“Refugee” exhibit confronts forced migration, identity, and shared humanity
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh-based artist Michael Fratangelo will host an opening reception on Friday, April 10 at 6 p.m. at the Penn State School of Visual Arts, held in the Allen Street Grill’s Corner Room, 100 W. College Ave., State College.
The event will include a question-and-answer session with Fratangelo about his recent work, an exhibition of large-scale paintings called “Refugee,” which invites audiences to confront urgent questions about forced migration, identity, and our shared humanity.
Through the gestural abstract works featured in the exhibition, Fratangelo asks viewers to see themselves in the suffering of others and to recognize that displacement can happen to anyone.
Having previously created socially engaged work with “Iraq: Paintings of War” in 2005, Fratangelo said he felt compelled to respond to this contemporary crisis.
Premiering in 2024 at Atithi Studios in Pittsburgh, “Refugee” explores the immigration crisis in Europe and incorporates photographs featured in the New York Times that document the crisis.
On large 6’ x 5’ canvases, Fratangelo uses acrylic, latex and glitter to capture the human experience of displacement. While creating the paintings, Fratangelo said he approached the work with reverence for the human stories of the Middle Eastern and North African people he depicted.
“Though viewers may find familiar religious symbols, the work transcends individual faiths to address universal human vulnerability,” Fratangelo said in an artist’s statement.
Fratangelo said he hopes visitors to the exhibition share his refusal to look away from images of suffering and recognize the shared humanity they reveal.
Classes, student organizations and university offices are encouraged to visit the Woskob Family Gallery, a unit of the College of Arts and Architecture. Inquiries can be directed to woskob@psu.edu.
The exhibit runs through June 5 at the College of Arts and Architecture’s Woskob Family Gallery, located at 146 S. Allen Street in downtown State College. A Pittsburgh-based artist, Fratangelo graduated from Penn State in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in art education.
Arts and Architecture alum’s exhibit ‘Refugee’ opens at Woskob Gallery Jan. 30
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — “Refugee,” an exhibition of large-scale paintings created by Penn State School of Visual Arts alumnus Michael Fratangelo, will open on Jan. 30 and run through June 5, 2026 at the College of Arts and Architecture’s Woskob Family Gallery, located at 146 S. Allen Street in downtown State College. A Pittsburgh-based artist, Fratangelo graduated from Penn State in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in art education.
An opening reception will be held on April 10 at 6 p.m. and will feature a question-and-answer session with Fratangelo hosted by John Bowman, professor emeritus in the Penn State School of Visual Arts.
Through the gestural abstract works featured in the exhibition, Fratangelo asks viewers to see themselves in the suffering of others and to recognize that displacement can happen to anyone. “Refugee” invites audiences to confront urgent questions about forced migration, identity and our shared humanity.
Having previously created socially engaged work with “Iraq: Paintings of War” in 2005, Fratangelo said that he felt compelled to respond to this contemporary crisis.
Premiering in 2024 at Atithi Studios in Pittsburgh, “Refugee” addresses the immigration crisis in Europe and draws from photographs featured in the New York Times that document the crisis.
On large 6’ x 5’ canvases, Fratangelo uses acrylic, latex and glitter to capture the human experience of displacement. While creating the paintings, Fratangelo said he approached the work with reverence for the human stories of the Middle Eastern and North African people he depicted.
“Though viewers may find familiar religious symbols, the work transcends individual faiths to address universal human vulnerability,” Fratangelo said in an artist’s statement.
Fratangelo said he hopes visitors to the exhibition share his refusal to look away from images of suffering and recognize the shared humanity they reveal.
Classes, student organizations and university offices are encouraged to visit the Woskob Family Gallery, a unit of the College of Arts and Architecture. Inquiries can be directed to woskob@psu.edu. For more information on this and other exhibitions, visit the gallery’s website. Keep up to date with the Woskob Family Gallery by signing up for its listserv or following on Instagram @woskobfamilygallery.
Refugee
This exhibition presents Refugee, Michael Fratangelo’s series of large-scale paintings responding to the refugee experience.
When painter Michael Fratangelo first encountered images of refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea into Europe, he was deeply moved. Having previously created socially engaged work with Iraq: Paintings of War (2005), exhibited at the Florence Biennale, Fratangelo felt compelled to respond to this contemporary crisis. Refugee, a series of paintings addressing the immigration crisis in Europe, premiered at Atithi Studios in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2024. Each 6’x5’ canvas draws from photographs from The New York Times documentation of the refugee crisis, using acrylic, latex, and glitter to capture the human experience.
Fratangelo’s gestural technique employs long, sharp brushstrokes and abstracted imagery. He begins with preparatory sketches based on photographs but allows intuition to guide the painting process — comparing his approach to jazz improvisation, where building blocks give way to spontaneous expression. In works like Reflection, he painted faces of family, friends, and mentors to show that displacement can happen to anyone. Hosanna and Hand of God draw from religious imagery across multiple faiths, emphasizing universal needs for safety and relief. The refugee photographs felt biblical to Fratangelo, with their dramatic compositions of humans struggling against overwhelming elements.
While creating Refugee, Fratangelo approached the work with reverence for the human stories of the Middle Eastern and North African people he depicted. Though viewers may find familiar religious symbols, the work transcends individual faiths to address universal human vulnerability. Fratangelo hopes visitors to the exhibition share his refusal to look away from images of suffering and recognize the shared humanity they reveal.
Bio
Michael Fratangelo (Penn State BFA ’01) is a Pittsburgh-based painter who creates socially engaged work. Fratangelo first gained recognition with Iraq: Paintings of War (2005), a series of paintings responding to violence in Iraq which premiered at Bella Arte Gallery in Pittsburgh, PA. The series was subsequently exhibited at the 2005 Florence Biennale. In the years following, Fratangelo showed work at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and Media and was represented by Bella Arte Gallery until its closure in 2008. In 2024, Fratangelo debuted his Refugee series at Atithi Studios in Sharpsburg, PA, where he also has studio space. Fratangelo has been accepting portrait commissions since 2005. PBS/WQED featured his Iraq: Paintings of War series and local and national outlets like Pittsburgh City Paper, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, South Hills Record, and Maniac Magazine covered his work. Internationally, Wiedza i Życie (Science and Life) in Poland and Indigo Blue Magazine in Greece have featured his paintings.
IndigoBlue – Greece
Painter Michael Fratangelo chose to manage emotion by creating paintings that he calls “metaphorical portraits.” The artist creates commissioned works by depicting not the people who asked for the work, but the metaphors that, on the canvas, define the emotional experience they evoke in him.
“The purpose of my work is to return communication to the spiritual path through the use of color and shape. I believe that color and shape are paths to the spiritual. When I paint, I seek within myself the immediate inspiration. I believe my works are spiritually guided.”
Reflections from Alumnus Michael Fratangelo (’01 B.F.A) on His Time at SoVA and His Creative Process
I started down the path to be a painter in the fall of 2000, in John Bowman?s Beginning Oil painting class. I had no intention of pursuing art as a career, but lightning struck in his class. Professors pulled me aside, asking, “Is that what you really see? You really have something.” I knew I had found my calling.
I am a firm believer in Joseph Campbell’s idea that you should ‘follow your bliss.? I knew I had found my ‘bliss’ with painting so I had no choice but to follow that path. People often ask me how one ‘becomes’ an artist. I don’t think this is possible, you either are an artist or you are not. If you are, as Picasso said, you work out of necessity. You truly have no choice, and if you don’t, you will suffer. It is often a cross to bear.
I am so grateful that I went to Penn State because at Penn State you can venture into different career paths. Where you start out may not be where you end up. I believe having endless possibilities is absolutely crucial to young adults finding their way.
I cannot speak highly enough of the creative and innovative art school atmosphere that is available at SoVA. I was largely shaped by the teaching artists John Bowman and Ann Shostrom, who mentored me.
After graduating from Penn State, I did a series of topical shows, including a series documenting the “War in Iraq,” which was juried into the 2005 Florence Biennale.
Currently, I focus on commissioned portraits. My portraits are unique; I have never found anyone doing anything similar in the art world. Each work is a quest to puncture through the visible reality into the deeper mystical realm. The colors and shapes in my portraits tell the story of the spiritual essence of the people.†
My process is this: I first interview my subjects to create a reference for the work. I ask them about their mentors, life-shaping events, favorite music, food, clothing, seasons, and time of day. I then ask for 3-5 photos of them. I then enter the studio and do a series of sketches from these photos and interviews, before starting on the canvas. Depending on the size of the portrait, it usually takes about four months to complete.
People often ask me how I come up with the imagery in my work. I explain to them that I have come to understand my painting as a gift. ” It is guided painting, they just come through me. My work can be found at fratangelo.com.“
Penn State alumnus strives to transcend physical world through painting
Amy Milgrub Marshall
April 28, 2015
At first glance, the bright colors, lines and geometric shapes seem, well, like an assortment of colors, lines and shapes. But each circle, each triangle, each slash of fire engine red or sunny yellow has meaning behind it, according to artist and Penn State School of Visual Arts alumnus Michael Fratangelo (Class of 2001, bachelor of science in art education).
“The purpose of my work is to communicate the spiritual essence of my subjects,” Fratangelo writes on his website, fratangelo.com. “I strive to transcend the physical world in the subjects I paint, to reach the metaphysical.”
A native and current resident of Pittsburgh, Fratangelo never intended to be an artist. He started his college career as a healthy policy and administration major, but ultimately followed his heart to the art studio. It was in one of John Bowman’s classes that he realized he was meant to be a painter. “In his class, lightning struck — I was caught by painting. I was literally running to the Paterno Library to get books on Picasso. I knew I had found it, my purpose.”
Bowman recognized Fratangelo had a unique talent. One day, he took him aside after looking at his work and said, “Is that what you see? You really have something.”
Fratangelo acknowledges he has a gift. “I do not take my ability for granted,” he said. “Each work is a quest to puncture through the visible reality into the deeper mystical realm.”
Fratangelo shares his gift through commissioned portraits. In spring 2013, he offered a commission for the Arts and Architecture Alumni Society’s Charitybuzz auction. The Wigler family bought the item and the finished painting is now hanging in their home in Great Neck, New York.
Andrew Wigler said his family is very happy with the portrait, even though they had no idea how it would turn out. “The ultimate outcome is absolutely terrific,” he said, noting the painting is also “a tremendous conversation piece” because it’s so unique.
Fratangelo starts the painting process by talking with his portrait subjects, preferably in person. “I need to start somewhere; I need a foundation for the work. I ask their favorite colors, seasons, time of day, food, clothes and music. I ask how others would describe them, and I ask about their childhood and their mentors,” he explained, noting it usually takes four to five months for him to complete a portrait.
The Wiglers’ portrait — of mom, dad and two sons — appears to be a collection of circles and curlicues in all colors of the rainbow, plus brown and black. A closer inspection, however, reveals the compass in the bottom right corner, symbolizing the family’s passion for sailing and travel, and the yarmulke on the younger son, symbolizing the family’s Jewish faith.
“This is a very powerful family, and it comes out in the portrait,” said Fratangelo.
Fratangelo’s goal is to gain greater recognition for his portraits. “I want to get to the next level, and put my dent in the universe.”
At first glance, the bright colors, lines and geometric shapes seem, well, like an assortment of colors, lines and shapes. But each circle, each triangle, each slash of fire engine red or sunny yellow has meaning behind it, according to artist and Penn State School of Visual Arts alumnus Michael Fratangelo (Class of 2001, bachelor of science in art education).