ritablitt

RITA BLITT BIOGRAPHY 2011

Painter/sculptor Rita Blitt celebrates her love of nature, music, and dance in drawings, paintings, film and sculpture. She has installed over 45 monumental sculptures up to 60 feet in height, had 70 solo exhibitions.  Her works have been shown and installed in Australia, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States. Rabbi Brad Hirschfield recently wrote, Blitt’s work “affirms life and inspires joy”. Commenting on Blitt’s work in a 2003 NYC exhibition David Cleveland reviewer and novelist wrote, “Translating intimate gesture of line…Blitt has created sculptures which invoke her signature sensuous curves and ethereal harmonies of form, mirroring in compelling ways the human figure in motion.” 

Museums: Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri; Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, Kansas; Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, Nevada; Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, St. Joseph, Missouri; John F. Kennedy Library, Boston, Massachusetts; Spertus Museum, Chicago, Illinois; Kansas City Children’s Museum, Kansas City, Kansas; Kennedy Museum of American Art, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio; National Museum, Singapore; Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence; and Skirball Museum, Los Angeles, California.

Collections: Although Blitt art is in many collections, these institutions all have many Blitt works:  The University of Missouri in Kansas City; Health Care and Rehabilitation Center, Springfield, Vermont; The Heart Center, Kansas University Hospital; University Hospitals of Cleveland, Ohio; University California San Francisco Hospital.

Awards: University of Missouri in Kansas City Alumnus Spotlight Award; Florence Biennale- sculpture; Film Caught in Paint sixteen awards-; National Sculpture Competition, Midwest Women’s Center, Chicago, Illinois; Omni Award- web site www.ritablitt.com; How International Design-book Rita Blitt: The Passionate Gesture

Collaborations with: composers Pavel Haas, Lansing McLoskey, Michael Udow, Mario Lavista and others; poets Li Po, Collette Inez, John Ciardi, Dennis Bernstein; cellist Yehuda Hanani; dancer Jason McDole; University Dancers, University of Florida, Gainesville; dancer/choreographer David Parsons; Atlanta Ballet; St. Joseph Ballet; Buglisi-Forman Dance company; guitarist Josh Breakstone; singer Biaja Fran Solomon; photographer Lois Greenfield; author Barbara Glanz.

Films: Caught In Paint, 2003 is the most celebrated of the Blitt films. Blitt collaborated with choreographer David Parsons and photographer Lois Greenfield to create this six-minute improvisational film which has been shown in over 130 film festivals, including the festival in Cannes, France.  Other films include: Flag, Rita Blitt, 1976; Dancing Hands, 1984; Caught In Nature, 2005; Visual Rhythms, 2006; and blur, 2009 a collaboration with composer Lansing McLoskey.  Blitt’s 2011 film “Collaborating with the Past” combines her drawings with the music of Pavel Haas who died in Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

Workshops: Dancing Hands workshop encourages everyone to let their hands dance on paper.

The Visual Rhythms workshop for dancers combines improvisational dance with spontaneous drawing.  Blitt has presented dance workshops at Texas A and M University; University of Florida, Gainesville; and Mount San Antonio College, Walnut, California.

History: Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Blitt received scholarships from the Kansas City Art Institute at ages 10 and 11 and returned after attending the University of Illinois and graduating from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.  In 2010, Rita Blitt received the UMKC Alumnus Spotlight Award, recognizing the regional and national attention her work has garnered for the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Kansas City community.

Since 1986 Blitt’s words and poster, “Kindness is contagious. CATCH IT!” has led to worldwide kindness activities touching the lives of millions of people. The poster can be downloaded from www.ritablitt.com. In 1993 Blitt gifted a thank you sculpture through the UN to Norway for their participation in bringing Israel and the Palestinians together for their first step towards peace. She then sent to every country in the United Nations a “Kindness” poster and a print made in honor of Norway reminding all countries to reach out and help one another.

Blitt was the keynote speaker at the 2007 Texas Art Educators conference after which Karen Harman reported “the educators were moved and inspired by your workshop and keynote presentation.  Your sharing of your passion for art, your innovations and creative results, and especially your thought processes on the how and why you create your art, gave a shout of encouragement and validation to all present.  You reminded us all of the joy and love we have for the act of creating and the importance of being an artist.”