Hasmig Vartanian was born in Palestine in 1946 of Armenian descent and grew up in Beirut, Lebanon. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1956 where they lived in Philadelphia, PA. and she attended public schools, graduating from high school in Racine, Wisconsin.

In 1973 she began studies in art at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she earned her BFA degree in fiber art, 1977 and an MFA degree in painting/drawing from Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 1980. Her teaching experience includes both full time faculty teaching at Loyola University Art Department, in New Orleans, St Tammany Public Schools, Talented Art Program, and adjunct instructor at Southeastern Louisiana University Art Department, Hammond, LA.

Artist statement

“I use the processes of construction and destruction in my art so that the final work becomes similar to an archaeological site revealing the stages of creation in layers. The process of creation is central to the art's existence as a person's experiences and history is to their own.

Environment is crucial to my work and over time, the intensity of the Louisiana climate, the wildness of nature and vibrant colors; all have influenced me and my work in a way which could not have been achieved in less than over forty years; at least that is how long it has taken me to know and see Louisiana: The state I’m in”.