Barger has studied at Bennington College, Vermont, and the New York Studio School, and she holds a B.F.A. from Cooper Union in New York. She has been the recipient of a residency at the PS 122 Project Studio Space (1997-98), the Faber Birren National Color Award (1998) and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award (1999). Her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows in and around New York City including Broadway Windows, Saint John the Divine Cathedral, the Cheryl Hazan Gallery, and Mercer County Community College.

In her most recent body of work, Barger investigates the interplay of divergent painting traditions by examining the inner structure of succulent fruits. Enlarged to human-scale so they'll fill the entire canvas, Barger dissects individual fruits to expose their inner core, pressing them flat against the planar surface of the canvas. Barger’s fruits derive their form and volume from subtle, lush layers of translucent paint applied in brilliant hues. The work invites viewers to contemplate the connections between human and non-human organic forms, three-dimensional space and two-dimensional surface, and the potential dialogues among abstraction, representation, and minimalism.

Barger’s work has been featured in many publications including The New York Times, The Jazz Times, Philadelphia Magazine, New Jersey Life, Saveur, The Trentonian, The Trenton Times and The New York Times Magazine.

As well as her paintings, Barger has executed murals both private and public. Her most recent work (2006) is an exterior mural measuring 33’x65’ in downtown Trenton, New Jersey and depicts the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. Her largest mural, commissioned by the EDC, is in the Brooklyn Army Terminal (1993) and measures 35’x150’.