Marilyn Farinacci was an abstract contemporary painter who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Cleveland Institute of Art and a Master of Fine Arts from Kent State University. She garnered several accolades throughout her career, including the Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award in 2006, the Individual Artist Fellowship in 1989, and the Cleveland Museum of Art Painting Award in 1989. Her teaching experience includes serving as a lecturer at East Carolina University and working as an adjunct professor at both The Cleveland Institute of Art and Notre Dame College. Over her 40-year career, Farinacci’s work has been exhibited widely, earning recognition such as the Nesnadny & Schwartz Visiting Critics Award in 2004 and the Butler Institute of American Art Mid-Year Honorable Mention in 1999.