linda (at) lindabyrne (dot) com

Linda Byrne was born and raised in New York City by first-generation Americans from Irish and Italian immigrants. Because that Old World heritage was not celebrated in her family, she felt a disconnect from her ancestry, an absence of history that was to spur her later quest for self-identity and connectivity with others. Linda majored in Fine Art at Parsons School of Design, but dropped out to travel around the country and forge her own history. In the years that followed, she continued working on her craft through self-training and by taking courses at art schools and academic venues, including the Art Students League in New York and the Academy de Bell Arts in Barcelona, Spain.

Linda has been showing her art consistently in juried and curated exhibitions since 1992. Recent shows include “Upcycle” through the Newark Arts Council and “Repurposed Rethought” at the Ocean City Arts Center, both in New Jersey, and at Green Spaces, in conjunction with the premiere screening of the documentary “End of the Line,” in New York City. She was invited to participate in the 2009-2010 traveling exhibition, “Trade Show,” conceived and curated by the artist Anna Stump, going from California to Turkey. Linda collaborated with the poet and sound artist, Maggie Dubris, in the multimedia installation “Vanishing Birds Project,” shown in Pittsburgh and New York. Over the years, she has received 5 artist residencies, and was the recipient of a Jerome Foundation Grant and the Barbara Hurd and Stephen Dunn Sculpture Award. Her work has been favorably reviewed in several publications including the Philadelphia City Paper, the New York Press, and the New York Times.

Linda, along with several other artists, created the Matzo files, a flat file and small works gallery space for
200 artists, located in Streit’s, a working matzo factory on New York’s Lower East Side. The venture lasted for eighteen months in 2004-2005 and afforded Linda the experience of running a not-for-profit organization and
helping under-represented artists.

Linda Byrne has been in demand as a traditional handwork production artist for more than twenty-five years, primarily for packaging and branding companies in the graphics industry. She is well respected for her outstanding hand skills and finesse with an x-acto knife. Linda has been studying Seido Karate for more than 9 years and holds the rank of second-degree black belt. Her martial arts training has helped her to keep focused in the pursuit
of her art career.