Site-specific installation at Hood College in Frederick, MD
2022
Yarn, paper, steel, wood, pipe insulation

Un/Familiar Territory is a site-specific, experiential installation that continues my personal exploration into the complexities of race in America. Using yarn, paper, wood and steel, this installation invites the viewer to physically enter the space between two very different racial realities. 

Solo Show at Noma Gallery, Frederick, MD
January 2022
Yarn, paper, steel, wood

Missing Pieces is a series of paper collages and mixed media sculptures exploring my personal journey through the complex issue of race in American History. I spent the previous two years encountering new and renewed knowledge about the realities of racism and what it means to be white in America. With this body of work I attempt to look beyond my initial feelings of guilt and shame in order to come to terms with my role in the ongoing inequities that are rooted in the founding of this country.

A site specific installation at NOMA Gallery, Frederick, MD
Spring of 2020
Yarn, wood, photography

Film editing by Stacy McKenzie
www.opticalnorth.com

Site-specific art installation
Masonry nails, yarn
Exhibited in the following venues:
Glenwood Branch of the Howard County (MD) Library 2018
Noma Gallery in Frederick, MD 2019
Maryland Art Place, Baltimore, MD 2019
Delaplaine Arts Center, Frederick, MD 2022

What are they? Sea Urchins? DNA? Thorny seeds? Something from outer space? The answer is...all of these and more. I love hearing what people see when they look at this installation. It's amazing how many different things these forms look like. 

Masonry nails are individually welded together to create the three-dimensional triangular form. Three or four strands of yarn are then woven around through the nails. The resulting form can be interlocked with other forms to create a larger installation.

Solo Exhibit at the Delaplaine Arts Center, Frederick, MD in 2019
steel, wood, paper, photography

This body of  sculptural and photographic work revolves around the inevitable chemical reaction that happens when iron (in the form of steel) and oxygen meet. Oxidation causes steel to change, to become something other, something less. I am fascinated with the visual signs of aging and impermanence, both in myself and in the world around me. Rust has become my muse and my medium. Using rusty steel, fibers, polymer clay and objects found on my farm, I create sculptures that explore my feelings about the change, decay and destruction I observe. Rust has its own life and each sculpture incorporates that life into its story.

Sometimes I see brief moments of unbelievable beauty in the transformational process of rust and the only way to capture it is with the camera. I zoom in on the textures, colors and patterns of rust that aren’t easily apparent. The design elements come together to create a sense of drama and mystery which delights me. And as I study these photographs I am inspired to use rust, paint and steel to create new ephemeral sculptures that speak to man’s desire to postpone decay and destruction.

Public sculpture Commission
Piney Run Park, Eldersburg, MD
2018

This Great Blue Heron sculpture was commissioned by the Carroll County Arts Council and the Carroll County Parks and Recreation Department in conjunction with a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council. The sculpture was finished and placed at Piney Run Park in Carroll County in 2018. My thanks to all the organizations involved in giving me the opportunity to create this sculpture.

Imagine walking amongst several life-sized steel animals set into the landscape of a six acre property in southern Carroll County, MD. Stick your tongue out at a kangaroo or drink with a giraffe. The studio and gardens are open to the public throughout the year upon request. The studio is handicapped accessible. If you are unable or unwilling to walk to the animals, we can drive you around the property, weather permitting.

Contact Virginia to set up an appointment for a visit. Admission is free. Ask us about the "Outdoor Sculpture Badge" for Girl Scout Troops!