Jeff Abbey Maldonado

Artist Bio

Jeff Abbey Maldonado is a Chicago-based artist working in a variety of media, including canvas painting, murals, prints and photography. His work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, universities and cultural centers in Chicago, New York, California, Arizona, Canada, Nicaragua and Turkey. Themes in his work range from his bi-cultural heritage to abstractions achieved through experimentation and exploration. He has also worked as an arts educator for the past several years and has worked with youth at the Cook County Juvenile Correction Facility.

Educational Philosophy 

Students possess the qualities which enable them to become artists. It is my job as a teaching artist to break through the wall of doubt to bring them to the level of inspiration in order to allow for that creativity to flourish. It all begins with the intention, the mindset, to take seriously the most powerful tools which we, as artists, possess. Those tools are also the most easily disregarded. It is in that spirit, to demystify the art-making process and introduce the qualities of the creative mind.