Dominic Quagliozzi, MFA

My name is Dominic Quagliozzi, and I am an artist and activist dealing with themes of Chronic illness, disability and medical care. I have a BA in Sociology, and a Masters in Fine Arts. Along with maintaining a studio practice for 13 years, I have done work with medical students, doctors, patients and served as a mentor to people going through the lung transplant journey. 

During my lifetime I have been in and out of the hospital for treatment of Cystic Fibrosis, including end stage disease and having a successful double lung transplant. I have had inpatient stays at children's hospitals, adult centers, teaching hospitals, clinics and numerous different doctors. Because Cystic Fibrosis is a multi-organ disease I have seen interdisciplinary care, different doctors and departments working together - across a broad spectrum of efficiency and efficacy. I have the good, the bad and the bullshit. 

Having spent so much of my life being under medical care, have learned to navigate the insurance, healthcare and hospital environments quite thoroughly. In addition to providing a level of care and success for myself, I have turned that knowledge into an opportunity to aid and counsel others who are chronically ill and candidates for the organ transplant process.

I have also maintained an art practice of 15 years, making paintings and doing performances. My art deals with illness and medical issues and works to provide a dialogue for these often not talked about issues. My creativity plays a major role in everything I do, and, brings insights and coping methods to my Healthcare and medical life. 

My artistic goal is to make work that fosters an open dialogue for an empathetic exchange surrounding illness and disease. Using situations within my life as starting points for reflection, I makes work that brings into focus the nature of chronic illness, disability and societal implications of illness. 

Dominic Quagliozzi (b. 1982), lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. His work is primarily autobiographically follows his health and medical issues from his genetic disease Cystic Fibrosis and being a recipient of a double lung transplant. He holds a BA in Sociology from Providence College and a MFA in Studio Arts from Cal State University, Los Angeles. He has exhibited work in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Providence and Denmark.