tonilee@sangastiano.com
@leetoni
Toni-Lee Sangastiano: Carnivalesque, Lucille M. and Richard F. X. Spagnuolo South Gallery at Georgetown University, 2021. Photograph by Gregory Staley.
Visit the virtual exhibition of Carnivalesque.
Want to see all of my sideshow banners or commission your own banner? Visit sideshowbanners.com.
ARTIST BIO
As a scholar of the carnivalesque and an internationally exhibiting artist, Dr. Toni-Lee Sangastiano studies the postmodern sideshow's American and European processional origins, and its relevance to contemporary language, aesthetics, and media. She makes visible the people and spaces of the postmodern sideshow and freak show, the codes of normality they challenge as social activism onstage, and the circus through contemporary realism and maker technology. As a leading sideshow banner painter and scholar, she produced this early form of advertisement for the last permanent sideshow in Coney Island during the “sideshow Renaissance” of the 1990s. Sangastiano also approaches the circus and the sideshow, two distinct types of performances, through mixed media and video. She is primarily trained in art theory, aesthetics, and visual arts, but her work also engages philosophy through analysis of power structures, language, and theories of the body within the canon of art history and design.
She is a Digital Media Specialist and Associate Professor of the Practice in Studio Art and Digital Media in the Art & Art History Department of Georgetown University, where she teaches visual communication, design, and art courses. She is a core faculty member in Georgetown's Medical Humanities Initiative, and she also conducts research with its Massive Data Institute through a unique partnership using neural nets and machine learning to recognize hard-to-find sideshow banners in archival databases worldwide.
Sangastiano earned a B.A. in Art with a concentration in illustration and graphic design from Fairleigh Dickinson University, NJ, and an MFA in studio art at Montclair State University, NJ. She studied classical drawing and painting at the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, and earned a Ph.D. in Visual Arts: Philosophy, Aesthetics and Art Theory, from the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts, Portland, ME. Carnivalesque, Sangastiano’s most recent solo exhibition was at the Lucille M. and Richard F. X. Spagnuolo Gallery at Georgetown University. Her work has also been exhibited at the Yale School of Art’s Edgewood Gallery, the Coney Island Museum, the Robert Hull Fleming Museum, the Shelburne Museum, Tate Modern, London, and is included in the permanent collection of the Robert A. Facchina Italian American Museum of Washington DC (IAMDC).
coney island Museum: Ask the Experts Toni-Lee Sangastiano
Dr. Toni-Lee Sangastiano sideshowbanners.com Toni-Lee Sangastiano's Art is a sideshow banner painter and multidisciplinary artist whose work examines the carnivalesque through painting, printmaking, books arts, typography, and maker technology. Find out how Coney Island inspired her art as she joins us for the Coney Island Museum's Ask the Experts - Live on Zoom, Wednesday, April 14th at 7pm, ET!
Georgetown University Art galleries — Public Dialogue: Carnivalesque
Join the GU Art Galleries for a conversation with performers Sara H. Bird Girl and Johnathan Lee Iverson, moderated by Prof. Toni-Lee Sangastiano. Coinciding with the exhibition Toni-Lee Sangastiano: Carnivalesque, currently on view in Spagnuolo South, Sangastiano’s artwork makes visible the people and spaces of the carnival, celebrating them in all of their wonder, glitter, grit, genius, and eccentricity.
Sarah H. Bird Girl is a performer, arts manager, Cirque du Soleil and Coney Island castmate, and Koo Koo the Bird Girl freakshow historian.
Johnathan Lee Iverson was the youngest and first African American Ringmaster in the nearly 150-year history of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.
Circus and its others conference, U.C. Berkley
Sideshow and Circus: Pandemic Adaptations and the Dialogic: As a result of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the United States, like many other countries, has moved a majority of professional and personal activities online. Performances that rely on the presence and energy of a physical audience are prohibited in order to “flatten the curve” or further prevent the spread of COVID-19. Face-to-face encounters are prohibited as life-saving and life-affirming acts. How have sideshows, variety performers and circuses adapted to this sudden virtual shift when they rely on the face-to-face encounter?
selected exhibitions
2024
Visual Aids, Postcards from the Edge, Berry Campbell Gallery, NYC
2022-23
Toni-Lee Sangastiano: Carnivalesque,* Lucille M. and Richard F. X. Spagnuolo South Gallery at Georgetown University, Washington DC (August 2022-May 2023)
2021
Toni-Lee Sangastiano: Carnivalesque,* Lucille M. and Richard F. X. Spagnuolo South Gallery at Georgetown University, Washington DC
The Art of Coney Island. Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC), Brooklyn, NY
The Parade is Coming. Studio Place Arts Gallery, Barre, VT
Opening reception for permanent collection (TBA). Italian American Museum of Washington DC (IAMDC), Washington DC.
Visual Aids, Postcards from the Edge. 2021. First virtual exhibition and auction.
2020
Studio Montclair Postcards. 2020. Montclair, NJ.
Authentic Marks 2020. Dubai Art Week, Dubai, UAE (catalogue).
2019
Journeys Onward, Wickford Art Association, RI (Jurors: Alicia Dietz, sculptor, furniture maker and mixed media artist, and U.S. Army veteran Blackhawk (UH-60) pilot and company commander who served in Iraq and worldwide and Paul Bouchard , a sculptor and painter, and U.S. Navy veteran who served aboard the destroyer USS Ramsey in the Western Pacific during the Vietnam War.
2018
Writing on the Wall, Curve Gallery Exhibition, Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD (Juror: Roberta Pardo, founder of Urban Walls Brazil, Board Member of the Arts Council of Anne Arundel).
D•CONSTRUCTION: Metamorphosis of the City, Office Space Gallery, Detroit, MI.
Sexual Violence Awareness Month Art Show, presented by the Survivor's Council of H.O.P.E. Works, Hive Collective, Burlington, VT.
Art Hop Open Studio, Burlington, VT.
Authentic Marks 2018. Dubai Art Week, Dubai, UAE (catalogue).
2017
Papering the Town: Circus Posters in America. Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT.
Art Hop Open Studio, Burlington, VT.
2016
Papering the Town: Circus Posters in America. Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT.
Faculty Exhibition. CCM Gallery, Champlain College, Burlington, VT.
Art Hop Open Studio, Burlington, VT.
Studio Montclair Viewpoints 2016. aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art. Newark, NJ. Juror: Mary Birmingham, Curator at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey.
Art & Soul Presents: Women in the Arts. MANA Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ.
Visual AIDS Postcards From The Edge. Sikkema Jenkins & CO, NY.
Sodom By The Sea Salon. Coney Island Museum. Coney Island, NY. November 7, 2015 —February 6, 2016. Closing reception: February 8 from 2 to 4:30 pm.
2015
Sodom By The Sea Salon. Coney Island Museum. Coney Island, NY. November 7, 2015 —February 6, 2016. Opening reception: Saturday, November 7 from 2 to 4:30 pm.
MADE, curated by curated Wylie Garcia, Mark Waskow, and DJ Hellerman. SEABA Gallery. Burlington, VT.
Art of Horror. SPACE Gallery. Burlington, VT.
Faculty Exhibition. CCM Gallery, Champlain College. Burlington, VT.
Art + Soul. Dunkiel Saunders. Burlington, VT.
Sideshow. Edgewood Avenue Gallery, Yale School of Art. New Haven, CT. January 13 –March 20, 2015 (catalogue).
Robin Jaffee Frank. Coney Island: Visions of An American Dreamland, 1861-2008, exhibition catalogue. Hartford: Yale University Press and Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 2015.
We Are The South End. SEABA Gallery. Burlington, VT. January 9, 2015 – January 30, 2015.
Artist Philosopher. AW Asia. New York, NY (catalogue).
Visual AIDS Postcards from the Edge Benefit. Luhring Augustine Gallery, New York, NY.
2014
Art Studio Exhibiton at Richmond University, Florence, Italy.
Amazing Marvels. Off Rhode Gallery, Washington D.C. (Exhibition image).
Insta-Artist. Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, Dowell, MD. Juror: Ryan Hill, Director of Digital Learning Programs, at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden.
Visual AIDS Postcards from the Edge Benefit, Luhring Augustine Gallery. New York, NY.
2013
Barnstormers Studio Stroll. The Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT.
Visual Aids Postcards From The Edge Benefit. Sikkema Jenkins Co. New York, NY.
2012
Tracey Moberly: TWEET ME UP!. The Tanks, Tate Modern, London, England.
20 Mediums. S.P.A.C.E. Gallery, Burlington, VT.
2011
Drawing Connections. Sienna Art Institute, Sienna, Italy.
Church of Circus. 152 Cherry Street (Old Outdoor Gear Exchange), Burlington, VT. Festival of Fools special event/pop up gallery. August 5 – August 31, 2011 Opening Reception: August 5, 2011.
Supersize: is bigger better?. Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, Dowell, MD. Jurors: Nancy Davis, Curator, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution & James F. Langley, Curator of Exhibitions, Calvert Marine Museum.
Wide Open 2, Curated by Nathan Trotman, Associate Curator of the Soloman R. Guggenheim Museum, BWAC, Brooklyn, NY, March 12 – 27, 2011 weekends 11-4 P.M.
Under the Big Top: The Fine Art of the Circus in America, The Fleming Museum, January 25 - May 22, 2011. Opening Reception: Thursday, February 3, 2011 from 5:30–7:30 P.M.
Visual AIDS Postcards from the Edge Benefit, CRG Gallery. New York, NY.
2010
Circus Day In America (40 ft x 15 ft commissioned outdoor bannerline installation) Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT.
The Funny Face Project, Jonathan O’Hara Gallery. New York, NY.
Art Hop Juried Show, Soda Plant, Burlington, VT.
Hoff’s Harmonica Cases, North End Studio, Burlington, VT.
Housing Works Design On A Dime, Metropolitan Pavillion, New York, NY.
Get Your Freak On, Space 242, Boston, MA.
I Heart Art. Work Gallery, Brooklyn, New York, NY.
Visual AIDS Postcards from the Edge Benefit, ZieherSmith, New York, NY.
2009
Art Hop Juried Show, Burlington, VT.
The 6th International Juried Exhibition curated by J. McNamara, SICA, Long Branch, NJ.
Circus Art, Studio Place Arts, Barre, VT.
Visual AIDS Postcards From The Edge Benefit, Metro Pictures, New York, NY.
2008
Night of 1000 Drawings, Artists Space Benefit, New York, NY.
Art Hop Juried Show, Burlington, VT.
2007
Visual AIDS Postcards From The Edge Benefit, James Cohen Gallery, New York, NY.
Art Hop Juried Show, Burlington, VT.
Gridworks, Flynndog, Burlington, VT
Iconographies, VCAM Space, Burlington, VT.
2006
Step Right Up...Portraits of a Sideshow, Living Learning Gallery, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT.
The 9th Annual Mermaid Show, Coney Island Museum, Brooklyn, New York.
The Drawing Show, Organization of Independent Artists, Gallery 402, New York, NY.
CCV Faculty Exhibition, Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts, Burlington, VT.
Artists That Teach, Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts, Burlington, VT
2005
Night of 1000 Drawings, Artists Space Benefit, NYC
Visual AIDS Postcards From The Edge Benefit, Robert Miller Gallery, NYC
Art Faculty Exhibition, University College Art Gallery, FDU, Teaneck, NJ
Art Helps: Art Auction to Benefit Survivors of Hurricane Katrina, JDK, Burlington, VT
Art Hop Open Studio, Burlington, VT
Art Hop Juried Show, Maltex Building, Burlington, VT
The Drawing Show, Organization of Independent Artists, Gallery 402, NYC
Artists Aid New Orleans Benefit Art Show, Ch’i Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
The EXCHANGE Exhibitions, Salena Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
The 8th Annual Mermaid Show, Coney Island Museum, Brooklyn, NY
Auction (online), Artists Paint for Peace, NY
Babes, The Many Aspects of a Woman, Holland Tunnel, Brooklyn, NY
Digitally Mediated, Organization of Independent Artists, NYC
2004
Artcard, Sharjah Art Museum, United Arab Emirates
Art Auction, University College Art Gallery, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ
Visual AIDS Postcards From The Edge Benefit, Brent Sikkema Gallery, NYC
Art Faculty Exhibition, Liberty International Airport, Newark, NJ
Fresh Meat/Young Blood: NJ’s Newest Masters, Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts (SICA), Long Branch, NJ
12 and Under, Amos Eno Gallery, NYC
The 7th Annual Mermaid Show, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY
Spectra, Diesel Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Arts Alive, Union Station Gallery, Burlington, VT
Pushing the Envelope, Flynndog, Burlington, VT
Krispy Juicy, MFA Thesis Exhibition, Montclair State University, White Box Annex, NYC
Domestic Affairs, Equality Now art benefit, Locus Media Gallery, NYC
Flush, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
Process Progress, Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts, Burlington, VT
Tunnel of Love, Holland Tunnel, Brooklyn, NY
2003
Night of 1000 Drawings, Artists Space Benefit, NYC
Art Faculty Exhibition, Liberty International Airport, Newark, NJ
Art Faculty Exhibition, University College Art Gallery, FDU, Teaneck, NJ
14 @ 1978, Gallery 1978, Maplewood, NJ, Curated by Erinn Frayer
McKinsey & Co., Florham Park, NJ
The 6th Annual Mermaid Show, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY
2002
Portraits, Asbury Art Center, Asbury Park, NJ
2001
Auction, Coney Island Museum, Brooklyn, NY
The 4th Annual Mermaid Show, State of Art Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
BWAC Pier Show Nine, Brooklyn, NY
2000
Ozzfest 2000, National Rock Festival of the United States, Sponsoring Agent: Electric Eden, Brooklyn, NY
Further Fest, National Rock Festival of the United States, Sponsoring Agent: Electric Eden, Brooklyn, NY
Night of 1000 drawings, Artists Space Benefit, NYC
BWAC Pier Show Eight, Brooklyn, NY
1998
Sideshow Banners, History & Visual Presentation, National Collegiate Council Conference, hosted by Oklahoma State University, Chicago, IL
Sideshow Banners, Northeast National Collegiate Honors Council Annual Conference Co-hosted by Gallaudet University and Howard University, Kellogg Conference Center, Washington D.C.
Sideshow Banners, History & Visual Presentation, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, NJ
1997
Sideshows By The Seashore, Coney Island USA, nonprofit organization, Brooklyn, NY
