewska
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