Miriam Saphira PhD
Dr Miriam Saphira was born in 1941 in Kaimiro, Taranaki, Aotearoa/New Zealand and currently lives in Point Chevalier, Auckland. Miriam Saphira has exhibited in many group exhibitions and has had 23 solo exhibitions in New Zealand, Australia, London, France and Germany. She has nine books published and has edited two anthologies. Miriam was artist in residence at Hamilton in 2000. The mediums Miriam uses include oil painting, etching, and some three dimensional work including bronzes and glass. She has received four awards for her work in the community.
Artist Statement: The knowledge of our ancestors is restricted by what information is kept and passed on and what is discarded. My work has developed from research and writing to the establishment of a museum of lesbian culture. In my current art practice I use meditation in my studio, In a Jungian way I incubate and explore the myths, symbols and relationships from the depths of my subconscious. I mourn the waste of our native trees and timber and explore these themes through various mediums.
AWARDS:
1977 Zonta Woman of the Year Award
1982 Media Women’s Award
1990 Queen’s Commemoration Medal
1993 Suffrage Medal
2007 Life Member of NZAIDS Foundation
2010 Lesbian of the Year Award for contribution to the community
2016 Life Membership of GABA awarded
Academic Qualifications:
1976 Diploma in Clinical Psychology
1982 Etching Course, Auckland Society of Arts
1981 Educational Psychology Diploma
1990 PhD in Psychology
1994 Certificate in Women’s Art
1994 ASA Intermediate Certificate