Peter Makela

Painter
Madison, WI & Thimphu, Bhutan

Professional Profile

Painter and visual artist with a nationally and internationally recognized practice grounded in sustained studio inquiry, perceptual observation, and long-term engagement with landscape, place, and philosophical traditions. A Fulbright Student Researcher alumnus whose work has been shaped by extended periods of research and making in Nepal, Bhutan, India, China, and the United States. Exhibits regularly in museums, galleries, and academic institutions, with projects that integrate painting, drawing, and site-responsive processes.

Alongside an active exhibition and residency practice, I engage in teaching and public programming as an extension of studio work—using visual language as a means of dialogue across cultures and communities. My international experience informs both the content and ethics of my practice, emphasizing attentiveness, continuity, and respect for local contexts.

Education

MFA, Painting
Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Baltimore, MD | 2016–2018
– Foundation Fellowship Recipient
– Teaching Certificate in Fine Art

BFA, Painting & Drawing
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Chicago, IL | 2004–2008
– Achievement Enhancement Award
– Merit Scholarship (four years)

Selected Solo Exhibitions

– 2026 (upcoming) — Tibet Paintings, Tsenpo Museum, Nangqian, China
– 2025 — Yala Yatra: Walking, Working, Worshiping, Gallery Mcube, Patan, Nepal
– 2024 — Sky Paintings, The Shipley School, Bryn Mawr, PA
– 2024 — Land Paintings, Edgewood University, Madison, WI
– 2022 — Painting the Sky, Painting the Earth, Patan Museum, Patan, Nepal
– 2018 — Ah La La Ho, Last Projects, Los Angeles, CA
– 2016 — From the Desert, Mothership Gallery, Woodstock, NY
– 2015 — Drawings from Nepal, Mothership Gallery, Woodstock, NY

Selected Group Exhibitions

– 2026 (upcoming) — Edgewood University Faculty Exhibition, Madison, WI
– 2025 — Wormfarm Celebrates 25 Years, Woolen Mill Gallery, Reedsburg, WI
– 2020 — Speaking Color, Harmony Hall Regional Center, Fort Washington, MD
– 2019 — Rainbow of Chaos, St. Charles Projects, Baltimore, MD
– 2019 — Relief, Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, Woodstock, NY
– 2018 — MFA Thesis Exhibition, Sheila & Richard Riggs Gallery, Baltimore, MD
– 2017 — LeRoy E. Hoffberger Fall Show, Sheila & Richard Riggs Gallery, Baltimore, MD
– 2016 — Bridging Realms: Contemporary Tibetan Art, Tibet House, New York, NY
– 2016 — Bridging Realms: Contemporary Tibetan Art, Robert Morris University, Chicago, IL
– 2015 — California Fantasy, New Image Art, West Hollywood, CA
– 2015 — Dark Paradise, Last Projects, Los Angeles, CA
– 2015 — Utopia, One of Us Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
– 2015 — Art for Happiness, Gallery Shoshinkan, Nagano, Japan
– 2015 — Small Art Show, Studio 34, Queens, NY
– 2014 — Ecomyth, Last Projects, Los Angeles, CA
– 2013 — Triskaidekaphobia, Parade Ground Gallery, New York, NY

Artist Residencies & Fellowships

– 2025 — Gallery Mcube, Patan, Nepal
– 2024 — Tsenpo Museum, Nangqian, China
– 2024 — Wormfarm Institute, Reedsburg, WI
– 2019 — Windy Mowing Fellowship, Halifax, VT
– 2018 — North Street Collective, Willits, CA
– 2018 — Chinquapin Center for the Arts, Grants Pass, OR
– 2018 — Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, Woodstock, NY
– 2018 — Windy Mowing, Halifax, VT (collaborative residency with Taraneh Mosadegh)
– 2016 — Soaring Gardens, Laceyville, PA
– 2016 — Wormfarm Institute, Reedsburg, WI
– 2015 — ArtHub, Kingman, AZ
– 2014 — Space 118, Mumbai, India

Fulbright & International Research

Fulbright Student Researcher, Rangjung Yeshe Institute, Kathmandu, Nepal | 2022
– Studio-based painting research informed by Madhyamaka philosophy
– Lectures and workshops in painting and color theory
– Sustained collaboration with artists, scholars, and students in South Asia

Selected Lectures, Conferences & Workshops

– 2026 (upcoming) — Three-week intensive training in mani mantra carving and gilding, Bhutan
– 2025 — Presenter, College Art Association Conference, New York, NY
– 2025 — Presenter, 5th Vajrayana Conference, Bhutan
– 2025 — Drawing workshops, EduLift, Kathmandu, Nepal (students & educators)

Collections

Works by Peter Makela are in the collections of:
Johns Hopkins University, Jean-Louis Bourgeois, Edgewood University, and other national and international public and private collections.

Publications

– Upcoming — Carving the Mani of the 10th Bhakha Tulku Rinpoche, Bhutan Meditation Conference
– Upcoming — Presence Through Sky, Land, and Stone, Rangjung Yeshe Institute
– 2024 — For the Benefit of All Sentient Beings, CAA Conference Proceedings
– 2020 — #10 Nacimiento, The Feelings Journal
– 2020 — The Wrong Kind of Island, 7x7.LA

Academic Appointment (Selected)

Assistant Professor of Art (Tenure Track)
Edgewood University, Madison, WI