Barbara Straussberg
Barbara Straussberg is an abstract painter, printmaker and paper artist working in Philadelphia. Her process is material based and explores the intersection of ancient paper art with contemporary abstract painting. Her studio practice encompasses painting, drawing, printmaking, paper sculpture and collage.
As an abstract painter, Straussberg was attracted to the painterly process of monotype printing. During a recent residency at Zea Mays Printmaking, she concentrated on the technique of Akua viscosity monotype printing (one plate inked to achieve a multi-plate affect) and learned how to create a Photopolymer plate (image made from a photograph).
Straussberg’s experimental approach to art making moved the works she began during her residency in new directions. She rediscovered the joy of using textural collagraph plates she created years ago, connecting her past with the present.
She was initially drawn to a circle collagraph plate because of its lively texture and shape. She then explored its potential as a form which lead to variations of a circle and new abstract shapes based on nature. As she used the circle shape as a layering element, she thought about its powerful meaning and visual associations: passage of time, life cycles, connections, loss, memory, light, hope, awe, moonscape and nature.
To further enrich the printed surface, collaged elements integrating handmade Asian papers with monotype rubbings and photographic images of her family were incorporated into the prints. Peering through the semi-transparent papers, a family member or veiled monotype will emerge, reminding Straussberg of a shared personal history, grounded in familial strength and hopeful in nature’s ability to transform.
Straussberg’s recent exhibitions include: “Material Memory: Twisted Lines, Rooted Forms” (Solo) Gravers Lane Gallery, Philadelphia (2025); “Echoes: 21st Annual Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition and Meyer Family Award for Contemporary Art” (Three Person) Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA (2024); “Paper Revealed” (Solo) Gravers Lane Gallery, Philadelphia (2022) and Allen’s Lane Art Center (Solo), Philadelphia (2020). Select group exhibitions include: “Works on Paper National Exhibition” (2024), Long Beach Island Foundation for the Arts and Sciences, NJ; “No Synthetic Colors”, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) Juried Alumni Exhibition, PAFA Museum (2023-2024); Looks Good on Paper”, National Juried Exhibition of Works on and of Paper, Pyramid Atlantic Center, MD (2022); Contemporary Craft, Delaware Art Museum (2018) and Gawanghwamoon International Art Fair (GIAF), Seoul, Korea (2011). Her works are in many private, museum and corporate collections such as: The Biggs Museum of American Art, SAP America, Fox Rothschild and Brandywine Realty Company (Lobby). Most recently, a feature article on Straussberg’s paperwork was included in “Printmakers Plus”, The Journal of the California Society of Printmakers (2025). She was awarded an Artist Residency at Zea Mays Printmaking, Fellowship at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and Merit Grant Residency at the Vermont Studio Center. Straussberg received a Bachelor of Arts degree with Distinction in Art History from the University of Pennsylvania, and Certificate in Painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
