Judith Olson Gregory

Judith Olson Gregory is a visual artist and arts educator based in Western New York and North Carolina. She received a BFA from Alfred University in 1968 and pursued a career in commercial art before turning her attention to her own work full time in 1980.

Gregory’s art often makes use of unusual materials including used tea bags that she dries and brushes with a transparent acrylic medium, and, in individual pieces, dryer lint, Sports Illustrated calendars, and Heimlich Maneuver posters, among other items. Puns figure heavily in the titles and subjects of many of her projects, and she often incorporates text in her pieces.

A native of Jamestown, N.Y. and a summer resident at Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, N.Y., Gregory has exhibited across New York State and the nation, including at the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo, the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester and Adams Art Gallery in Dunkirk, and has work in public and private collections throughout the region. She has also designed and taught numerous workshops for adults and children, received many awards, and served on the boards of several art organizations in the Rochester area and at Chautauqua Institution, where she was president of the Chautauqua Center for the Visual Arts from 1999 to 2001.

In an artist statement from 2025, Gregory describes her practice as:

Balancing concept and form in artwork that is equal parts message and memorable visuals has been my objective throughout my career.  Whether creating individual pieces, a themed series or site-specific installations, my work has been inspired by everything from words and text to found objects such as the recycled tea bags I’m currently working with.

A Western NY native, I’m originally from Jamestown, but have also lived in Rochester and Chautauqua, where I still maintain a home.  I am currently residing part of the year in Davidson, NC.  As a graduate of Alfred University’s School of Art and Design, I have held positions as a commercial artist, teaching artist and arts advocate, all of which have complemented and contributed to my professional studio output.

I am a recipient of the University of Rochester’s Lillian Fairchild Award and have enjoyed residencies at YADDO and ArtPark among others.  My work has been exhibited throughout NY State.  My recent solo shows include those at the Cohen Gallery of Alfred University and the Turchin Center at Appalachian State University in North Carolina.

I am proud to have exhibited my installation piece TAKING TEA at the Burchfield Penney Art Center in 2018, and to now have a piece in their permanent collection as well.

For more information on Judith Olson Gregory, visit http://judygregory.com/.