Artist Catherine White came to NOVA Alexandria ceramics department on October 19th for a wonderful day of workshops and an evening artist talk. During the day, Catherine demonstrated decorating clay slabs and how to create thrown and altered work.
The students enjoyed hours of being able to listen to her creative process and seeing her work. It was a wonderful learning experience!
Catherine White’s Workshop at Northern Virginia Community College’s Alexandria Campus on October 19th, 2023. Photo by Britt Conley.Catherine, weaves together throwing and hand-building irregularities that intentionally reveal the touch of the hand. She collects, and poetically uses diverse raw materials in her anagama and gas-fired kiln in Warrenton, VA. Clay work is intertwined with extensive drawing, painting and collaging.
Catherine’s Artist Statement explains, “Seeking a poetic language of material, shape and surface, White’s plates, bowls, cups and vases abstractly refer to the landscape through the raw materials she collects and transforms by considered manipulations of clay bodies and firing effects. Each piece has markings and irregularities that intentionally reveal the touch of the artist’s hand. One recent focus on multiple series of landscape plates reveals a painterly transformation of shadow and contour—specific layerings of atmosphere, terrain and light. Clay processes are also intertwined with extensive drawing, painting, and collaging on paper.”
White has an MFA in ceramics, studied painting in Aix-en-provence, France and taught ceramics for many years at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington D.C. She has had a commission for state gifts from President Obama and Michell Obama and is represented in both the Renwick and the Sackler Galleries of the Smithsonian. She also is has written for multiple publications in addition to writing about her own work.
On Display at the Alexandria Campus AFA Gallery from September 18th-October 11th (Extended to end of October).
Debra Wright’s current body of work reflects her deep commitment to social justice, human rights and the pursuit of personal identity. Utilizing found objects as her primary medium, Debra’s concepts convey commentary on social issues while encouraging introspection and community engagement.
Debra arrived on September 20th, to work with our students and produce a pair of wings, created from the names of many persons who have been killed by police across the nation. Her artistic vision shines a spotlight on various communities and current issues within them.
Debra explains, “I create compositions that are simple in form and yet profusely conceptual. Incorporating provocative objects into my work elicits a dramatic initial response that in turn, opens up a safe space for deeper looking. This gap provides a point of entry to address controversial topics and compel important conversations we need to be having with one another.” Debra Wright.
“Flight” is currently on display in the AFA foyer.
The reception offered the opportunity for students to ask questions about Debra’s creative process, work, and what it means to be an activist artist.
Freedom House Exhibition shows the works of NOVA Alexandria Painting Students at Freedom House of Alexandria
Our painting students and the staff and historians of Freedom House of Alexandria collaborated on creating portraits of significant African American community members to examine the African American experience in Alexandria from the 18th century to present day. The Freedom House which was once part of the headquarters for the largest domestic slave trading firm in the United States and now serves as a site of consciousness to ponder a part of our history that is complex and conflicting. We did this to honor prominent African Americans who provided significant contributions to civil liberties and social justice in the United States from the eighteenth century to the present day. Determined will showcase the tremendous courage and accomplishments of Alexandria’s African Americans.
The exhibition, Determined in Alexandria, examines our history and includes artifacts, student portraits, historical information, and statements from the students about what their participation meant to them. The exhibition has been on display for the past two years of a three-year minimum exhibition.
The initiative to partner students with the Freedom House was led by Professor Stacy Slaten, who teaches art at the Alexandria campus, along with former Dean Jimmie McClellan, in collaboration with Freedom House historian Apasrin Suvanasai and curator Michele Longo.
Professor Slaten explains, “The Freedom House project has provided a valuable teaching tool for real-world experience for NOVA’s emerging artist’s and a platform for course discourse on diversity, equity, and inclusion…We are re-writing our future by examining the past.”
The museum sets the scene of Black experience in Alexandria by beginning with Alexandria’s history: “As a port city, Alexandria had ties to both the transatlantic and domestic slave trades. When European settlers arrived, they used enslaved labor to clear the land that would become Alexandria. Within the city, enslaved men, women, and children labored in warehouses, businesses, and homes. Plantations surrounding the city used enslaved labor for growing tobacco and, later, wheat for flour production. By the end of the 18th century, Alexandria was among the ten busiest ports in the U.S., profiting from exports created using enslaved labor.” (The Freedom House Museum).
The portraits that the students created are oil and acrylic on stretched canvas, with most using a palate knife technique, as opposed to a brush. “That technique,” Professor Slaten explained, “gives the paintings a more contemporary look than most traditional museum portraits by leaving the texture of the mark.”
As a project of the painting class, these painting were not only about drawing and painting in a painterly fashion, but also learning how to create skin tones and color compliments. The students collaborated extensively with historian Apasrin Suvanasai to reference historical documents such as newspapers, written accounts, and photos or prints spanning back to the 1800’s. The students had to discuss skin tones, mix color palettes, and invent the details and colors from the historical accounts or from their perceived imagination if we did not know. Considering the complexities of all the nuanced knowledge the students had to learn, they managed to do it very well, despite being constrained to classes via Zoom during the pandemic.
Professor Stacy Slaten painted one of the portraits to use as teaching example. She took the portrait that had the least amount of information and created an image based off the limited knowledge that Lawrence Day was a part of the group dubbed the Secret Seven by the FBI. No other facts were available. She gave him a persona that reflected a type of secret agent or James Bond reference.
Everyone did a wonderful job managing the artistic process and learning experience which was impacted by the challenges of the pandemic. Everyone had to create and complete these paintings on zoom instead of being in person.
Lawrence Day (1911 – 2000)
“First Black Magistrate for the City of Alexandria, 1972; Charter member of the Departmental Progressive Club; Member of the Hopkins House Board.” (The Freedom House Museum).
Stacy Slaten reflects on her artistic experience, “Lawrence Day was a part of a group known as “The Secret Seven” and documentation exists for his profound civic influence and activities. It made me think about the service of people unknown, who may impact our lives in ways we will never know. I wanted to give him an air of mystique, with a sense of humor and intelligent gaze, a debonair man so to say.”
In addition, the Freedom House used to house a trading firm that trafficked thousands of Black men, women, and children from 1828-1861. It was converted to a museum dedicated to honoring and understanding “the lives and experiences of enslaved and free Black people who lived in and were trafficked through Alexandria.”
“Determined showcases the tremendous courage and accomplishments of Alexandria’s African Americans,” said Professor Slaten. “We hope that by highlighting the past through these portraits and addressing past trauma, we change the future.”
There are many more display gems within this exhibit that help Illustrate the achievements of these historic Alexandria residents and their impact on countless lives, neighborhoods, and the City of Alexandria. Below are just a portion of the exhibit experience for those featured.
“Black Americans built the foundations of our country while they were fighting for citizenship and rights. Despite enslavement, institutional racism, oppression, and injustice, members of Alexandria’s African American community succeeded in the building families and a network whose legacy shaped today’s City of Alexandria.” (The Freedom House Museum).
Their stories can be seen and read, while highlighted in this exhibit, through the coming year.
Throughout the exhibit amazing Americans who fought to make change are visually remembered by paintings from Northern Virginia Community College Students.
Eudora N. Lyles 1918- 2000
The exhibit displays Eudora’s efforts toward fair and equal housing in historically black neighborhoods. The Freedom House explains, “After witnessing her parents lose their home to eminent domain, local activist Eudora Lyles made fair housing her life’s mission.”
Student Artist Caitlyn Raymond writes, that Eudora was, “Gentle but resilient. In my painting I wanted her skin tone to be warm to show the gentleness, but I layered it with bold purples to show an authority about her. This piece was 97% done using a pallet knife technique. I feel that the rough texture represents hardships but looking at it all as one piece shows the beauty and uniqueness that comes from it.”
Other 1950s civil rights icons, include some of the following men who were part of The Secret Seven, “who collectively tackled segregation and racial injustice within the city during the 1950s and 1960’s. They used their positions as politicians, church officials, business owners, and civic leaders to strategically improve opportunities in housing, jobs, and education for the African American community” (The Freedom House Museum).
The Exhibit also celebrates more of those who served the community at large.
Dominick Barecroft 1762-1830,
Dominick, “…was the first African American shopkeeper in Alexandria. His success allowed him to purchase his wife Esther’s freedom in 1804. By 1818, he purchased property at 315 Cameron Street for use as his tavern and growing family’s home” (The Freedom House Museum).
Student Artist, Nicole Mullings-Pettus, who painted the portrait of Mr. Barecroft, shared reflections on her process, “I had to learn a lot about Dominick Barecroft before I could even know where to start painting his likeness. There are no paintings of him from his time. I only had a written description…. After learning his history and hearing nothing but greatness, I saw Dominick as a Black man that overcame his obstacles and achieved his dreams. I wanted to paint him in his prime years to showcase his dignity and his pride.”
The Emancipation Tree
“Mary S. Peake, 1823-1862, became the first African American paid to teach those who came to Fort Monroe to escape slavery” (The Freedom House Museum).
The museum explains, Peak’s teaching was done under what became known as The Emancipation Tree. Here, children of freed men were taught by day and adults during the evening. It was in this very space, under the tree’s canopy that former slaves were able to be present for the reading of President Lincoln’s Emancipation proclamation.
Student artist, Marwah Ashna, reflects on the Emancipation Oak tree at Hampton University:”One of the greatest pieces of African American history lives with us today, The Emancipation Oak tree. Born from a single seed and now it stands 16 feet around with a 100-foot-wide canopy that soars 50 feet. I find it as the perfect symbol of freedom, strength, and beauty…. This tree is not only an attention grabber, but it is a reminder to my Black brothers and sisters of their freedom: the freedom of speech, and opportunity.”
Dr. Albert Johnson 1866-1949
Another determined Alexandria Citizen was Dr. Albert Johnson, who, “was the first African American physician to practice in Alexandria. segregation prevented him from seeing patients at the hospital. Instead, he opened a private practice in his home in 1894” (The Freedom House Museum).
Student artist and painter, Jerusalem Amdemichael reflects on her painting process, “I decided to paint Dr. Albert Johnson because he looked like he could be an uncle of mine… it was great to show respect and pay homage to these people who played a great role locally and throughout the rest of the society. To have this exhibit to show how African Americans helped move society forward is important because what they do is often overshadowed. I feel honored to help highlight Dr. Johnson’s importance to this community and the success he achieved during a time where it was difficult.”
F.H.M Murray 1859-1950.
Anna Lee, another of our student artists, who also created an original painting for this exhibition expounds on F.H.M. Murray, as “an intellectual, civil rights activist and journalist in Washington, D.C. and Alexandria, VA, who, “was active in promoting Black homeownership, opposing Jim Crow laws and lynching. He supported positive representation of African Americans in public art. He was an art historian active in the early 20th century who published a series of works on African Americans portrayed in art. Freeman Murray was a forgotten pioneer for civil justice.”
Reverend Andrew W. Adkins 1884-1963,
“Reverend Andrew W. Adkins led the Alfred Street Baptist Church for 43 years (1920-1963). Not only a pastor, Rev. Adkins was also a teacher at Parker-Gray School, the first coeducational school for African American children in Alexandria” (The Freedom House Museum).
Student Artist Sue Williams reflects on how he inspired her portrait of him: “He has very considerate and discerning eyes…. Seeing from the black and white picture, I could only imagine what it would have been like to be pastor where there are limited resources available yet required him his time and wisdom to do his calling. I felt certain compassion in my heart and respect although I never knew about him.”
You can read more on Reverend Adkins and on his legacy within the educational community within the exhibition tour.
Annie B. Rose 1893-1989
“Rose’s activism saved the historic 19th century Alfred Street Baptist Church building and led to the creation of the Alexandria Society for the Preservation of Black Heritage” (The Freedom House Museum).
Student artist, Rose Bridwell, effuses, “Annie Beatrice Bailey-Rose was a strong Black woman with courage and compassion to do all that she could to make a white supremacist world a better place. She is described as a ‘gentle, self- effacing woman of deep religious conviction and bone deep conviction to social justice.’ She used her voice, education, talents, money, and time to speak for those who needed her voice…. I humbly pledged to her a commitment to stop complaining about racism and start taking ACTIONS to help those who need my voice and gifts.”
Thanks to the Alexandria Black History Museum, the exhibit shows more of Annie’s life, including her typewriter, an image of Annie sharing the history of, what is now The Freedom House Museum and more detailed information about her impact within the community.
Ferdinand T. Day (1918 – 2015),
Ferdinand Day was the “first black Chairperson for the Alexandria School Board; Member of the Hopkins House Board and Chairman of the Durant Civic Associations Housing Committee” (The Freedom House Museum). Painting by Lucia Lecce.
Father John Davis (1907 –1990),
John Davis was Pastor of Meade Memorial Episcopal Church, 1959-1971.
Artist, James Davenport speaks about his process: “This was my first time using the pallet knife and with that came challenges, but also a personality in its technique. In deciding what colors to use there was a balance, looking at tone from a black and white image and extrapolating from there. The colors would need to come close to representing a life like skin, but remain faithful to the original image… I feel fortunate to be able to take part in the preservation of Father John Davis’s image.”
Melvin Miller (1931 – 2015).
Melvin was a, “civil rights lawyer from 1958-1962; President of the Alexandria chapter of the NAACP and Urban League; Member of Alexandria School Board from 1986-1993” (The Freedom House Museum).
Artist Nicole Mullings-Pettus reflects on her work saying, “I feel that this painting best describes Mr. Miller’s character. He was a man that used his knowledge to help others out of hard situations and with that he spread joy and hope within his community, and I feel that the yellow and his humble smile reflects that.”
Nelson Greene Sr. (1914 –2014),
Nelson Green was the “Funeral Director of Greene Funeral Home; Member of Board of Commissioners of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority from 1966-1969; Served on board of Alexandria Chamber of Commerce; Served on Alexandria City Council from 1979-1982; Taught at Parker- Gray School” (The Freedom House).
Col. Marion Johnson (1915-1998)
Marion Johnson was the President of the Seminary Civic Association, Vice President of Alexandria Council on Human Relations, Vice Chairman of Minority Housing Sub-committee, Treasurer of Alexandria Federation of Civic Association, and Member of multiple civic Associations, including Alexandria Citizen Advisory committee and the Durant Civic Association.
Edward Patterson (1909 – 1979)
“Music teacher and Assistant Principal of Parker-Gray High School; Principal of Parker- Gray Middle School; Director of staff relations and student activities for Alexandria City Public Schools; Member of many Alexandria civic organizations, including the Seminary Civic Association, the NAACP, and the Northern Virginia Urban League Advisory Board” (The Freedom House).
Arthur C. Dawkins 1935-Present
Student Artist Anna Lee effuses, “From modest beginnings, he worked his way to the top of his profession as an educator, a teacher, and a free-lance jazz musician. Along the way, he successfully negotiated the transition from segregation to integration, and pointed out the way for others to follow. He will be remembered for touching individuals more than advocating before groups because that is the way that he worked–one individual, one student at a time, and without ever drawing attention to himself.”
In his capacity as a freelance musician, Arthur,” broke racial barriers while performing for the National Symphony Orchestra and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. He taught, mentored, and performed at Howard, and through D.C., for over 30 years” (The Freedom House).
How to see the exhibit:
The Freedom House is located at 1315 Duke St, Alexandria, VA 22314. (703) 746-4702
Timed entry will be every 15 minutes during our hours of operations: Thursday & Friday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday & Monday 1 – 5 p.m.
Tickets are currently available through the Alexandria Shop.
As a reminder – if you are a City of Alexandria resident – you automatically receive free admission!
Thank you for your support in creating the “Determined Alexandria” portion of our exhibit at the Freedom House Museum.
NOVA Student Participants:
Fiza Batool, Jerusalem Amdemichael, Eliana Harvey, Soon Young Williams, Rose Bridwell, Anna Lee, Marwah Ashna, Debbie Robison, Lucia Lecce, Nicole Mullings-Pettus, Hatta Omar, James Davenport, Caitlyn Raymond—— with Prof. Stacy Slaten.
Our 2023 Alexandria Fine Art Student Juried Show was organized by Jessica Gardner, our 3-D instructor. She chose Russ Mcintosh to be our juror. Throughout his artistic career, Russ, has exhibited around the country. He formerly ran the Arlington Arts Gallery and has been a graphic designer for over 25 years.
His current company, Vision Idea Design helps small entrepreneurs in the small business community achieve their goals. In recent years, he has hosted the SatARtday Artist Showcase which features young artists. He also hails as a NOVA alumni!
This year’s 2023 Fine Art Student Show, exemplified the exceptionalism of our NOVA student’s talents, creative endeavors and passion for art. I noticed this year offered a trend toward visual storytelling, featuring relationships between people, concepts, things and re-imagining them in wonderful new ways.
Julia Marques created a playful 3-d work titled Relaja La Raja. She incorporated children’s toys and wood to create a 3-D chair representing ideas of early life and growing up. If you get a chance to visit the gallery, check out the chair leg collections of toys!
Zee Blair created this epically gestured ode to Michelle Nichols who portrayed Uhura in Star Trek. Nichols has been an inspiration to many women over the decades. The artwork is titled, “Curiosity.” The glove represents her hand reaching out to the galaxies.
Another poignant and bold trend in this show is the art of the painted portrait. Our art students provided a variety of creative approaches, from stylized to realism. Each portrait is bold, unique and intriguing! (L-R) Pensive by Jennifer Wessmiller, Self Portrait by Julia Marques and Self Portrait by Lilian Tulloss.
The first artwork alcove, predominantly features women portraits and the stories they tell. Sarah Barakat painted numerous works on women. Her work, “Sisters,” says so much to anyone who has sisterly relationships. Yet each person is likely to have a different interpretation to the work depending on our backgrounds. It’s an example of what we the viewer brings to our experience with art.
“Portrait Knife Calligraphy” (below) by Raghad Elbardicy, helps us think about cultures, women, life, opportunities and togetherness. There are so many ways to interpret the artwork. Out of the grey, the pop of colors draw us immediately into each woman’s world.
Two artists created paintings featuring a pomegranate. Nicole LaVallee’s Pomegranate visualizes an intriguing surrealistic storyline that uses on and off the canvas elements. We are given much to consider during our evaluation of potential meaning. I personally love the physical surface of the work. The sky provides a rich, landscaped space where life is seemingly possible. The color divide between the world at large and the inner world of subject matter is both delineated and connected by a single black ribbon on the left-hand side of the canvas. The ribbon itself circles the entire canvas, acting as both frame and wrapper of the creative effort itself.
Art Tucker’s Pomegranate is technically exceptional. She beautifully handles water soluble oils. Not an easy feat. The piece exudes color as though it’s the very juice of the picture plane.
(Below), The message of Kirsten Ponticelli’s “How’d You Vote?” is clear. It’s a simple question provided within a direct, visual context. This one piece illustrates our ongoing societal debate at large countered against a visual of America’s unified student experience today.
We had one portrait of a man, titled, “Random Man Portrait” by Kiara Quinto. Kiara expertly handled the graphite and charcoal to create a work that prompts the view to consider the drawing process itself.
Every year I look forward to seeing our 3-D student submissions. They are always highly creative, with ideas that are beautifully brought to fruition. One of my personal favorites this year is “Whale?” by James Davenport.
“Whale?” is a ceramic work featuring the body of a whale with the face of a hippo. The land/sea package beautifully evokes nature at large.
James’ other work, “Triangles” was constructed from various triangularly-created clay shapes. The unexpected countering of a natural and green living subject against the variety of greens seen in the glazing of the man-made ceramic piece allows us to enjoy multiple aspects of contrasting visual elements. The well-potted opening bring our eyes into an alluded rocky crevice. Our eyes are then led along the tendril growth path, ever reaching, outward and into the world.
This year’s show had so many wonderful 3-D works. Susan Edgington paired two lovely dark ceramic works, “Dark Twist,” on the left and on the right, Sentinel,”
Brendan Curley’s, “Worship Box” is made of foam core, plasti-dip, acrylic and wax. The form is modern, austere and yet, with the use of candles dripping down upon the form the box has a human touch to it.
Mona Toukan’s “Left Hand” wonderfully hold’s a delicate flower.
The submissions this year are so creative! Mona also created this wonderful Teapot.
On entering the gallery, Tuvshinbayar Zeveg’s “Mongolian Eagle” powerfully greets visitors to the gallery.
These four charcoal works illustrate the variety and individuality of potential approaches to the the medium. (L to R) Vinh Ly’s “Glass and Paints”; Fran Alexander’s “Water and Glass”; Giuseppe DeLuca’s “Kitchen and Bath”; and Caroline Haggerty;s “Dirty Dishes.”
It’s always a joy to see how how much time students spend on their creations! Fran Alexanders, “Water and Glass” exemplifies the beauty of working with a slow layered approach.
Dirty Dishes is also a wonderfully creative work. The assignment incorporates putting kitchen items in inappropriate places. The bathroom fits this to a T!
Kirsten Ponticelli’s 3-D relief work, titled “Made with Love, Trash” is full of color, texture and story . She incorporated found items into a swirled galaxy of visual delight. The more one looks, the more interesting items one finds!
`The reception offered a wonderful evening to learn more about art and our student artists.
Before we knew it, it was time to announce this year’s winners of the 2023 Show! Russ addressed our gallery attendees with an overview of the show and impressed he was with all of the students efforts and the quality of the art.
Our third place winner is Kirsten Ponticelli. Her work (below), “How’d You Vote?” is a clear, simple question providing a direct, visual context. This one piece illustrates our ongoing societal debate at large countered against a visual of America’s unified student experience today.
Our 2nd Place winner is Art Tucker for her work “Overconsumption” Art has several works in the exhibition, each using different mediums.
Nicole LaVallee, our first prize winner was wonderfully surprised!
Nicole won for her beautiful work, “Pomegranate”. I’ve described how much this work has to offer the mind of the viewer (above). The work is so stylistically deliberative. The design is integral to the constructed path for our eye movement and the storyline itself.
Russ spoke of what he loved about her work and how powerful the piece is. He was greatly informative and our students are so appreciative.
We at the NOVA Alexandria campus would like to give big Congratulations to our three winners and to ALL of the students who applied to this year’s show! We have so much talent in our midst! All the students have much to celebrate!
Vinh Ly and our 2-D program teacher, Stacy Slaten at the opening reception of the Juried Exhibition at the Alexandria Campus of Northern Virginia Community College on April 13th, 2023. Photo by Britt Conley
It was a great night for all and it is no nice to see all the families and friends who come to support everyone.
Along our long wall we have a section for line works. (L-R Below) Ambria Everett’s, “Still Life Contour”
and Kira Wharton’s “Left Foot Front.” Both are graphite works using contour line with a variety of line widths which help the mind see infer three dimensional depth.
(Left, below) Lilian Tulloss uses line and graphic elements to show, “Henry Savage’s Cat.” On the right is Karen Wallace’s, “Modern Mansion,” a wonderfully successful perspective work.
Another lovely graphite work is Samantha Seubert’s “Luna with a Pearl Earring.” I just love the idea of incorporating animals into art history!
Thanks to all who came to this year’s opening reception and a special thanks to our Provost, Dr. Annette Haggray, our Liberal Arts Dean, Dr. Jimmie McClellan, Associate Dean Lynette Garret and our division angel, May Kim for all their support!
For those considering applying to next year’s show. Anything you make for one of our fine art classes, drawing, fundamentals of design, or painting, from this semester to next Spring, may be submitted to next year’s juried show!
On March 29th we were lucky enough to have curator Christine Fowler Shearer come and speak with our students about how the curation world works. She showed us some of her recent exhibitions and discussed the artistic, legal, financial and timeline logistics of putting on a comprehensive exhibition as well as issues related to working and maintaining a traveling exhibition.
Christine runs an arts curatorial consultancy business offering exhibition development, collections research, critical essay writing and catalog design and printing for institutional exhibitions and traveling exhibitions.
Christine’s current curatorial show is titled Mirror Mirror. The exhibition, on view at The University of Mary Washington Galleries, will be on view from March 30 through April 28 in Ridderhof Martin Gallery, with the opening reception taking place on March 30 from 5 to 7 p.m. Private tours run May 1 through June 4. Featured artists include Erin Holscher Almazan (printmaking), Alicia Brown (painting), Jessica Calderwood (ceramics), Kristen Cliffel (ceramics), Rebecca Cross (textiles), Jessica Gardner (ceramics), Marcella Hackbardt (photography), Mabi Ponce de Leon (mixed media), Bellamy Printz (printmaking), Stephanie Rond (mixed media), Margo Selski (painting) and Babette Wainwright (ceramics).
Margaret Boozer is the Founder and Director of Red Dirt Studio, an artist incubator in Mt. Rainier, MD, and Co-Director and founding member of NY Urban Soil Institute’s Art Extension Service. Over the years, her studio practice of digging native clays has led to collaborations with soil scientists and work that explore intersections of art and science.
Margaret came to speak with our ceramics students about her studio and about clay, it’s color, it’s function and out of the box creating.
“Red Dirt Studio is a warehouse studio and incubator for a small group of independently practicing artists and creative professionals, from fresh out of school to nationally known. We share resources, offer critical feedback and push each other toward greater professionalism in our work. It’s a space for projects, community exchange and radical imagination.”
One of the wonderful aspects of Margaret’s job, working with scientists as Director at the Art Extension Service to the NYC Urban Soils Institute. She is also passionate about found clay in situ and using various clay colorings as palette within her artistic creations. Digging it up and bringing it back to the studio allows her to add geographic storylines to her creative process.
For more information on Margarette visit: http://www.margaretboozer.com/
“I think of these pieces as textile paintings–I’m drawing with fabric and thread to create my own artistic statement.” Cindy Grisdela.
A visual feast, this show is exciting and colorfully, powerful! Even while initially hanging the exhibition, people were knocking on the window, asking to come in and take a look. It’s been very well attended!
Cindy masterfully uses abstraction with form, color and thread to create new experiences that unfold while viewing within varying distances. The closer one gets, the more visually chewable, the works become.
The colors first grab the distance viewer. The forms then entice a visual journey that is a intentionally lead via directional threads, both literally and figuratively.
The forms are then enjoyed via the threading that provides varying treats to the eye.
The swirls, mazes and bubbling of the threaded fabric offer dynamic motion, even when the eye is at rest within any one area.
In her blog, she states,”
“One thing I’d like to convey with these pieces is that my art is concerned with color, line and shape, just like any other art who works in paint or another two dimensional medium.”
“My medium is fabric and thread, and there’s a reason I choose to create that way. The opportunity to add texture and dimension to my compositions with stitching lines is unique to textile art, and it’s that tactile component that drew me to the medium and keeps me excited about going into the studio each day.”
“I do all my own stitching–sometimes with freehand motifs and sometimes with straight or wavy lines, depending on what the composition seems to need. There’s no computer program that does that part for me and I enjoy feeling the texture coming to life under my fingers as I stitch.”
So much thought goes into each piece.. At the opening Cindy explained the mental work takes the longest time. This if followed by the physical configurations. Once they are complete, the stitching can being.
Even the novice viewer can see the slow and steady care and attention to detail of her cleanly laid out stitching. The precision is exquisite.
“If you are going to do something, you should do it well.” she explained to attendees. It’s true and quality from this care makes the works highly memorable.
My personal favorite work is 3 Friends: 67″ x 80″ to 12″
The three main center panels can be construed a variety of ways. To me, on first glance they have a boat-like motif with seemingly tall sails. It immediately reminded me of traveling adventures with friends. The beautiful nuance lighter, background colorings are like a sea. On second look, the motifs took shape as chairs, with legs that widen below. They feel like the steady and firm foundations that lifelong friends have to offer. The adventures are a-fixed a top of that grounding. Cindy told us how much she enjoys every viewer finding their own meaning and how it can be enlightening.
I also really love Aquarius.
Although her works are open in design along the external edges and tend not to have a border, this piece wonderfully shows the exceptionally configured dynamic entry and exits the eye travels through. In art we often are taught to either give our boarders an end point or put the subject mater within the central part of the piece so that our eye circles with the center areas and thus does not lead off the page.
Cindy, however, does this while also doing the opposite. The yellows and greens along the top and bottom capture our brains first.. they are vividly saturated and light. Our brain’s enter here and are thrust toward the center by not only contrasting black pathways but also the stitching of them. All roads lead to what looks like DNA.
Cindy told us the story of her first show in High School, where she coincidently won $5, for her artwork of a double helix. The other wonderful surprising aspect of the piece are the offsetting of left and right desaturated neutral areas that move into lighter bluish whites that work as backlit glass. Although the eye goes here first, the center design pushes forward and we arrive clearly on the subject matter that is fish like and has a character all to itself.
Overall, the show is also calming and provides a surprisingly active zen. The mark of a phenomenal mental artistry. Perhaps it the repetition and unity of the stitching or the rhythm of the line work that is never equidistant but full of human origin and voice. Perhaps its the areas where ones eyes can rest and yet still have a full meal to visually enjoy.
Of course the artist knows… the artist always knows how they want to imbue their work and how to send us on our experiential journey.
Cindy Grisdela is a Contemporary quilting artist, teacher and author of Artful Improv: Explore Color Recipes, Building Blocks & Free Motion Quilting, as well as her new book, Adventures in Improv Quilts: Master Color, Design & Construction. She has a BA in Fine Arts from the College of William and Mary and an MBA from George Washington University.
This years NOVA/MASON show was a huge success! Our collective arts foundations students, who are Foundations level students (Freshmen or Sophomore) currently enrolled NOVA and Mason students. showed us how exceptionally talented they are!
This exhibition explores the dual challenges faced by Foundation Level art students: learning about a new medium and honing their craft within the structure of the class assignment. Innovation celebrates those works that expand on, push the boundaries of, and go beyond those in class assignments. Whether in craft, design, or concept, developing technical skills and an artistic voice is not an easy task. Innovation is an exhibition dedicated to the students working on building their skills and finding new approaches. All works exhibiting personal growth or an innovated approach to classroom work will be considered
There are a variety of positive aspects to bringing our students together in one exhibition. NOVA students get to see the level of art by their student colleagues at Mason and learn about the arts program from them and their professors as well. Often Mason students are prior NOVA students and having alumni return to see their friends is rewarding for all!
Each year the exhibition toggles between NOVA and George Mason. This coming year everyone working to have the exhibition in a professional arts venue to help provide an extraordinary learning experience for how galleries work and provide a broader community experience and access to seeing everyone’s art!
This year’s Juror is Babette Pendleton, the current exhibition and programming curator at George Washington’s Corcoran School of Art & Design in DC who also teaches within the Curatorial Practice program at MICA. She holds a BFA in Dance & Choreography from Cornish College of the Arts, and an MFA in Curatorial Practice from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) with a minor in Critical Theory.
Experimentation, intentionality, and collaboration are central aspects of Babette Pendleton’s multidisciplinary work as an artist, curator-producer, and researcher. Her national and international curatorial work manifests in forms of collective and collaborative organizing, project management, visionary and strategic consulting, and exhibition/performance producing. Babette is the director of Yellow Fish, a durational performance art festival which aims to bring awareness to the significance and study of time through cultural practices and artistic mediums, while facilitating community involvement in historical and contemporary thought surrounding Durational Performance. Notable past work includes, director and founder of the Pendleton House—a twenty-five person interdisciplinary art collective; director of the experimental gallery space, New Tomorrow; and producer and project Manager for Sarah Cameron Sunde’s global series, A Durational Performance with the Sea. She most recently worked as a consultant with Robert W. Deutsch Foundation in Baltimore, MD and Coffey Street in Brooklyn, NY. Her current research focuses on reconfiguring contractual agreements inside collecting and commissioning initiatives with specific emphasis on putting care practice and performance methodologies at the forefront of contract law. Babette
The works she chose are inspirational and often tell a personal story or stories of others or experience itself.
This year’s show is headed by Jessica Gardener and Brian Davis. Jessica head’s our NOVA Alexandria Ceramic’s and 3-D Arts program and Brian, teaches New Media and Sculpture at George Washington University and George Mason University.
The reception was offered time for students and families to dive deeply into our student’s intentioned-artwork.
School shows are often the first experience our young students have with exhibiting to the public.
The rewards are immediate, as art-goers have a huge appreciation for technique and process.
It’s also a wonderful moment for our artists to explain their work to others.
Before long it was time for Jessica to gather everyone together to begin the awards ceremony. First, our Provost, Dr. Annette Haggray was kind enough to give a wonderfully inspiring thank you to all of the students, for their creativity, confidence and talents.
Babette spoke about all of the works and the extra-ordinary creative ways the students went beyond the classroom assignments and used highly innovative creative thought.
First award of the night was our Honorable Mention , which went to MJ Gomez-Salazar! Congratulations!
Our Third Place Winner, Ian Dermott! Congratulations!
Brian Davis, 3-D professor at George Mason, proudly took pictures of all of the winners! It’s a rewarding moment!
Our Second Place winner went Faani Tabrizi Nezhaad’s. She could not be there but her family was!
Our first Place winner’s award went to Pasindu Weeramunda! Congratulations!
Finally, Congratulations to our People’s Choice winner, Ryan Funkhouser!
Students from all of our arts came in to see the works and learn from them!
Dr. Nicole Munday, Associate Dean for the Social Sciences, enjoying Vicente Figueroa’s Artwork.
Vicente Figueroa discussing her artistic Book artwork.
Jessica takes a picture of Robbyn Smith and her incredible artwork: Barking Mad Blue.
It’s an exciting show and everyone really enjoyed the works and meeting other students!
Sofia Vazquez-Espada enjoyed explaining her work : Color is a Concept.
Students enjoying Ariana Barbery-Cornejo’s work: Perception Features.
Rachel McGrath and Bethany Davis’ photographic images were wonderfully well recieved.
Yesenia Garcia in front of her lovely piece: Izanami.
A special thanks go out to Brian and Babette for ALL their hard work and creativity in making this show happen.
Stacy Slaten, the head of our 2-D Department proudly enjoying the student work from her and others classes.
The Chinese Landscape Exchange is a collaborative project between Northern Virginia Community College and Hebei Vocational University of Technology and Engineering (formerly Xingtai Polytechnic College). Professor Stacy Slaten spearheaded the organization of the project with her visual arts students and those of Visual Arts Prof. Matt Pinney with the translation help of Chinese language professor, Prof. Dali Tan and her students. Students in Xingtai, China, worked with Wei Wei, Director of Office of the CPC HVUTE Committee and Administration, and Prof. Yang, professor of Media Arts.
Prof. Slaten’s artist statement, corresponding to the painting above says, “Coordinating the collaborative exchange between China and NOVA was interesting as there are always new things to learn and consider with another culture, although also reassuring that we are not much different. I loved this image of the person by the water with their back to the viewer, very still. I wanted to emphasize the scene’s peacefulness by harmonizing the colors to more analogous with the yellows, yellow-green, blue and blue-green but slightly activating the texture with a palette knife, which not only forces me to economize the shapes but add a slight energy and movement. Hopefully, there is also a feeling of happiness.
协调中国和 NOVA 之间的合作交流很有趣,因为总是有新的东西需要学习和考虑另一种文化,尽管也让人放心,我们并没有太大的不同。 我喜欢这幅画面,水边的人背对着观众,非常安静。我想强调这个场景的平和,把颜色调和到更类似的中性的黄色、黄绿色、蓝色和蓝绿色,但用调色刀稍微激活了纹理,这不仅迫使我节省形状,而且增加了轻微的能量和运动。 希望也有一种幸福的感觉。
我对这次交流的希望是,我们可以更清楚地看到彼此,而不是“另一个”,我们可以瞥见来自世界各地的观点,这种联系在精神上确实不是那么遥远。 我要感谢这个项目的所有参与者,希望你们能很好的把这美好的记忆带着。Chinese translation from Prof. Tan
My hope for this exchange is that we see one another clearer, and not as “other,” that we get to glimpse a view from across the world, with a connection that is really not so far in spirit. I want to thank all participants in this project and hope you carry the memory well.”
Chinese language, Prof. Dali Tan used Prof. Slaten’s artist statement as an example for her classes and translated into the Chinese below. All of the NOVA student artist statements were then translated into Chinese as a experiential language assignment by Alexandria’s Chinese language students. It was a fantastic learning experience between Chinese language students and Fine Arts students as well as being a cross-collaboration between Alexandria and Manassas campuses.
NOVA and XPC students photographed and documented the rural and/or urban landscapes from each location and country to exchange for the interpretation and creation of artwork and designs, using the exchanged reference material. The project provided a cultural trade and interpretation of the reference materials to insure useful learning experiences for all the students.
Documentation included the photographs and often an initial statement from the students. Students had the opportunity to engage in collaborative international dialog while experiencing a major project and exhibition. The visual arts students also wrote their first artist statements, a common approach in the visual arts to connect the viewer closer to the visual artwork. Then, our Chinese language students at Alexandria translated the artist statements into Chinese for a further cross-disciplinary approach to provide meaningful social and learning experiences. Each respective institution will have an in-person or virtual exhibition for the community as desired.
Goals:
Provide meaningful real-world experience for international collaboration, exchange, and community into the classroom. 2. Students get to “see” the other side of the world from each institution. 3. Discussion of each culture and country between students. 4. Exchange of visual ideas and interpretation of the original reference material for further discussion. 5. Engagement of the greater community in online exhibition. 6. Further student engagement of critique and feedback on created images for exchange and dialog.
Project Timeline-Planning started in 2020 with execution of the Project in Fall 2021 into Spring 2022
Creation of artwork during Fall 2021
Translation of NOVA student artist statements during Spring 2022
Formatting for online exhibit 2022-2023
Professor Stacy Slaten, who connected and planned with the Chinese colleagues at Hebei University for this project, said, “This has been a wonderful project that helped the students in my classes ‘see’ a world and a view that is different and yet like their own and create a sense of connection across the globe. I believe these exchanges foster education and academic freedoms, even though it may be a tiny seed.”
The following images were created in ART 122: Drawing II and ART 241/241: Painting I and II with student artist statements. The NOVA artwork is paired with the Chinese reference photograph with both the original Chinese reference statement and the NOVA student Chinese translation.
“This has been a wonderful project that helped the students in my classes “see” a world and a view that is different and yet like their own and create a sense of connection across the globe. I believe these exchanges foster education and academic freedoms, even though it may be a tiny seed.” Stacy Slaten
Kymberly Brooks – Artist from Design class with Professor Stacy Slaten .
“I wanted to keep the intensities and richness of the warm foreground, while contrasting it with a faded blue sky and mountain range. The orange terrace farmland was what caught my eye in this image and I wanted to make sure they held the focus. The natural texture of the pastels helped to create atmospheric perspective as the mountains moved further into the background. This scene is one of serenity and peace and I wanted my piece to portray that as well.” Kymberly Brooks
Diego Moore – Artist from Painting class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“This specific project we worked on, was very fun for me. I am so happy with the results and honestly didn’t expect it to turn out this nice. At first, I was a bit nervous because I’m not used to doing watercolor with Acrylic, however it was not as hard as I initially thought it would be because It ended up being very smooth and easy to get details on the canvas. But I didn’t want the painting to have many details because I still want that simple feel when looking at it in person. When painting, I wanted to get the likeness of the original photograph to make it as identical as possible, and even though it didn’t turn out extremely identical, it still turned out similar enough to the picture.”
Elizabeth Johnson – Artist from Painting class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“This is Zijin Mountain, Hebei Province. Zijinshan Scenic Tourism Area is located in taihang, Shandong Province, The Xindu District, 66 kilometers from the central city. Zijin Mountain averages more than 1300 meters above sea level, and the highest peak, Sky Ridge, is 1747.5 meters above sea level. Scenic area of 28 square kilometers, forest coverage of more than 90%, vegetation coverage of nearly 100 percent. Wild animals such as, mountain chickens, rock pigeons, magpies, red-beaked crows and so on are active all year round. The average summer temperature here is 5-10 degrees lower than in the city.
Zijin Mountain rises from the middle of the eight hundred-mile Taihang ridge, revealing extraordinary reiki. The mountain is east-west, the mountain stone is mostly purple, belongs to the middle section of Taihang Mountain Great Wall red quartz sandstone development to the “youth” of the “rock formation” type. Cliffs or cliff sills at the waterfall pool in a series, forming a large water body characteristics of Zijin Mountain landscape. Ghost-axe work the country’s rare “tianjing earth”, Han Xiangzi ancient house “Han Xianzhuang”, flying waterfall rock “seven-star pool”, “YuXian pool”, “water slide”, looking across the mountain side into the peak of the board mountain community and “Xiantao Mountain”, “Camel Peak”, “Grass Hat Mountain”, “Turtle and Rabbit Race” and so on, in different forms, into interesting. The endless “holy water cave” of the millennium is connected with Wu’an Longevity Spring, and the life of drinking is increased. tudent from the Department of Arts and Media, Hebei Science and Technology Engineering Vocational and Technical University..
This is a 16×20” acrylic painting of Zijinshan Scenic Tourism Area at Zijin Mountain, Hebei Province in China. What drew me to this landscape the most was the tree branches in the foreground overlapping the partially cloudy sky, as well as the beautiful Chinese style architecture with curved rooftops. I used a combination of painting styles. For the solid objects, such as the forested hills, the rooftops of the building, and tree branches in the foreground, I dabbed on thicker paint. For the reflections in the water, I used thinner paint that was watered down, and I applied the paint in layers of green and blue. The details of the building and the walkway were painted with the tiniest paint brush I own. I painted the sky with a combination of blue and white that I mixed on the canvas, while the thin, wispy clouds were applied with a sponge. I enjoy painting accurate proportions and tiny details in my artwork, as well as blending colors.” Elizabeth Johnson.
Megan Gerst – NOVA Artist from painting class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“Cities are full of life, movement, and light. The original photograph shows neon signs and a bustling city. I chose to work from this image because it is different from my typical content. I generally work with more organic shapes. I was excited to meld my impressionistic style with the structured and bright landscape. The composition is split into three sections to keep the eye moving around the canvas and promote the sense of movement. Working with a rounded canvas provided juxtaposition to the city signs and geometric building structures. Painting with transparent acrylic paint started this piece off with a more muted color scheme. I found that I really appreciated this and opted to keep certain areas less vibrant. The closest sign has that bright neon feeling which jumps out from the rest of the painting and provides a sense of depth.
This piece involved a lot of exploration in how to approach painting and I found that I really enjoyed painting the city street and working with transparent layers. I may not include these in all future paintings, but I want to continue to explore this in aspects of my work.” Megan Gerst
This project has been especially rewarding for our students, faculty, and staff! Our former Dean, Dr. McClellan explains, “Our collaboration over the past few years has enriched the learning experience for those at Xingtai and those at NOVA. In the midst of our current project, war has erupted and it has caused our governments to fear communication between us. I hope it will not affect our relationship permanently. Cross-cultural communication and collaboration are the building blocks of understanding. They can prevent wars. It is important that we continue. Wars are disruptive. They come and go. But each destroys and halts human progress. Teaching and learning are forces that advance civilization even as people are trying to destroy it.”
Jim McClellan, Ed.D (Hon.), Ph.D. College Dean, Liberal Arts , Campus Dean, Languages, Arts, and Social Sciences Division, Alexandria and Professor of History
Abigail Tucker – Artist from Drawing II class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“I was drawn to this photo because of its unique composition and the man sitting alone at the bottom of the picture. While the original colors of the photo are muted, I wanted to give it more liveliness through more saturated colors. I really wanted to highlight the man, the lantern, and the window. I used warmed colors around these objects to highlight them and draw the eye to them. This was a challenging piece for me, but one of my favorites I have completed.” Abigail Tucker
Kelly Collins – Artist from painting class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“When I first saw this photograph of West Lake in China I knew that I wanted to paint this. The reflection in the water, the contrast between the bright sky and the darkened trees, it was beautiful to me! I was eager to start the painting right away, and I knew I wanted this painting to be in a painterly style which has a contrast between my normal style.
I took my own artistic liberties with the colors in this painting, going for a dominating blue, followed by a deep but not distracting green, and bright vivid oranges. I chose this color scheme because I wanted to emphasize the colors to be more saturated to show how beautiful the colors in nature can be, even if it’s as simple as a sunset. I find that I take a lot of inspiration in my art for things in the moment, and sunsets often catch my attention. I wanted this painting to be gorgeous but simple. This style is quite different from my own personal style, but I feel that this piece really let me experiment with trying this style. I personally believe that I achieved my goal of trying to get a beautiful painting with the technique used for this piece.” Kelly Collins
Mariah Stearman – Artist, from 2D Design class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“For this project, my thought process was picking an image that made me feel good on the inside, and I connected with it the most. In this image, what caught my attention was the warm sunlight peeking through between the two mountains. That effect created a feeling of warmth and looking beyond the horizon. Essentially the idea of looking forward to what is on the other side. There could have been an even more beautiful sunset on the other side of the image that I selected – who knows. That same principle can also be applied to life; you never know what can be on the other side. My main intention was to capture the warmth and vibrance of that light peeking through, so all my choices were focused on that idea.” Mariah Stearman
Mustafa Mohammed – Artist from Painting class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
Reflection
“My work has primarily focused on improving my skills and enhancing my knowledge of the materials. I can’t help myself but choose pieces that seem challenging. You could say it is my competitive side wanting to compete against myself by always taking more considerable challenges. This piece stood out to me as a challenge to take on, but it also reminded me of the colorful spectacle of New York city from ‘Spider-Man into spider-verse,’ which is one of the many reasons I chose it. I have used 42 by 30-inch canvas for this painting, and a heavy body acrylic paint, thinned down with water to make it more like a watercolor. Overall, I had a lot of fun exploring the various ways of expressing the colors on the canvas and trying to find ways to give out the city’s vibes. Admittedly, I wish I had more time with this piece, and if I’m being honest, that’s the case with every piece that I make. Nonetheless, I’m happy with how it mostly came out and certainly learned a lot from it.” Jeanine Jimenez
我的作品主要集中在提高我的技能和加强我对材料的了解。我无法控制自己,只能选择那些看起来相当有挑战性的作品。你可以说这是我好胜的一面,想要通过更可观的挑战来与自己竞争。这幅作品对我来说是一个挑战,但它也让我想起了《蜘蛛侠:平行宇宙》中纽约市的多彩奇观的景象,这是我选择它的众多原因之一。我在这幅画中使用了 42 x 30 英寸的画布,以及厚重的丙烯颜料,用水稀释后使其更像水彩画。总体而言,我在探索画布上的各种色彩表达方式,并试图找到散发城市气息的方法让我获得了很有乐趣。诚然,我希望我有更多的时间来制作这件作品,如果我说实话,我制作的每一件作品都是如此。尽管如此,我对它的结果很满意,当然也从中学到了很多。
Jose Galicia – Artist from Painting class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“This Project was one that I will not forget, from the picture chosen to the technique used. I decided to paint the Qingfeng Building in Xingdu district, Xingtai City. The painting is done in a transparent wash acrylic technique in which we water down the acrylic with medium and water to give it a watercolor feel. The canvas is an 18×24” and took about 17 hours to complete with all the layers I had to build up in order to get the colors to become more solid. We were sent pictures from Chinese students to pick from and this picture I chose captivated me because of the glow that the building had during the night scene. I tried to capture that glow in the painting by building up the different colors on top of each other working from light to dark. The moon was another reason that I chose this picture. I liked how it had to compete with the building since they both gave their own light. The whole composition captured my interest when it was shown to me. The building itself has so many different colors from a range of yellows and oranges to green on the front. This piece was fun to make, and I hope that whoever sees it can get a sense of the lit building.” Jose Galicia
Anna Carey – Artist from Drawing II class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“I chose this photo because I liked the feeling of being high up and being able to see these mountains almost eye to eye. I wanted to focus on lighting and to recreate the subtle transition of greens within the tree line. I ended up putting a final layer of green on top to create a sense of texture and to replicate the look of leaves.” Anna Carey
Kathleen Slotten – Artist, from painting class with Professor Matthew Pinney.
“I am participating in the Relational Aesthetics project with art students in China. We exchanged photos of places that are near us. I sent them pictures of Mount Vernon, Blue Ridge Mountains, Sunset over a Street near me, and the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC.
I picked a picture of West Lake, China. I painted the photo for the exchange project but also wanted to do a separate project for the class assignment. I asked my family to also draw the same picture I was painting. They could pick from crayon, pencil, markers, pastels, or digital art. My family ranges in age from 2 years to 55 years. Most of my family are math/science people. So, it was almost more interesting to see how the math/science side approached the drawing compared to two who were more creative. I think everyone had fun.” Kathleen Slotten
Matthew Powers – Artist from Painting class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“I selected the birds in flight photograph because for me the photo represents freedom, speed, and living in the moment. My submission is a pastel painting with the sky drawn with diagonal strokes to create the illusion of energy and to represent the wind lifting the birds.
The photograph has a monochromatic color. A simple color scheme is not always present in nature which makes the photo unusual. I tried to remain true to the photograph with my selection of colors and the placement of birds and trees.” Matthew J. Powers
Jiali Liang – Artist from Drawing II class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
Jiali Liang, The Lake of Baiyangdian,
Soft Pastel, 22 x 30 inches, 2021
“The reason I chose this landscape image to draw is the similarities between China and the United States. I have seen many sunset views like this in Northern Virginia, the U.S. The only difference might be those flat-bottomed wooden Chinese boats. It reminds me that when I first lived in the U.S., I have always found the difference, however, the similarities appear more often than differences over time. For example, either some of the Chinese and Americans are put their family at first, the fast pace of life, and even the phenomena manipulated by media. Sejal Badani says, ‘The same blood runs in every human on the earth. You just have to see past the variations in skin and culture.“ Jiali Liang
Coordinating the collaborative exchange between China and NOVA was interesting as there are always new things to learn and consider with another culture, although also reassuring that we are not much different. I loved this image of the person by the water with their back to the viewer, very still. I wanted to emphasize the scene’s peacefulness by harmonizing the colors to more analogous and neutral with the yellows, yellow-green, blue and blue-green but slightly activating the texture with a palette knife, which not only forces me to economize the shapes but add a slight energy and movement. Hopefully there is also a feeling of happiness.
My hope for this exchange is that we see one another clearer, and not as “other,” that we get to glimpse a view from across the world, with a connection that is really not so far in spirit. I want to thank all participants in this project and hope you carry the memory well.
协调中国和 NOVA 之间的合作交流很有趣,因为总是有新的东西需要学习和考虑另一种文化,尽管也让人放心,我们并没有太大的不同。 我喜欢这幅画面,水边的人背对着观众,非常安静。我想强调这个场景的平和,把颜色调和到更类似的中性的黄色、黄绿色、蓝色和蓝绿色,但用调色刀稍微激活了纹理,这不仅迫使我节省形状,而且增加了轻微的能量和运动。 希望也有一种幸福的感觉。
Jeanine Jimenez – Artist, from Drawing II with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“The main reason why I chose this beautiful sunset in the middle of the road was because of the pleasant sensation that I got at first sight. Seeing this photograph, I felt the same peaceful sense and satisfaction that nature brings along with the closeness and familiarity of society. This image is ideally between the urban and the rural, and the scenery transports me back in time. After being entertained for a while with that picture, I imagined what I would do if I were physically there, concluding that I would do nothing but enjoy it. I’d just be there… enjoying the view, enjoying the moment, enjoying the journey.” Jeanine Jimenez
Juan Manuel Lucas Temoche – Artist from Drawing II with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“Even though I’ve barely done landscapes, I really enjoyed this project. It was fun to use pastels. I did two totally different landscapes, it was hard to manage my time between the two of them but after getting the first one done, with all that experience it was easier to do the second one faster. I had a clear idea of what I wanted to do with the first one, but I did not realize that making details was going to be hard.”Juan Manuel Lucas Temoche
Grace Williams – Artist from Drawing II class with Professor Matthew Pinney.
“When I first saw this image, I automatically knew I wanted to paint it. My choice was cemented when I read the beautiful paragraph the student had written describing the scene and what it meant to them. The aspect that caught my eye was the adorable dog in the foreground. The first sentence of their description, ‘People who have never had a dog can hardly imagine living with one, and people who have owned a dog can’t imagine living without one’ really resonated with me, because I really can’t imagine life without my dog, Sugar.“ Grace Williams
“A kind of leisure, a kind of prosperity, like the collision of two worlds. When I was a child living in the countryside, the alternation of spring, summer, autumn and winter was very obvious. At that time, walking on the road to school, the wind blew a sprinkle of soil, mixed with the smell of grass and trees is the most unique. Spring weeping willows thin leaves people remember; Summer is the incessant chirping of cicadas, and swimming in puddles and DAMS; Autumn is soon covered with golden harvest; Winter snow accumulation is very thick will make a snowman. Feeling the change of the old locust tree in the yard throughout the year, these are mostly childhood memories of the countryside. When I grew up, I had to travel far away from home to go to school. The bright lights and blooming flowers in the city made me see more of them. I have been to many cities, and I love the different cultural atmosphere of each city. If we have to use a line to distinguish between rural and urban areas, I think rural and urban areas are divided into fast rhythm and slow rhythm. Simple and prosperous… We can choose our own comfortable living place according to our own preferences”. From a student in the A kind of leisure, a kind of prosperity, like the collision of two worlds. When I was a child living in the countryside, the alternation of spring, summer, autumn and winter was very obvious. At that time, walking on the road to school, the wind blew a sprinkle of soil, mixed with the smell of grass and trees is the most unique. Spring weeping willows thin leaves people remember; Summer is the incessant chirping of cicadas, and swimming in puddles and DAMS; Autumn is soon covered with golden harvest; Winter snow accumulation is very thick will make a snowman. Feeling the change of the old locust tree in the yard throughout the year, these are mostly childhood memories of the countryside. When I grew up, I had to travel far away from home to go to school. The bright lights and blooming flowers in the city made me see more of them. I have been to many cities, and I love the different cultural atmosphere of each city. If we have to use a line to distinguish between rural and urban areas, I think rural and urban areas are divided into fast rhythm and slow rhythm. Simple and prosperous… We can choose our own comfortable living place according to our own preferences.” Student from Technology Engineering Vocational and Technical University.
Branden Forman – Artist from 2D Design with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“After choosing my photo, I manipulated it in Photoshop to give it a patchy look. In the same process, I’ve also clearly identified the colors. After completing that process came the pastels. I have struggled a bit with using pastels. I focused on putting the most detail on the focal point in the back and let the rest of the buildings frame the main building.” Branden Forman
Bridget Santos – Artist from 2D Design class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“For this project, I chose an image of a girl sitting on the road. I liked the energy of the girl, she seemed to be happy and alone. I feel I struggle with the use of pastels, but I did enjoy making this. I chose to edit this to make it look like her energy and all the energy around her radiated up towards the sky. I think we all have our different auras and energies that contribute to the overall energy of the earth, and I like that.” Bridget Santos
Rosa Kamara – Artist from 2D design class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“As an artist who focuses mainly on photography and fashion, I found it rather interesting to attempt to create a still life painting. I enjoyed creating different colors rather than what was depicted in the actual photo and using my imagination and creativity to depict the subject in a different way than it was presented. I gained experience working with different mediums and working with different kinds of techniques such as. creating a sense of lighting, casting shadows, highlights etc. and it also helped me strengthen my ability to work with pastels rather than with photos and photo collages. This landscape piece was very interesting to create an interpretation of and I am glad that as an artist whose area of expertise is photography, I am able to gain experience in becoming an artist who works with different mediums and techniques to create compelling pieces of art.” Rosa Kamara
Ashley Gabales – Artist from 2D Design class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“Living in the suburbs of Virginia, I have gotten used to the sight of residential areas, strip malls, and an endless horizon. In its own way, it’s beautiful; however, I missed the silhouette of the mountains that I saw back in the Philippines. When I saw this image, it just took me back to living in a small town near the mountains with my grandparents. It is an image of a village in China, so it was foreign yet familiar, which is what I tried to capture. Viewers that have lived in the suburbs or urban areas may feel foreign in an area free of the bustle, but some sort of architecture might be able to offer some sort of familiarity or comfort to them. I wanted to explore the duality of a single area, how one area can have both natural and artificial, and how that plays into what is foreign and familiar to us.” Ashley Gabales
Toni Maschler – Artist from 2D Design class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
Xian art museum
“I was drawn to the cheerful red and gold tones of this art museum set against the night sky. Itried to accurately capture the pleasing curves of the roof and balcony, although I simplified the composition. What a lovely home for artwork; maybe I will see it some day!” Toni Maschler
Dyanna Saravia – Artist from 2D Design class with Professor Stacy Slaten –
“I chose this picture because I really liked the cool colors, and all the tree branches It wasn’t my first choice but I’m happy with the results. It wasn’t easy to paint this, I actually at some point regretted choosing this because at the moment of painting the landscape with the pastels and especially the tree branches were very hard for me to do so. I really tried my best and I do feel that even though I am not great with pastels I could do a good job.” Dyanna Saravia.
Adam Busch – Artist from 2D Design class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“I am creating a pastel landscape based on my edited Photoshop landscape shown. I’m using pastel sticks to create such a piece. I used the sticks in conjunction with paper. I aimed for a feeling of warm comfort and familiarity, even though the statue shown is in another land entirely. I very much enjoyed the outcome of this piece and feel I did what I set out to do.” Adam Busch
Will Stryker– Artist from 2D Design class with Professor Stacy Slaten.
“Towers of Potala Palace,” 19 x 28 in., cold-press paper, soft pastels “
“When I was looking through the Chinese photographs, my aim was to find something with enough structure and balance to help me push the abstraction without it becoming completely non-representational. I ended up on the photo of Potala Palace, which is beautiful with lots of interesting angles and geometry to pick from; but I was really drawn to these parallel towers that overlook the road below. I thought by pushing the distance between the towers, and breaking the rules of atmospheric perspective a little, I could draw the eye to the furthest tower with a push-pull effect. Even though the first tower takes up almost half of the paper, it just exists to better inform the texture and feeling of the second tower. I chose a bright red-orange because I thought it would be eye-catching, and the lilacs and magentas lend to the dreamlike and surreal feeling of the work.” Will Stryker
Other Artists without Artist Statements from Stacy Slaten’s Drawing II Class:
“This is our city market doorway, now sharing the tram many here, before our city travel is a single, only public transport and private cars, taxis, in recent years, more than a group of sharing our city electric bicycle and sharing, the car can solve the problem of some of our travel, is a scenery line in our city.” Student from the Department of Arts and Media, Hebei Science and Technology Engineering Vocational and Technical University.
“In Changshu, the four seasons are always distinct, and each season has its own characteristics. Rain, in different seasons, will also show its different beauty. The rain washed the bricks and tiles in Changshu City. The bricks and tiles were washed bright. The rain slowly fell to the ground from the roof. In short, the home watered by the continuous drizzle is a beautiful scenery.<br />
Hebei University of technology and Engineering<br />
In Changshu, the four seasons are always distinct, and each season has its own characteristics. Rain, in different seasons, will also show its different beauty. The rain washed the bricks and tiles in Changshu City. The bricks and tiles were washed bright. The rain slowly fell to the ground from the roof. In short, the home watered by the continuous drizzle is a beautiful scenery”. Student from the Hebei University of technology and Engineering
Artist: Victoria Sprankle, Pastel
“Thank you to all that participated in this unique project to forge communication and connection between different cultures and countries.” Stacy Slaten
After all we’ve been through with the pandemic and all the changes with life and learning, the students artistic talents are shinning strong. The in person, 2022 Student Fine Art Show is a delight!
This year’s juror is Lynn Goldstein. Lynn has exhibited widely, winning awards, in nationally juried exhibitions and galleries, and her work is enjoyed in private and public collections throughout the United States and Europe, including the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the Schar Cancer Institute, and the United States Department of State. Notably, one of her paintings was selected for the permanent collection in the Jean-Haffen Museum in Dinan, France, upon her completion of an artist residency there. Additionally, Lynn was one of fifteen American artists selected to participate in the Caravan multi-cultural and international art project which took place at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC.
Her installation work exploring her Jewish roots was selected for exhibition at the Smithsonian S Dillon Ripley Center in Washington, D.C. in 2015, and a different piece was selected for display there in 2017. Lynn is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and Maryland Pastel Society where she serves as a juror for potential signature members. Lynn is also a juried member of the prestigious Washington Society of Landscape Painters. She is also a juried member of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, and a juried resident artist at the Workhouse Arts Center where she has her studio. Lynn has taught many workshops in the mid-Atlantic region, Southern France, and in Tuscany, Italy and she plans to teach a workshop in Cascais, Portugal in 2022. Additionally, Lynn has also taught workshop classes at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, where she volunteered her time as a docent for over two decades. This experience has allowed Lynn to study, understand, and pass on the best of America’s art masterpieces. Clearly, this understanding is embedded in her art as well. https://www.lynngoldstein.com/
We are incredibly fortunate to have college leadership that genuinely support and care about our students and show up to nearly every event where our students are showcased. Our Dean, Dr. McClellan has come to nearly every Student Fine Art Show since they began. This year, he and his wife Catherine enjoyed meeting Lynn and seeing, yet again, just how talented our students are.
Lynn was also honored to meet our Provost, Dr. Annette Haggray, and President of NOVA, Dr. Anne Kress.
Nicole Munday, Dr. McClellan and Stacy Slaten enjoying the Student Fine Art Show reception.
Lynn addressed everyone and explained her thoughts on the show and her jurying process. This offers the students an opportunity to hear about how this all works.
First up were our honorable mention award winners. Caitlyn Raymond stands proudly with her honorable mentioned work, ‘Fancy Water Time’ in charcoal.
One of the wonderful things about our The Student Fine Art show is that it is often the first exhibition for many of the students and a major point of pride. Often students bring their family and friends to share in celebrating all of their creative efforts and accomplishments! A special shout out to Branden Forman for getting in three works of art!
Ashley was thrilled to find out she has received an honorable mention!
Honorable mention recipient Anna Carey with juror Lynn Goldstein and Professor Stacy Slaten. Anna won for her wonderful ‘Self Portrait’ in pastel.
Honorable mention recipient Jose Galicia reads his poem, ‘Forgiveness: a Prayer by the Fallen’ which inspired his 3-D wire angel, by the same name, (shown to his right).
Lynn Goldstein describe sthe highlights of Abigail Tucker’s work ‘Autobiography’ made with Prismacolor.
Honorable mention recipient Gabriela Gutierrez listening to Lynn describe the poignancy of her work ‘Carrying Life’ an aluminum sculpture inspired by her father.
Before we knew it is was onto the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd award winners! Our third place winner Juan Temoche had the opportunity to hear from Lynn and speak to the crowd about his own creative process while making his graphite art titled: ‘Handheld Object.’
One of the wonderful aspects to Lynns job as juror, is her discussing in detail why she picked particular winning works and actually showing us in the art how and why the students was exceptional in their process. Here she is discussing our 2nd place winner Helen Schwen’s exceptional still life: “Reflection Study” in charcoal.
Lynn speaks to the crowd about the sculpture ‘Fish Food’ by our our first place winner James Davenport. What’s too cool about this work is that it is made entirely from Mike and Ike’s candy!
James Davenport, 1st place winner with his sculpture ‘Fish Food’ The 2022 Student Fine Art Show at the AFA Gallery in The Center for Design, Media and the Arts at the Alexandria Campus of Northern Virginia Community College. Photo by Britt Conley
So wonderful when students are inspired!
Jessica Rager with her self portrait in graphite.
Friends, Abigail Tucker and Juan Temoche catching up at the reception.
This year’s show is just wonderful! Take some time and check it out for yourself! On view until April 11, 2022.