About

Katy Schneider’s work focuses on the power of light to tell stories. She is a twin in a family of nine. Growing up in a small NYC apartment, her paintings harken back to this upbringing: making the most of a small space, organizing chaos and uncovering human dynamics. She received a BA from Yale University and an MFA from Indiana University. Since 1990 she has taught all levels of painting and drawing at Smith College. She is a recipient of a Guggenheim and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, and of awards from the National Academy of Design and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her work is in numerous collections, including The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the New Britain Museum of American Art and the Smith College Museum of Art. She exhibits her paintings nationally and has also illustrated several award winning children’s books. Among various awards she received the prestigious Bank Street College of Education’s Book Award for “Once I Ate a Pie” (Harper Collins), written by Newbury Award winning author Patricia MacLachlan and Emily Charest Maclachlan. Music is also part of her artistic practice. Bands include Jerks on the Loose: a Roches Tribute band, Katyland (original songs, voice, guitar, pedal steel guitar), and Fancy Trash (lap and pedal steel) with whom she recorded two albums: “3 Cheers for the Cheated” and “As Is.”