Josette Urso was born in Tampa, Florida and currently lives and works in New York City. She received her BFA/Drawing and MFA/Painting from the University of South Florida in 1980 and 1984 and studied briefly at the Art Student's League in New York City (1980 & 1982). She currently teaches at Cooper Union in New York City.

Urso is the recipient of fellowships including two grants from The Pollock-Krasner Foundation (2008/07 and 1997). She has also received The Basil H. Alkazzi Painting Award (2000), a MidAtlantic HEA (1994), grants from Art Matters, Inc. (1988) and The Ruth Chenven Foundation (1988) as well as an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Florida State Arts Council (1986). She participated in the Bronx Museum's A.I.M. Program (1988).

She has had numerous residencies including Oberpfãlzer K¨nstlerhaus/ Germany (2008 and 1993), Stock 20/ Taiwan (2006), American Artists Abroad: AIBP/ Cambodia (2004), Weir Farm Trust/ CT (2003), The Ballinglen Arts Foundation/ Ireland (2002 and 2000), Ucross Foundation/ Wyoming (1995), The Camargo Foundation/France (1991), Millay Colony/ NY (1990), VCCA/VA (1990) and The Atlantic Center for the Arts/ FL (1985).

Her work is part of numerous public collections including: The Springfield Museum of Art/ OH, The Mint Museum of Art/ NC, The Tampa Museum of Art/ FL, The Fine Arts Museum of Long Island/ NY, The University of South Florida/ FL, The Gulf Coast Museum of Art/ FL, The Deland Museum of Art/ FL, The U.S. Department of State/ D.C., Centro Cultural Costarricense Horteamericano/ Costa Rica, The Poynter Institute/ FL, The Maitland Museum of Art/ FL, The Ballinglen Archive/ Ireland, The Hillsborough County Courthouse/ FL and others.

Urso has had over 30 one person exhibitions and has participated in more than 200 group shows around the world. In New York City, she has recently shown at the Allen Gallery, DFN Gallery, Julie Saul Gallery, lyonswier Gallery, Kerrigan Campbell art+projects, and Sears-Peyton Gallery and in Chicago at the gescheidle Gallery.

Reflective of quiet moments when landscape becomes a metaphor for self, the intimate oils convey a range of mood and personality. At times they are withdrawn, geometrical and monochromatic -at other times playful, loose and vivid. Urso provides just enough visual information to shuttle the viewer between perception and memory. Urso proves adept at skirting the territory where intensely personal work becomes work of intense personality. "

Megan Voeller
Weekly Planet March 21, 2006