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.
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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.
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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, MT2022
Mga Hunghong Sa Diwata (Whispers of Spirits), Holter Museum of Art, Helena, MT
Selected Group Exhibitions2024
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 AIR2022
Imaging the Sacred, Missoula Art Museum, Missoula, MT
Co-Flourish: Art & Resiliency During the Pandemic, Touring Exhibition, Open AIR2021
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, MalaysiaArt 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 AIRSelected 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 Montana2016
Study Abroad, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Perak, Malaysia