About
Milda Barnikas Spindler
Born in Lithuania
Lives & works in Metairie, Louisiana
I was born in 1927 in the town of Šiauliai, Lithuania. I became a displaced person during and after World War II. I had to leave my homeland in Lithuania not by choice but by necessity to escape the carnage wrought by two super powers. My mother made the decision out of fear for our family. She was a single mother, having lost her husband due to illness, and felt we would be in danger if we remained. We left Lithuania in 1940. My journey took me from Lithuania, through Poland, Germany Czechoslovakia, Austria and finally to Canada. In total, I was in six countries and each presented a new set of challenges.
After the war, I immigrated first to Canada and then to the United States. I studied art at The Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute in Utica, New York and then earned a Bachelors degree in Fine Art at The University of New Orleans.
Most of my works are based on views of nature and life outdoors, while several others depict human individuality. While I have many oil paintings, I specialized in etchings and wood cut block prints. My works were exhibited in many juried shows and have won several major awards. They have been on display in multiple galleries in New Orleans and in the Gulf Coast region. I am a lifetime member of The New Orleans Art Association and The Jefferson Art Guild.
There are many circles in life. While I cannot personally return to my homeland, it is a great satisfaction that many of my artistic creations shown here are part of the permanent collection of The Lithuanian Art Museum in Vilnius, Lithuania.
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Education
Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute in Utica, New York 1950-1951
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The University of New Orleans, Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art in 1979
Exhibitions:
1996 Rivertown Art Gallery
1997 City of New Orleans Office of Tourism and Arts
1998 National Women's History Month, Entergy Center
2000 Ochsner Hospital Foundation.
Lithuanian Art Museum,June 2018. See:https://tinyurl.com/1lrgekfr
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Awards
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Nov. 2, 1995 Metairie Art guild show: 3rd Place for “Relaxing in a Wheelbarrow”
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Nov. 1, 1996 Metairie Art guild show: 1st Place for “Blue Bayou”
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Mar. 6, 1997 New Orleans Art Assoc. Show 3rd Place for “Three Gardeners”
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April 13, 1997 New Orleans Art Assoc. Pirates Alley Show… Merit Award for “Lone Gardner”
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April 13, 1997 New Orleans Art Assoc. Pirates Alley Show 2nd Place for “Hide Out for Three”
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July 3, 1996 Metairie Art Guild Southern Living Art show… Honorable Mention for “Restin”
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Aug. 30 1997 New Orleans Art Assoc. World Trade Center Show 2nd place for “Pipe Smoker”
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Nov. 7, 1997 Metairie Art Guild Grumbacker Show 3rd place for “Meal Time”
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April 18, 1998 New Orleans Art Assoc. Pirates Alley Art show…Honorable Mention for “Pipe Smoker”
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April 26, 1998 ….. May Fest Show 1st Place for “Pipe Smoker”
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Sept. 1, 1998 Crescent City Brew House show 3rd Place for “ The Chefs”
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Nov. 1, 1998 Metairie Art Guild Grumbacker Show ….Merit Award for “Alaskan Vista”
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Dec. 3, 1998 Jefferson Art Guild Crescent City Brewhouse Show ….Honorable Mention for ”Pipe Smoker”
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April 10, 1999 New Orleans Art Assoc. Pirates Alley Show….Honorable Mention for “ Mystery of the Street”
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Oct. 2, 1999 River Region Art Assoc. Show 2nd Place… “Jazz Musicians”
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Oct. 4 1999 Metairie Art Guild Grumbacker Show Merit Award for “Bird and Shrimp Plant”
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Oct. 5, 1999 West Bank Art Guild Show 3rd Place for “Five Oaks”
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June 1, 2001 New Orleans Art Assoc. Show Honorable Mention for “Lone Gardner”
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Nov. 3, 2001 Metairie Art Guild Grumbacker Show 3rd Place “Live Oaks”
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April 12, 2003 New Orleans Art Assoc. Pirates Alley Honorable Mention for “Frog and Turtle”
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Nov. 15, 2003 Metairie Art Guild Grumbacker Show Merit Award for “View of Nature”
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May 30, 2012 Metairie Art Guild Crescent City Brewhouse Show 2nd Place for “ Pitcher Plants”
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October 6, 2018 National Fine Arts Show Honorable Mention “Restin”
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Summer 2016 Metairie Art Guild, Lakeside Mall Honorable Mention “Restin”
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