Cicely Carew | |
|---|---|
 Carew in 2018 | |
| Born | 1982 (age 42–43) Los Angeles, California, US |
| Education | Lesley University (MFA) MassArt (BFA) |
| Known for | Abstract installations |
| Style | Mixed media |
| Website | cicelycarew.com |
Cicely Carew (born 1982) is an American mixed-media artist in the Boston area. She is best known for her abstract installations located in museum galleries and public spaces.
Carew was born in Los Angeles [1] in 1982. [2] She received her BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2005 [3] and her MFA from Lesley University in 2020. [4] She is a painter, printmaker, and public artist specializing in abstract installations. She draws inspiration from Wangechi Mutu, Beatriz Milhazes, and Julie Mehretu. Her work is held in academic, corporate, and private collections, including those of Fidelity Investments, Simmons University, Northeastern University, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and the Cambridge Arts Council. She has also worked on commercial projects ranging from public art for Peloton stores in New York to cover art for the Boston Art Review. [1] [5]
Carew has received the 2021 St. Botolph Club Foundation Emerging Artist Award, an Artful Seeds Fellowship, and a Sustainable Arts Foundation Award. In 2023, she was a recipient of the James and Audrey Foster Prize from Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art. Carew also served as the 2021–2022 artist in residence at Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and taught screen printing for Lesley University. [5] [6]
On October 28, 2024, the Student Government Association of Northeastern University voted to remove Carew’s "Rooted" art installation from Krentzman Quad after more than 1,870 students signed a petition arguing for its removal on the grounds that it did not fit in with the existing architecture. The art installation comprised five 15-foot-tall structures made of steel, aluminum mesh, and translucent plexiglass meant to resemble flowers. In describing the project, Carew explained that the goal of the art piece was to “inspire wonder and allow for enchantment.” [7] The installation was removed in April 2025. [8]
Carew lives in Cambridge with her son and keeps a studio in Waltham. [5]