View source for Mia LaBerge

{{Short description|American artist}}
{{Infobox artist
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| name             = Mia LaBerge
|image = Artist mia laberge at kennedy center unveil of art case steinway.jpg
|caption = Artist Mia LaBerge on stage at the [[Kennedy Center]] during ceremonial concert unveiling of the ''Madison Bluestone'' [[Steinway & Sons#Special designs|Steinway Art Case Piano]] which she painted.
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| nationality      = American
| education        =
| alma_mater       = [[Virginia Commonwealth University]]<br>[[James Madison University]]
| known_for        = Painting
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[[Image:Artist mia laberge with henzy z steinway.jpg|thumb|LaBerge with [[Henry Z. Steinway]] at [[Steinway Hall]] during planning of the ''Madison Bluestone'' [[Steinway & Sons#Special designs|Steinway Art Case Piano]].]]
'''Mia LaBerge''' (born 1967, [[Minneapolis]]{{citation needed|date=June 2013}}) is an American artist who painted the first [[Steinway & Sons#Special designs|Steinway Art Case Piano]] created to honor a [[university]].<ref>Robinson, Michael A., "James Madison University Gets a Unique Art Case Steinway", ''Steinway & Sons'' (Magazine), Summer 2007, pp. 56–57</ref>
==Biography==
A distant descendant of the LaBerges after whom [[Lake Laberge]] was named, [[Minneapolis]]-born Laberge is an [[alumna]] of [[Virginia Commonwealth University]] and of [[James Madison University]].<ref name=about>[http://www.labergeart.com/about.html Mia LaBerge, Artist Harrisonburg Va] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713180220/http://www.labergeart.com/about.html |date=2011-07-13 }}. Labergeart.com. Retrieved on 2011-09-17.</ref> In 2006, LaBerge was commissioned to paint the ''Madison Bluestone'' Art Case Piano which celebrates the hundredth anniversary of James Madison University <ref>''Madison'' (magazine), Summer 2007, p. 22</ref> and also recognizes its status as [[Virginia]]’s first [[Steinway & Sons#All-Steinway Schools|All-Steinway Music School]].<ref>Bowser, Heather, "A Grand Work of Art : One-of-a-Kind Piano Comes to JMU Campus", ''Daily News-Record'' (Harrisonburg, VA) Tu 21 Aug 2007</ref>
The ''Madison Bluestone'' was among the last Art Case pianos with which [[Henry Z. Steinway]] (1915–2008), the [[National Medal of Arts]] winner and last of the long line of Steinway family members to be president of [[Steinway & Sons]], had direct involvement.   The piano was exhibited in the [[Rotunda (architecture)|rotunda]] of [[New York City]]'s [[Steinway Hall]] and was ceremonially unveiled on stage at the [[Kennedy Center]] in [[Washington D.C.]]<ref>"The ''Madison Bluestone'' Steinway", ''The Kennedy Center Playbill'', April 2007</ref>  Steinway kept LaBerge unofficially "on call" to paint scenic music stands for the company's ''Madison Century'' series of limited-edition pianos.<ref name=andj1>[http://www.artandjunk.com/art-ml-page-01.htm Artist Mia LaBerge. Press Clippings. News Coverage]. Artandjunk.com. Retrieved on 2011-09-17. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707164348/http://www.artandjunk.com/art-ml-page-01.htm |date=July 7, 2011 }}</ref>
Circa 1990–2005, LaBerge's oil paintings were primarily [[Realism (arts)|realistic]] or [[painterly]]-realistic.  Her art work from 2006 and later became ever more [[abstract art|abstract]]—finally moving toward nonobjective subject matter.<ref>[http://www.artandjunk.com/art-ml-page-02.htm Artist Mia LaBerge. Stylistic Range]. Artandjunk.com. Retrieved on 2011-09-17. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707164320/http://www.artandjunk.com/art-ml-page-02.htm |date=July 7, 2011 }}</ref>  Her paintings have appeared in the [[coffee table book]] ''Virginia's Cattle Story : The First 400 Years'' ({{ISBN|0975274511}}) and on the cover of youth textbook ''All About You : A Course in Character for Teens'' ({{ISBN|0-9710966-0-0}}) .<ref name=andj1/>  At least one LaBerge painting is in the collection of former US President [[Jimmy Carter]].<ref name=andj1/><ref>Carter, Jimmy, Letter to Artist Mia LaBerge, 14 Feb 2008</ref>
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121017150113/http://steinway.com/pianos/steinway/art-case/madison-bluestone-steinway/ Steinway's "Madison Bluestone Steinway" page]
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Painters from Minnesota]]
[[Category:20th-century American painters]]
[[Category:20th-century American women painters]]
[[Category:21st-century American painters]]
[[Category:21st-century American women painters]]
[[Category:Virginia Commonwealth University alumni]]
[[Category:James Madison University alumni]]