Ada Friedman draws on interior and exterior research to make her paintings. In her studio routine, transparency, time, and storytelling work in tandem with oil and acrylic paint, colored pencil, pastel, papers, Mylar, handwritten text, and more. Through movement, she connects the mapping of space in a painting to gestures of the body–like pacing–linking drawing and painting intrinsically to performance. Friedman has had recent solo and two-person exhibitions at David Peter Francis, NYC (2024); Kendra Jayne Patrick, Bern, Switzerland (2022); and The University of Tennessee Downtown Gallery, Knoxville, TN (2022). Her plays or time-based paintings have been staged in NYC at Essex Flowers, All Saints Church, and Safe Gallery. She holds an MFA from Bard College in Painting and has participated in residencies including Shandaken Projects, NY, and Clay Break at The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. She is a founding member of Essex Flowers, an artist-run cooperative gallery in NYC. Currently, the 2025-2026 Grant Wood Fellow in Painting & Drawing at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Friedman lives and works in NYC and the Texas Hill Country.
ADA FRIEDMAN
EDUCATION2017 MFA, Painting, Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
2006 BA, Studio Art, minor Art History, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
2005 Painting and Printmaking exchange semester, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Scotland
SOLO & TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2026 Ana Mendieta Gallery, Visual Art Building, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA [catalogue]
2025 Star, Kendra Jayne Patrick, Bern, Switzerland [catalogue]
The Independent with Constanza Kramer Garfias, Kendra Jayne Patrick, New York, NY
2024 Ballads, with Helen Adam, David Peter Francis, New York, NY
2023 Positions, Art Basel Miami Beach, Kendra Jayne Patrick, Miami, FL
2022 Paintings in Pisces, Kendra Jayne Patrick Gallery, Bern, Switzerland
A Rose Goes, with Lynne Ghenov, University of TN Downtown Gallery, Knoxville, TN [catalogue]
2020 Everyday Drawings and Pyramids, Grifter, New York, NY
2018 Amanda Friedman / Peter LaBier, Safe Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2016 Jane, Grace, and Emily, 17 Essex, New York, NY
2014 Devil’s Dust, with Alissa Mckendrick, SouthFirst Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2013 The Alfred Jensen Painting at Bellevue Hospital, with Laura Hunt, Situations, Brooklyn, NY
2012 Amanda Friedman, Eli Ping, New York, NY
SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 September, Shore, Vienna, Austria. Curated by Otto Bonnen for Curated by–16th edition
A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, Nature of Things, Dallas, TX
Kiss Pattern, Utopia, Kingston, NY
2024 Painting Deconstructed, Ortega y Gasset, Brooklyn NY. Curated by Leeza Meksin [catalogue]
Files, Kunsthalle Zurich Backrooms, Zurich, Switzerland. Curated by Otto Bonnen
I do not know what it is I am like, Stairwell Space, Bridgeport, CT. Curated by Terri C. Smith
2023 Perennials: 10 Years of Essex Flowers, Essex Flowers, New York, NY
Cecilia Caldiera, Ada Friedman, Brandon Morris, Yeh Art Gallery, St. John’s University, Queens, NY
2022 Jump All The Morning, Ladies’ Room, Los Angeles, CA. Curated by Ariel Dill
Afterimage, Ernestine, Livingston Manor, NY. Curated by Lizzie Wright
2021 Turn Onz, Detroit, NADA House, Governors Island, New York, NY. Curated by Jeff Tranchell
2020 The Essential Goods Show, Fisher Parrish Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Cloud Memories, White Columns Online. Curated by Adrian Rubenstein
2019 Bernadette Mayer’s Synesthesia, Brodsky Gallery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
2018 SASD and HCC Faculty Show, Schelfhaudt Gallery, University of Bridgeport, CT
2017 Power to the Peaceful, Situations, New York, NY
2016 Summer Anagram, NURTUREart, Brooklyn, NY. Curated by Marco Antonini
Turing’s Apple, Redling Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA. Organized by Tony Oursler
2015 6.021 MaMA Cubicle (with Miniature Garden), MoMA Cubicle, NYC. Curated by Zanna Gilbert
Being Essex Flowers, Adds Donna, Chicago, IL. Curated by Kendra Patrick
2014 Mental Furniture, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Curated by Petrellas Imports
SP Weather Reports, Center for Book Arts, NYC. Curated by Natalie Campbell & Heidi Neilson
to fade and peer at, FJORD Gallery, Philadelphia, PA. Curated by Jamie Felton & Zach Rawe
The Last Brucennial, The Bruce High Quality Foundation, New York, NY
2013 Snail Salon, Regina Rex, Queens, NY. Curated by Adrianne Rubenstein
The Rose Show, Cleopatra’s, Brooklyn, NY
DIY PLINTH, do it (outside), Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens, NY. Organized by Rachel Higgins
2012 Primary, Nudashank, Baltimore, MD. Curated by Jamillah James
VIII, Vox Populi Gallery, Philadelphia, PA. Juried by Ruba Katrib & Marlo Pascual
Joey, The Active Space, Brooklyn, NY. Curated by Gina Beavers
2011 Between the Eyes, FAB Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth Fine Arts Building, Richmond, VA
2010 Graphomania, Garbage man/Astronaut Project Space, Portland, OR
Big Apple, Clifton Benevento, New York, NY
2009 IF THE DOGS ARE BARKING, Artists Space, NYC. Curated by Apartment Show
SELECT COLLABORATIONS, PERFORMANCES
2025 Bad Stars by Amanda Horowitz, Collapsible Hole, New York, NY. Performer
2024 Helen Rides 7, David Peter Francis, New York, NY. Wrote, directed, choreography, set
2021 17th Street Ghost, Gordon Robichaux, NYC (with the Rosemary Mayer Estate)
Between Myself, Cricket, and Coyote by Amanda Horowitz, Bad Water, Knoxville, TN. Performer
2020 February Ghosts, Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland (with Nick Mauss and Rosemary Mayer Estate)
2019 Helen Rides, All Saints Church, NYC. Wrote, directed, set, costumes
2017 Performance with Delia Gonzalez and Rich Porter, Situations, Athens, Greece
Caucasian Chalk Circle, IMPURE FICTION, Kunstverein Hannover,Germany. Set, props, production
A Pink Chair, The Wooster Group, NYC. Assisted with production, rehearsals, props, set
2016 Turn Again, in conjunction with Rosemary Mayer exhibition, SouthFirst Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Keychain Stream Dream, NY Flowers Fest, Essex Flowers, NYC. Wrote, designed, directed
2014 Drawing Hilma: An Event, The Shandaken Project, Shandaken, NY. Organized with Ariel Dill
2013 Campfire Book Launch, White Columns, NYC. Organized with Peradam
2013-15 Co-founded and ran Essex Flowers, an artist-run cooperative gallery, NYC
SELECT AWARDS, GRANTS, RESIDENCIES
2025-26 Grant Wood Painting & Drawing Fellowship, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
2024 2025 Catherine Doctorow Prize for Contemporary Painting, Nomination, UMOCA
2020-21 Artist-in-Residence, NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs & Dept. of Aging and Brooklyn Arts Council
Professional Development Grant, Housatonic Community College, Bridgeport, CT
2019 Clay Break Residency, University of Arkansas School of Art, Fayetteville, AR
2018 Performing & Playwriting Residency, School of Making & Thinking, Prattsville, NY
2016 Hartog Fund Travel Grant, Bard MFA, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Emerging Artist Grant, New York Nominee, Rema Hort Mann Foundation
2013 Autocenter Summer Academy, Berlin, Germany
2012 The Shandaken Project, Shandaken, NY
2007 Vermont Studio Center, Fellowship Artist, Johnson, VT
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Etter, Ian. “Review: “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place: An Homage to Dave Hickey”.” Glasstire, May 29, 2025.
Davis, Ben. “Works to Remember From Independent’s Elegant 2025 Edition.” Artnet, May 9, 2025.
Zhang, Lisa Yin. “Downtown New York Shines at the Independent Art Fair.” Hyperallergic, May 9, 2025.
Buhe, Elizabeth. “Ada Friedman and Helen Adam: Ballads.” The Brooklyn Rail, November 26, 2024.
Tenser, Alina. “Ada Friedman by Alina Tenser.” BOMB Magazine, November 20, 2024.
Deng, Qingyuan. “Painting Time.” Family Style, November 7, 2024.
Sullivan, Jennifer. “Interview: Amanda Friedman.” It's A Process Podcast, May 24, 2021.
Coiro, Alec. “Amanda Friedman and Peter LaBier at Safe Gallery.” Ravelin, May 2018.
Russeth, Andrew. “The Road Less Traveled - A Few Reviews From….” Art News, Dec. 11, 2015.
Russeth, Andrew. “10 Things to Do in NY’s Art World Before February 15,” GalleristNY. February 10, 2014.
Vartanian, Hrag. “Remember When Milli Vanilli Were Artists?” Hyperallergic. January 31, 2014.
Breslav, Sonel. “Just Another Day At The Beach.” Blonde Art Books. January 6, 2014.
Patrick, Kendra. “Thought Forms: Amanda B. Friedman.” turbulence. January 11, 2014.
Russeth, Andrew, “The Year in, an Beyond, the Galleries.” GalleristNY. December 18, 2013.
Rutherford, Michael. “AMANDA FRIEDMAN: INTERVIEW.” Painter’s Bread. March 9, 2013.
Russeth, Andrew, “2013 in 2033.” GalleristNY. February 23, 2013.
Gava, Kylie. “January 2013: Issue 07.” FORGETGOOD, January 2013.
Ober, Cara. "Bmoreart's Best Baltimore Exhibitions of 2012." Bmoreart. Dec. 29, 2012.
Vartanian, Hrag. “9 Artists to Watch from the 2012 Bushwick Open Studios.” Hyperallergic. June 12, 2012.
SELECT PUBLICATIONS, INTERVIEWS & CONTRIBUTIONS
2025 Star, exhibition catalog, published by Hassla NYC
Studio Check-In Forms/Diary Contribution, Mutt Art Review, Summer, 2025
2014 Drawing Hilma Af Klint, artist book made with artists Ariel Dill and Denise Schatz, published by Miniature Garden NYC
2013 Because Nothing Ends, artist book, published by Peradam NYC
“Conversation with artist and writer Mira Shor,” Art21 Blog. March, 2013.
2011 “Interview with artist Josh Kline,” Art21 Blog. December 16, 2011.
“Interview with Erin Sickler of Arts & Labor,” Art21 Blog. December 12, 2011.
SELECT ARTIST TALKS, VISITING CRITIC EXPERIENCE
2026 Stanley Museum of Art, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
2024 Brooklyn College MFA Program, Brooklyn, NY
2023 Housatonic Museum of Art, Bridgeport, CT
2022 School of Art at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN
2019 University of Arkansas School of Art, Fayetteville, AR
Visiting Critic, Interdisciplinary Thesis, Sculpture Department, MICA, Baltimore, MD
Star in night studio, April 2025