Eunice LaFate – Biography Information
Page 1
About the Artist
Eunice LaFate was born on the island of Jamaica. Her creative vision finds its origin in the colors and
tones of the island’s people, landscapes, and culture.
While her homeland has had a major effect on her art, so too have her many experiences here in the
United States, where she has transitioned from her early career in education to human services
administration. LaFate has immersed herself in teaching and helping people of all ages and races,
which is why her creative spirit shows itself in art that emphasizes the beauty of human diversity and
the importance of cultural heritage. She also brings to her art her appreciation of natural splendors —
all in a universe that welcomes differences and celebrates rites of passage.
Influenced by the work of Grandma Moses and Bill Taylor, LaFate is an accomplished self-taught
artist who has been painting for more than 20 years. Her varied use of abstract imagery, line, pattern,
and color reflect this.
The winter season stimulates her creativity. In colder weather, her paints and brushes beckon her to
spend more time at work indoors. And in the quiet warmth of these days and nights, as LaFate
envisions her evolving worlds, she gives herself over to the process of rendering on paper and canvas
what she sees, intuits, and imagines.
Eunice LaFate served on the Delaware Department of Education’s Curriculum Framework
Commission for the Visual and Performing Arts. She is a member of the Delaware Center for the
Contemporary Arts, and her works have been exhibited in Juried, One Person, and Group Shows. In
1993 she opened LaFate Gallery as an additional resource that provides greater access to her
paintings.
LaFate Gallery
Wilmington, DE
www.lafategallery.com
19801
Eunice LaFate – Biography Information
Page 2
About Her Work
Eunice LaFate likes to work in contemporary, traditional, and folk art styles.
Her more traditional pieces present expansive Caribbean and American landscapes as well as bursts of
tropical foliage, resplendent sunrises, radiant sunsets. The uniqueness of her approach is in her ability
to portray the grace of the land, the power of a blossom, or the boldness of the sun through the
combination of naked color and pure form. Her descriptive brushstrokes add a compelling immediacy
to the work.
Her folk art pieces showcase her ability to imbue essential line and form with vibrant color to depict
the universal meaning that resides at the heart of everyday experience, the spirit that lives at the core of
our temporal existence.
LaFate’s contemporary and folk art paintings are arranged in two series:
Caribbean Folk Culture
These works capture the dignity, talents, and traditions of the Caribbean people. Also in this series you
will find Caribbean landscapes and tropical foliage.
Visions in Diversity
The pieces in this series reflect a world where diversity reigns.. .a peaceful place in which women and
children often carry the banner and reach for the dream of racial harmony. Two paintings in this series,
“Diversity” and “The Melting Pot vs. The Salad Bowl” are available as limited edition prints.
LaFate Gallery
Wilmington, DE
www.lafategallery.com
19801
Eunice LaFate – Biography Information
Page 3
Exhibition and Publication Profile
Juried Shows
Delaware Division of Arts Slide Registry – 2007
— Wilmington, Delaware
Delaware Division of Arts Slide Registry – 2004
— Wilmington, Delaware
Fine Arts at the Riverfront (RAL Production) – 2002
— Wilmington, Delaware
Ronald McDonald House Benefit Artfest 1998 and 2002
— Wilmington, Delaware
Pacem in Terris, Delaware Artists for Racial Unity - 2003
— Wilmington, Delaware
MidAtlantic Art/Crafts Show, Riverfront Arts Center – 2000
— Wilmington, Delaware
YWCA Gertrude White Gallery - 1998
— Greenwich, Connecticut
Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Members Juried Exhibition - 1995
—Wilmington, Delaware
Delaware Women’s Conference Art Exhibition - 2003
—Newark, Delaware
One-Person Shows
Delaware Center For Horticulture "Diverse Foliage", 2007
Wilmington, Delaware
Delaware City Arts Center "Visions in Diversity", 2007
Delaware City, Delaware
10 - Year Retrospective Art Show
11th & Orange Gallery
Wilmington, Delaware
Delaware State University, Wilmington Campus - 2002
— Wilmington, Delaware
Christina Cultural Arts Center - 2000
— Wilmington, Delaware
Springfield College, School of Human Services - 1998
— Springfield, Massachusetts
October Gallery - 1997
— Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
LaFate Gallery
Wilmington, DE
www.lafategallery.com
19801
Eunice LaFate – Biography Information
Page 4
Group Shows
Caribbean & Latin American Fine Art by the Sea
— South Street Seaport, New York & East Hampton, New York
Art Philadelphia Trade Show 2003
— Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Grace United Methodist Church – 2002
— Wilmington, Delaware
Delaware Artists for Racial Unity, Wilmington Public Library – 2001
—Wilmington, Delaware
Christina Cultural Arts Center - 2001
— Wilmington, Delaware
YWCA Gertrude White Gallery, Tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Exhibition - 1998
—Greenwich, Connecticut
LaFate Gallery
Wilmington, DE
www.lafategallery.com
19801
Eunice LaFate – Biography Information
Page 5
Work included in the Permanent Collections of:
William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library
— Little Rock, Arkansas
Dover Folk Life Collection
— Division of Parks and Recreation, Dover, Delaware
Awards
Christi Award for Outstanding Community Services/Volunteerism in the Arts, 2007
Individual Artist Fellowship Folk Arts and Crafts, Established Artist Category 2004
— Delaware Division of the Arts, Wilmington, Delaware
Honorable Mention – 2002
— “Christi Awards”, Christina Cultural Arts Center
Outstanding Artist Award – 1999
— Delaware Afro-American Historical Society
Merit Award - 1998
— Delaware Secretary of Education
Proclamation - 1996
— Mayor of the City of Wilmington, Delaware
Black Achiever in Business and Industry Award - 1990
— Chase USA, Wilmington, Delaware
Honoree— African American Women’s Conference
Publications
Exhibition Catalogue, Ten Year Retrospective,
“Knowing Nothing Better Than What She Lived”
—November 2003 Wilmington, Delaware
Cover Page, YMCA Delaware, 15th Annual Black Achievers in Business and Industry Awards
—2004 - Wilmington, Delaware
LaFate Gallery
Wilmington, DE
www.lafategallery.com
19801
Eunice LaFate – Biography Information
Page 6
Cover Page, Race Relations Manual published by the YWCA Study Circles Resource Center
—Pomfret, Connecticut
Documentary – YWCA’s “Coming Full Circle”
— Produced by TeleDuctions, Wilmington, Delaware
Cover Page, “Out and About Magazine,” May 1993 & November, 1997 editions
— Wilmington, Delaware
LaFate Gallery
Wilmington, DE
www.lafategallery.com
19801
Eunice LaFate – Biography Information
Page 7
Accomplishments/Affiliations
Nominee – Hall of Fame of Delaware Women - 2003
Public Speaker – “Folk Art and Culture” – 2001-2003
— Delaware Humanities Speakers Forum
Nominee — Delaware Governor’s Awards for the Arts
Member, Board of Overseers, Delaware College of Art and Design – 1997 - Present
— Wilmington, Delaware
Member, The National Museum of Women in the Arts - 1996 – Present
— Washington, D.C.
Member, International Artists Support Group - 1996 – Present
— Washington, D.C.
Member, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts - 1995 – Present
— Wilmington, Delaware
Panelist, Delaware State Arts Council, Division of Arts, Arts in Education - 1995
— Wilmington, Delaware
Member, State of Delaware Department of Education – 1994 – 1997
Commission for the Visual and Performing Arts
— Wilmington, Delaware
Education
M.S. Human Services Administration (Magna Cum Laude), 1997
— Springfield College School of Human Services, Springfield, MA
B.A. General Studies, Major - History (Honors)
— University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica
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LaFate Gallery
Wilmington, DE
www.lafategallery.com
19801