TONILEE@sideshowbanners.COM

@LEETONI

Hand-lettering and typography love

Hand-lettering and typography love — letters I have painted

 

ARTIST BIO

Toni-Lee Sangastiano is a contemporary painter whose work examines the carnivalesque. Her interest in this theme began as a child on the boardwalks of the Jersey shore, later fostered at Fairleigh Dickinson University by Professor Marie Roberts and Artistic Director Dick Zigun of Coney Island's Sideshows by the Seashore. Toni-Lee is now one of the leading sideshow banner painters in the United States.

Her paintings, mixed media and installations include exhibitions at the Yale School of Art, Robert Hull Fleming Museum, Shelburne Museum and Tate Modern, London.

Toni-Lee earned an MFA in studio art at Montclair State University and lived in Vermont for fifteen years, where she became a Professor of Graphic Design. She also studied classical drawing and painting at the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy with Michael John Angel and Martinho Correria, and she most recently earned a Ph.D. in Visual Arts: Philosophy, Aesthetics and Art Theory, from the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts.

She currently lives in Virginia and is a Digital Media Specialist and Associate Professor of the Practice at Georgetown University.

Poobah’s Last Fire. 2012. Oil on canvas. 36 x 24 in. Private collection.

Poobah’s Last Fire. 2012. Oil on canvas. 36 x 24 in. Private collection.

 

MORE TONI-LEE ART

In addition to sideshow banners, I document the people and the places related to sideshows, circuses, and the carnivalesque, through realistic oil paintings and drawings and more. You can see the full range of my creative work at sangastiano.com.

coney island museum’s ask the experts Toni-lee sangastiano

Dr. Toni-Lee Sangastiano sideshowbanners.com Toni-Lee Sangastiano's Art is a sideshow banner painter and multidisciplinary artist whose work examines the carnivalesque through painting, printmaking, books arts, typography, and maker technology. Find out how Coney Island inspired her art as she joins us for the Coney Island Museum's Ask the Experts - Live on Zoom, Wednesday, April 14th at 7pm, ET, 2022!

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY ART GALLERIES — PUBLIC DIALOGUE: CARNIVALESQUE

Join the GU Art Galleries for a conversation with performers Sara H. Bird Girl and Johnathan Lee Iverson, moderated by Prof. Toni-Lee Sangastiano. Coinciding with the exhibition Toni-Lee Sangastiano: Carnivalesque, currently on view in Spagnuolo South, Sangastiano’s artwork makes visible the people and spaces of the carnival, celebrating them in all of their wonder, glitter, grit, genius, and eccentricity.

Sarah H. Bird Girl is a performer, arts manager, Cirque du Soleil and Coney Island castmate, and Koo Koo the Bird Girl freakshow historian.

Johnathan Lee Iverson was the youngest and first African American Ringmaster in the nearly 150-year history of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.

CIRCUS AND ITS OTHERS CONFERENCE, U.C. BERKLEY

Sideshow and Circus: Pandemic Adaptations and the Dialogic: As a result of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the United States, like many other countries, has moved a majority of professional and personal activities online. Performances that rely on the presence and energy of a physical audience are prohibited in order to “flatten the curve” or further prevent the spread of COVID-19. Face-to-face encounters are prohibited as life-saving and life-affirming acts. How have sideshows, variety performers and circuses adapted to this sudden virtual shift when they rely on the face-to-face encounter?

WORDS: SIDESHOW, FREAK SHOW, CIRCUS

a silent short film about language in media

00:08:10

Selected exhibitions

 

2024

Visual Aids, Postcards from the Edge, Berry Campbell Gallery, NYC

2022-23

Toni-Lee Sangastiano: Carnivalesque,* Lucille M. and Richard F. X. Spagnuolo South Gallery at Georgetown University, Washington DC (August 2022-May 2023)

2021

Toni-Lee Sangastiano: Carnivalesque,* Lucille M. and Richard F. X. Spagnuolo South Gallery at Georgetown University, Washington DC

The Art of Coney Island. Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC), Brooklyn, NY

The Parade is Coming. Studio Place Arts Gallery, Barre, VT

Opening reception for permanent collection (TBA). Italian American Museum of Washington DC (IAMDC), Washington DC.

Visual Aids, Postcards from the Edge. 2021. First virtual exhibition and auction.

2020

Studio Montclair Postcards. 2020. Montclair, NJ.

Authentic Marks 2020. Dubai Art Week, Dubai, UAE (catalogue).

2019

Journeys Onward, Wickford Art Association, RI (Jurors: Alicia Dietz, sculptor, furniture maker and mixed media artist, and U.S. Army veteran Blackhawk (UH-60) pilot and company commander who served in Iraq and worldwide and Paul Bouchard , a sculptor and painter, and U.S. Navy veteran who served aboard the destroyer USS Ramsey in the Western Pacific during the Vietnam War.



2018

  • Writing on the Wall, Curve Gallery Exhibition, Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD (Juror: Roberta Pardo, founder of Urban Walls Brazil, Board Member of the Arts Council of Anne Arundel).

  • D•CONSTRUCTION: Metamorphosis of the City, Office Space Gallery, Detroit, MI.

  • Sexual Violence Awareness Month Art Show, presented by the Survivor's Council of H.O.P.E. Works, Hive Collective, Burlington, VT.

  • Art Hop Open Studio, Burlington, VT.

  • Authentic Marks 2018. Dubai Art Week, Dubai, UAE (catalogue).

2017

  • Papering the Town: Circus Posters in America. Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT.

  • Art Hop Open Studio, Burlington, VT.

2016

  • Papering the Town: Circus Posters in America. Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT.

  • Faculty Exhibition. CCM Gallery, Champlain College, Burlington, VT.

  • Art Hop Open Studio, Burlington, VT.

  • Studio Montclair Viewpoints 2016. aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art. Newark, NJ. Juror: Mary Birmingham, Curator at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey.

  • Art & Soul Presents: Women in the Arts. MANA Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ.

  • Visual AIDS Postcards From The Edge. Sikkema Jenkins & CO, NY.

  • Sodom By The Sea Salon. Coney Island Museum. Coney Island, NY. November 7, 2015 —February 6, 2016. Closing reception: February 8 from 2 to 4:30 pm.

2015

  • Sodom By The Sea Salon. Coney Island Museum. Coney Island, NY. November 7, 2015 —February 6, 2016. Opening reception: Saturday, November 7 from 2 to 4:30 pm.

  • MADE, curated by curated Wylie Garcia, Mark Waskow, and DJ Hellerman. SEABA Gallery. Burlington, VT.

  • Art of Horror. SPACE Gallery. Burlington, VT.

  • Faculty Exhibition. CCM Gallery, Champlain College. Burlington, VT.

  • Art + Soul. Dunkiel Saunders. Burlington, VT.

  • Sideshow. Edgewood Avenue Gallery, Yale School of Art. New Haven, CT. January 13 –March 20, 2015 (catalogue).

  • Robin Jaffee Frank. Coney Island: Visions of An American Dreamland, 1861-2008, exhibition catalogue. Hartford: Yale University Press and Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 2015. 

  • We Are The South End. SEABA Gallery. Burlington, VT. January 9, 2015 – January 30, 2015.

  • Artist Philosopher. AW Asia. New York, NY (catalogue).

  • Visual AIDS Postcards from the Edge Benefit. Luhring Augustine Gallery, New York, NY.

2014

  • Art Studio Exhibiton at Richmond University, Florence, Italy.

  • Amazing Marvels. Off Rhode Gallery, Washington D.C. (Exhibition image).

  • Insta-Artist. Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, Dowell, MD. Juror: Ryan Hill, Director of Digital Learning Programs, at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden.

  • Visual AIDS Postcards from the Edge Benefit, Luhring Augustine Gallery. New York, NY.

2013

  • Barnstormers Studio Stroll. The Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT.

  • Visual Aids Postcards From The Edge Benefit. Sikkema Jenkins Co. New York, NY.

2012

  • Tracey Moberly: TWEET ME UP!. The Tanks, Tate Modern, London, England.

  • 20 Mediums. S.P.A.C.E. Gallery, Burlington, VT.

2011

  • Drawing Connections. Sienna Art Institute, Sienna, Italy.

  • Church of Circus. 152 Cherry Street (Old Outdoor Gear Exchange), Burlington, VT. Festival of Fools special event/pop up gallery. August 5 – August 31, 2011 Opening Reception: August 5, 2011.

  • Supersize: is bigger better?. Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, Dowell, MD. Jurors: Nancy Davis, Curator, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution & James F. Langley, Curator of Exhibitions, Calvert Marine Museum.

  • Wide Open 2, Curated by Nathan Trotman, Associate Curator of the Soloman R. Guggenheim Museum, BWAC, Brooklyn, NY, March 12 – 27, 2011 weekends 11-4 P.M.

  • Under the Big Top: The Fine Art of the Circus in America, The Fleming Museum, January 25 - May 22, 2011. Opening Reception: Thursday, February 3, 2011 from 5:30–7:30 P.M.

  • Visual AIDS Postcards from the Edge Benefit, CRG Gallery. New York, NY.

2010

  • Circus Day In America (40 ft x 15 ft commissioned outdoor bannerline installation) Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT.

  • The Funny Face Project, Jonathan O’Hara Gallery. New York, NY.

  • Art Hop Juried Show, Soda Plant, Burlington, VT.

  • Hoff’s Harmonica Cases, North End Studio, Burlington, VT.

  • Housing Works Design On A Dime, Metropolitan Pavillion, New York, NY.

  • Get Your Freak On, Space 242, Boston, MA.

  • I Heart Art. Work Gallery, Brooklyn, New York, NY.

  • Visual AIDS Postcards from the Edge Benefit, ZieherSmith, New York, NY.

2009

  • Art Hop Juried Show, Burlington, VT.

  • The 6th International Juried Exhibition curated by J. McNamara, SICA, Long Branch, NJ.

  • Circus Art, Studio Place Arts, Barre, VT.

  • Visual AIDS Postcards From The Edge Benefit, Metro Pictures, New York, NY.


2008

  • Night of 1000 Drawings, Artists Space Benefit, New York, NY.

  • Art Hop Juried Show, Burlington, VT.

2007

  • Visual AIDS Postcards From The Edge Benefit, James Cohen Gallery, New York, NY.

  • Art Hop Juried Show, Burlington, VT.

  • Gridworks, Flynndog, Burlington, VT

  • Iconographies, VCAM Space, Burlington, VT.


2006

  • Step Right Up...Portraits of a Sideshow, Living Learning Gallery, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT.

  • The 9th Annual Mermaid Show, Coney Island Museum, Brooklyn, New York.

  • The Drawing Show, Organization of Independent Artists, Gallery 402, New York, NY.

  • CCV Faculty Exhibition, Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts, Burlington, VT.

  • Artists That Teach, Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts, Burlington, VT

2005

  • Night of 1000 Drawings, Artists Space Benefit, NYC

  • Visual AIDS Postcards From The Edge Benefit, Robert Miller Gallery, NYC

  • Art Faculty Exhibition, University College Art Gallery, FDU, Teaneck, NJ

  • Art Helps: Art Auction to Benefit Survivors of Hurricane Katrina, JDK, Burlington, VT

  • Art Hop Open Studio, Burlington, VT

  • Art Hop Juried Show, Maltex Building, Burlington, VT

  • The Drawing Show, Organization of Independent Artists, Gallery 402, NYC

  • Artists Aid New Orleans Benefit Art Show, Ch’i Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

  • The EXCHANGE Exhibitions, Salena Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

  • The 8th Annual Mermaid Show, Coney Island Museum, Brooklyn, NY

  • Auction (online), Artists Paint for Peace, NY

  • Babes, The Many Aspects of a Woman, Holland Tunnel, Brooklyn, NY

  • Digitally Mediated, Organization of Independent Artists, NYC

2004

  • Artcard, Sharjah Art Museum, United Arab Emirates

  • Art Auction, University College Art Gallery, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ

  • Visual AIDS Postcards From The Edge Benefit, Brent Sikkema Gallery, NYC

  • Art Faculty Exhibition, Liberty International Airport, Newark, NJ

  • Fresh Meat/Young Blood: NJ’s Newest Masters, Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts (SICA), Long Branch, NJ

  • 12 and Under, Amos Eno Gallery, NYC

  • The 7th Annual Mermaid Show, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY

  • Spectra, Diesel Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

  • Arts Alive, Union Station Gallery, Burlington, VT

  • Pushing the Envelope, Flynndog, Burlington, VT

  • Krispy Juicy, MFA Thesis Exhibition, Montclair State University, White Box Annex, NYC

  • Domestic Affairs, Equality Now art benefit, Locus Media Gallery, NYC

  • Flush, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ

  • Process Progress, Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts, Burlington, VT

  • Tunnel of Love, Holland Tunnel, Brooklyn, NY

2003

  • Night of 1000 Drawings, Artists Space Benefit, NYC

  • Art Faculty Exhibition, Liberty International Airport, Newark, NJ

  • Art Faculty Exhibition, University College Art Gallery, FDU, Teaneck, NJ

  • 14 @ 1978, Gallery 1978, Maplewood, NJ, Curated by Erinn Frayer

  • McKinsey & Co., Florham Park, NJ

  • The 6th Annual Mermaid Show, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY

2002

  • Portraits, Asbury Art Center, Asbury Park, NJ

2001

  • Auction, Coney Island Museum, Brooklyn, NY

  • The 4th Annual Mermaid Show, State of Art Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

  • BWAC Pier Show Nine, Brooklyn, NY

2000

  • Ozzfest 2000, National Rock Festival of the United States, Sponsoring Agent: Electric Eden, Brooklyn, NY

  • Further Fest, National Rock Festival of the United States, Sponsoring Agent: Electric Eden, Brooklyn, NY

  • Night of 1000 drawings, Artists Space Benefit, NYC

  • BWAC Pier Show Eight, Brooklyn, NY

1998

  • Sideshow Banners, History & Visual Presentation, National Collegiate Council Conference, hosted by Oklahoma State University, Chicago, IL

  • Sideshow Banners, Northeast National Collegiate Honors Council Annual Conference Co-hosted by Gallaudet University and Howard University, Kellogg Conference Center, Washington D.C.

  • Sideshow Banners, History & Visual Presentation, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, NJ

1997

  • Sideshows By The Seashore, Coney Island USA, nonprofit organization, Brooklyn, NY

 

Subscribe to our newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter