28th ANNUAL NO DEAD ARTISTS
International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Art"First Saturdays" Opening Receptions - 7 September + 5 October 5-9 PM
September 3 – October 19, 2024
Artist Statement
My art practice is a way of creating agency and practicing self-trust. Characterized by blind contour self-portraits, marks in bold color, and repeated shapes, each work is the result of embodied movements and intuitive multi-step processes. Letting the materials guide me, I explore my relationship to my inner world and my physical body, and the works become a type of visual memoir.
Biography
Born and raised in Atlanta, Virginia studied art history and English at Vanderbilt University. After working in education, she began pursuing her life-long interest in making art. Virginia’s work is in the permanent collection at Ochsner Clearview and The Carrollton, and she has shown in several group shows in New Orleans, including the 2024 Louisiana Contemporary. She participated in The Welcome Table/Arts New Orleans community mural at the Lemann Pool, is a member of Where Y’art Works and Second Story Gallery, and will be a Fall 2024 Joan Mitchell Artist in Residence. Virginia has lived in New Orleans with her family for 18 years.
Curriculum Vitae
Exhibitions/Residency
2024 No Dead Artists, Ferrara Showman Gallery
2024 Louisiana Contemporary, The Ogden Museum of Southern Art
2024 Joan Mitchell Center Residency, New Orleans
2024 Treehouse, curator, Travelers Hotel, New Orleans
2023 Les Salon des Bon Enfants, Good Children Gallery, New Orleans
2023 Fall for Art, Creole Connection, Scale New Orleans
2023 Undulations, Travelers New Orleans
2023 HomeMade, Where Y’art Works, Old No. 77 Hotel, New Orleans
2023 Festive Collective, HiVolt, New Orleans
2023 Focus, Creole Connection, Scale New Orleans
2023 Come as You Are, Where Y’art Works, Old No. 77 Hotel, New Orleans
2022 Marks of Time, Fourth Wall, New Orleans
2022 I Am Woman, Where Y’art Works, Old No. 77 Hotel, New Orleans
2019 Spirit of Home II, New Orleans Art Center
2017 Shores of Perception, HiVolt, in partnership with Prospect New Orleans
New Orleans Commissions
2022 The Carrollton, Arts New Orleans
2022 Ochsner Clearview, Where Y’art Works
Community Involvement
2024 Second Story Gallery, member
2023-present Vantage Points, collective member
2022-present Where Y’art Works, member artist
2022-present Monthly critique group, founder
2022 Thrive Network Crit Crew, participant
2016 Lemann Pool Mural, Welcome Table organizing team member
Education
1998 BA, Vanderbilt University. English major, Art History minor