April Werle

b. Helena, Montana 1995

April Werle is a narrative painter, whose works investigate how culture is internalized and negotiated as a mixed-race person. 

Influenced by her Filipino heritage and multicultural upbringing, Werle's works explore themes of mixed-race identity, family, and belonging. She reimagines memories and shared family stories, skillfully capturing the nuances of body language, particularly through the expressive use of hands.

Her paintings have been exhibited at notable venues, including the Holter Museum of Art, Missoula Art Museum, and The Other Art Fair Los Angeles. Her work has been featured in publications like New Visionary Magazine and Kapwa Magazine.

Werle is an advocate for multiculturalism and intercultural dialogue. She has been invited to speak about her work, including a keynote speech at Montana State University with the Asian Student Interracial Association.

April Werle has received recognition for her contributions, including an ARPA Grant and a Strategic Investment Grant from the Montana Arts Council.

Currently based in Missoula, Montana, she continues to explore cultural identity and heritage through her art.

  • The hands in my work tell stories of self discovery. Painted in black-and-white, I am able to control the way the narrators are racially perceived. Painted realistically and set against colorful stylistic backgrounds, I reference the relationship between reality, memory, and nostalgia, while also referencing the concept of belonging. In my art practice, I share funny moments, tender moments, and moments of conflict from investigating my own cultural heritage and identity.

  • A.S.I.A. Montana State University April Werle on Embracing Multiculturalism
    Mahalaya Between Manila and Montana: April Werle’s artistic exploration of mixed-race identity, belonging, and family
    State of the Arts Painter: April Werle
    Creatr Storytelling Through Art: April Werle on Cultural Identity and Artistic Practice
    Bold Journey Meet April Werle
    CanvasRebel Meet April Werle
    Kapwa Magazine In Her Hands: Q+A with Artist April Werle
    Americans for the Arts Interview with April Werle
    Partially Pinoy Episode 9: Filipino Montanan Artist and Muralist
    The Filipino American Woman Project Episode 094: Unpacking the intersectional experience of being a mixed Pinay with April Werle
    American Vulgaria The Art and Identity of April Werle

  • Solo Exhibitions

    2024
    Secret Life of a Multicultural Couple, Bell Projects, Denver, CO

    2023
    Halo-Halo: The Mixed Children, Zootown Arts Community Center, Missoula, MT

    2022
    Mga Hunghong Sa Diwata (Whispers of Spirits), Holter Museum of Art, Helena, MT


    Selected Group Exhibitions

    2024
    Co-Flourish: Art & Resiliency During the Pandemic, Touring Exhibition, Open AIR

    2023
    Acts of Liberation, The Other Art Fair LA, Santa Monica, CA
    Identity, Allez!, Missoula, MT
    Spiritual Visions, The Fontbonne University Fine Art Gallery, Saint Louis, MO
    Co-Flourish: Art & Resiliency During the Pandemic, Touring Exhibition, Open AIR

    2022
    Imaging the Sacred, Missoula Art Museum, Missoula, MT
    Co-Flourish: Art & Resiliency During the Pandemic, Touring Exhibition, Open AIR

    2021
    Colfax Canvas, The People's Building, Aurora, CO
    Feeling Welcome, Zootown Arts Community Center, Missoula, MT
    Montana Medley, Art Mobile of Montana

    2020
    The Current Condition: Visions of the Contemporary West, Art Mobile of Montana
    Grounded in Modern Abstraction, Aquila Projects, Irvine, CA

    2018
    Exist in Color, Dimebox Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT
    While Supplies Last, Studio E Gallery, Seattle, WA

    2017
    Flesh & Food, University Center Gallery, Missoula, MT

    2016
    Studio Lanjutan Catan, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Perak, Malaysia

    Art Fairs

    2023
    The Other Art Fair LA, Barker Hanger, Santa Monica, CA


    Selected Awards

    2023
    Strategic Investment Grant, Montana Arts Council
    Honorable Mention Award, The Fontbonne University Fine Art Gallery
    Museum As Megaphone Residency, Missoula Art Museum

    2022
    Arts Missoula Star Award, Arts Missoula
    BIPOC Artist Grant, KALICO Art Center
    ARPA Grant, Montana Arts Council

    2020
    CoLab:MT+ Residency, Open AIR

    Selected Speaking Engagements

    2024
    Keynote Speaker, A.S.I.A.’s 2nd Annual Multicultural Night, Montana State University, Bozeman


    Selected Bibliography

    2024
    Mahalaya, Between Manila and Montana: April Werle’s artistic exploration of mixed-race identity, belonging, and family
    Montana Arts Council: State of the Arts, Winter Issue

    2023
    New Visionary Magazine, Issue 8
    Kapwa Magazine, In Her Hands: Q+A with Artist April Werle
    Americans for the Arts, Interview with April Werle
    Missoulian, Missoula Artist Explores Mixed Racial Identity in New Paintings

    2021
    Partially Pinoy, Episode 9: Filipino Montanan Artist and Muralist
    The Filipino American Woman Project, Episode 094: Unpacking the intersectional experience of being a mixed Pinay with April Werle

    2020
    American Vulgaria, The Art and Identity of April Werle

    2019
    Missoulian, Monday’s Montanan: April Werle Brings International Mural Experience to Missoula


    Education

    2017
    BFA, University of Montana

    2016
    Study Abroad, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Perak, Malaysia