Mo Golden is an artist and entrepreneur based in Olympia, Wa. Originally from Maryland, Mo has spent most of her life by the Chesapeake Bay and the Puget Sound. These inlets feel like gentle resting places, where the abundance of the ocean can be accessed without the harsh intensity of the coast. Mo sees the images she creates as gentle resting places too. They’re full of complexity and depth, but without harshness. They offer the viewer into a world of wisdom and insight, through tenderness and whimsy.
Drawing on her studies with Marilyn Frasca and Rob Esposito at The Evergreen College, Mo’s artistic process is intuitive, where the image emerges before any ideas or associations. She has developed a way of working that honors the image as a guide that can reveal subconscious information. Using multiple layers of translucent acrylic paint on canvas, Mo builds the image gradually, creating complex visual worlds with a sense of depth, movement, and grace. Mo has always found art making to be key to her own learning, which inspired her to complete Masters in Experiential Education from George Washington University. Mo applies her expertise in learning design and art as Co-owner of award-winning game design studio, Heart of the Deernicorn and as Creative Director of Studio Golden, a design studio specializing in hand-made functional art objects.
Education
The George Washington University
Master of Arts: Education and Human Development
Concentrations: Experiential Learning, Organizational Leadership, Intercultural Training
The Evergreen State College
Bachelor of Arts: Education and Psychology
Concentrations: Arts-based Learning, Cultural Competence Education
Enterprise For Equity
Business Certification
Concentrations: Entrepreneurship, Creative Business
Prosci
Change Management Certification
Concentrations: ADKAR
Person-Centered Expressive Arts Institute (PCETI) Argentina
Expressive Arts Certification
Concentrations: Creativity Coaching
Touch Drawing Training
With founder of the therapeutic technique, Deborah Koff-Chapin.
The Whidbey Institute, Whidbey Island, Wa.
Touch Drawing Training
With founder of the therapeutic technique, Deborah Koff-Chapin.
The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Wa.
Butoh Dance Seven Day Intensive
With dancers Emelie Sugai and Dorothy Lenner.
IUNA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Ceramic sculpture Technique Training
With artist Mariana Gabor.
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Year-long Painting Mentorship
With artist/art therapist Yanka Mikhailova.
Azul Cobalto, Zaragoza, Spain.
Awards/Grants/Fellowships
- Olympia Art Space Alliance Space Grant, 2025.
- Working Washington Grant, to develop and illustrate interactive products, 2020.
- Jim Joseph Fellowship, to research Jewish Cultural Arts, 2017/2018.
- Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship, to research art in Peru and Argentina and develop a performance, 2011.
Exhibitions
| 2025 | Places and Spaces, Group show, The Washington Center, Olympia, Wa. |
| 2025 | Wood Wide Web, Group show, Marmo Gallery, Shelton, Wa. |
| 2025 | Equinox, Group show, Tumwater Craft, Tumwater, Wa. |
| 2025 | Inlets, Solo show, Momentum Gallery, Seattle, Wa. |
| 2025 | Tides, Group show, The Copper Wolf Gallery, Tumwater, Wa. |
| 2025 | First Stop, Group show, Childhood’s End Gallery, Olympia, Wa. |
| 2025 | South Sound Studio Tour, Solo show, Olympia, Wa. |
| 2025 | Spring Arts Walk, Solo show, Opal Salon, Olympia, Wa. |
| 2025 | Whales Again, Solo show,222 Market, Olympia, Wa. |
| 2025 | Inner Landscapes, Solo show, Bar Francis, Olympia, Wa. |
| 2011 | Longing To Belong, Solo show, The Train Station, Shepherdstown, Wv. |
| 2011 | Weaving Worlds, Solo show, The Cork Gallery, Baltimore, Md. |
| 2010 | Becoming Home, Solo show, Motion In Balance Studio, Olympia, Wa. |
| 2009 | Love Songs, Group show, Mandible Arts Collective, Olympia, Wa. |
| 2009 | Jammy Stash, Group show, Mandible Arts Collective, Olympia, Wa. |
| 2008 | Images and Words, Group show, Mandible Arts Collective, Olympia, Wa. |
Product Design / Illustration
| 2025 | The Healing Bridge, an oracle deck for healing intergenerational trauma. Illustration, product design, writing. |
| 2020-2023 | The Jewish Tea Experience, 12 interactive guides with botanical illustrations, along with herbal blends. Illustration, product design, writing |
| 2020 | The Omer Workbook, a 49 day interactive illustrated creativity workbook. Illustration, product design, writing. |
| 2018-2023 | The Jewish Planner, weekly agenda following the Hebrew calendar, annual releases. Illustration, product design, writing. |
| 2016 | Night Forest, award-nominated game ritual. Illustration, experience design, writing. |
| 2018 | BFF!, analogue story-telling game. Design and concept consultation. |
| 2015 | Fall of Magic, award winning analogue story-telling game. Design and concept consultation. |
| 2011 | Sunny Side Up, book cover art. |
| 2005 | The Transparent Feather, book cover art. |
Installations/Performance Projects
| 2016 | Inspurrational Posters for Cats, a dada inspired performance and design project, Olympia, Wa. |
| 2011-2017 | A Self-Portrait Of Home A one-woman show about home, belonging, and otherness.
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| 2012 | Usted Está Aquí, Immersive theater experience, Buenos Aires, Argentina. |
| 2011 | What Is Healing?, A one-woman show about the healing process from multicultural perspectives
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| 2011 | Holding to Remember, An experimental theater piece about transforming intergenerational patterns, Motion In Balance Studio, Olympia, Wa. |
Lectures, Presentations, Workshops
| 2019 | Mayyim Hayyim Network Convention, arts-based programming, Atlanta, Ga. |
| 2018 | HIAS, arts-based volunteer and staff training, Silverspring, Md. |
| 2016 | The Tandana Foundation, arts-based volunteer and staff training, Otavalo, Ecuador. |
| 2016 | The Evergreen State College, arts based workshop series for undergraduate students, Olympia, Wa. |
| 2015 | The Evergreen State College, arts based workshop series for undergraduate students, Olympia, Wa. |
| 2014 | The Evergreen State College, arts based workshop series for undergraduate students, Olympia, Wa. |
| 2013 | International Expressive Arts Therapy Association, research presentation, Berkeley, Ca. |
| 2012 | La Universidad Del Salvador, visiting assistant professor, theater department, Buenos Aires, Argentina. |
| 2012 | La Universidad de Buenos Aires, visiting facilitator, psychology department, Buenos Aires, Argentina. |