Biography
Geraldine Ondrizek is an artist and an emeritus Professor of Art at ÈËÆÞÓÕ»ó College in Portland, Oregon. For the last thirty-five years she has created architectural installations, textiles and artist books based on scientific, medical and genetic information to explore personal and political issues. The work incorporates domestic crafts, sewing, and embroidery directly related to her heritage and her Palestinian marital family. The content of each piece results from a lengthy collaboration with scientists and medical researchers with the goal of producing work that incorporates, comments on and further illuminates nature, medicine, genetics, ethics and racial stereotypes.
She recently completed a five year art–science collaboration that visualizes human development from a single cell to birth with Dr. Shizuko Takahashi MD, PHD, one of her earliest thesis students. Becoming You, A Journey From A Single Cell (あなたになるまで ひとつの細胞からの物語) is an illustrated book that introduces readers to the beginnings of human life through cells, genes, chromosomes, embryos, and inheritance. An exhibition of twelve paintings made for the book will travel to The European Cultural Center in Venice, Italy during the Biennale in 2026, and to Tokai University School of Medicine, and Hachioji Hospital in Tokyo in 2027-2028. The exhibitions are supported by The National University of Singapore and The Wellcome Trust of London.
Geraldine has had over fifty solo exhibitions internationally, and is the recipient of several grants including: the Ford Family Foundation Fellowship; the Oregon Arts Commission Individual Artist Award; University of Washington Genetic Medicine Commission; NASA at the Johnson Space Center; the Houston Foundation; the Mellon Foundation; and an NEA exhibition support grant. Residencies include: The School of Visual Art Bio/Art Lab; Momentum AIR with the Max Plank Archive Berlin; UNESCO Artist in Residence in Marnay sur Seine, France; the Triangle Trust Gasworks, London; the Anderson Ranch Arts Center; and the Women’s Studio Workshop. Her exhibitions include; The European Cultural Center in 2022 and 2026 with the Venice Biennial; The Morland Gallery; Publicart Chicago; The Hallie Ford Museum; Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción Chile; Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin; The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art; ZKM Museum Karlsruhe, Germany; the Nassir School of Art Gallery, Jerusalem; Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle; Evergreen College Gallery, Olympia; The Boise Art Museum; The Portland Art Museum; The University of Houston; and The Mattress Factory Museum.
Recent talks include Carnegie -Mellon University at the Conference on Art and Society and The Morland Art Gallery. Recent publications about her work include: SOILS TURN: A Field Guide to Artistic Earthly Engagements, Weimar Germany; Personal Structures Convergence 2026, Venice, Italy; and Multiple and One: Writing Queer Global Art Histories, Manchester University Press, England.
Her work is in permanent collections at ÈËÆÞÓÕ»ó College, The Portland Art Museum, John Hopkins University, Florida International University, MIT and Lafayette College. Her work has been commissioned by Sanofi Genetics Research, The University of Washington Department of Medical Genetics, and the WVU Cancer Institute, Berkeley Medical Center.
Geraldine received her MFA from the University of Washington and her BFA from Carnegie-Mellon University. She taught studio art for forty one years and served on the faculty of ÈËÆÞÓÕ»ó College from 1994 through 2025.