A self-taught sculptor, Judy Onofrio has been creating art for over forty years. Over the course of her career, she has worked in various mediums and on different levels: ceramics, large-scale installations, fire performances, and wood constructions. For the last fifteen years, her art has focused on her life-long obsession with collecting.
Onofrio’s sculptures are narrative in nature, often based on happenings in her everyday life, and incorporate both found and carved objects. Heavily encrusted with a mosaic of beads, ceramic, and/or glass, her sculptures recreate whole worlds of magic and life.
For years leading arts organizations have recognized Onofrio’s talent for both creating and advocating art. Her accomplishments include the Rochester Art Center Lifetime Achievement Award; the Minnesota Crafts Council Lifetime Achievement Award; grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board; and fellowships from the NEA and the Bush Foundation.
In 2005, Onofrio received the McKnight Foundation Distinguished Artist award for her ongoing contributions as an artist and educator in the state of Minnesota.
