On Display at the Alexandria Campus AFA Gallery from September 18th-October 11th (Extended to end of October).
The Trigger Warning Exhibition at the AFA Gallery. Photo by Britt Conley
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.
The making of the artwork, “Flight” as part of the Trigger Warning Exhibition at the AFA Gallery. Photo by Britt Conley
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.
Debra Wright hangs her work: “Flight” on September 20th, 2023 in the foyer of the AFA building. Photo by Britt Conley.
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.
Debra Wright speaks with students at the Trigger Warning opening reception on September 20th, 2023 at the AFA Gallery. Photo by Britt Conley.
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).
The faculty Art Show, this year, was a joy! Everyone is working on incredible work!
Remnants: Shades of Brown by Aya Takashima Digital Inkjet Print on Washi Paper
I really enjoyed hanging the show. Everyone’s art really complimented the space.
This year’s show included some of our NOVA volunteers. Dick White is an exceptional ceramicist and helps the program with creative firings.
Goldie Lox and the Three Bare’s, a collection of vases by Ceramic’s studio assistant Dick White. Photo by Britt Conley
Jim McClellan, our Dean of Liberal Arts is an avid photographer and has been traveling the world each year, amassing and beautiful portfolio.
Salamanca Cathedral by Jim McClellan, our Dean of Languages, Arts, and Social Sciences.
Our student volunteers were also included and everyone is thrilled with the talent and wonderful eye they each have.
Fence Line by Russel Creger Barajas. Photographic Print
Bikki is a master a crystaline glaze. Her work and glazes just glow. She sells her work through the Torpedo Factory and is enjoying a wonderful professional life.
Morning Glory by Ceramics Studio Assistant, Tuyen Striker, Chrystaline GlazeCondensation Wall by Photography Assistant Julie Gilmore Inkjet on transparency film.
Charl Anne Brew teaches drawing in our Fine Art department.
Inquisitive Hands by Charl Anne Brew
Mark Roth adjuncts for our Photography Department.
Looking Up by Photography Adjunct, Mark Roth, Inkjet Print
Britt Conley, our Studio Assistant for Fine Arts and Admin Assistant for Music specializes in drawing and painting music. Her studio resides at The Workhouse Arts Center and her work can be seen at The Torpedo Factory and The Arts Club of Washington as well.
Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite by Britt Conley.
Lisa Hill doesn’t just teach Graphic Design, she is also a full artist and her work has, “been been part of numerous museum and gallery shows and invitationals” Her studio resides in Kensington, Maryland.
Neath by Graphic Design Faculty Lisa Hill Inkjet prints
Christian Hand is the instructional assistant for the Photography Department. She works with large format printing and her visuals are memorable.
Untitled by Christin Hand, instructional assistant for the Photography Department.
Jessica Gardner, our 3-D faculty, is a ceramicist who works with issues of motherhood. Her work can be seen in various venues. and is currently on tour.
Delicate Pinnacle by Ceramics Instructor, Jessica Gardner, Porcelain/Low Fire Glaze
Ireene Clayton-Jones is a wonderfully whimsical artist and works as an assistant to our ceramics program.
Box of Pencils, Hot Fudge Sunday and Urban Evolution by Ceramics Studio Volunteer Ireen Cleaton-Jones
Pete Van Riper has been teaching art at NOVA for a long time. He specializes in the figure, and currently teaches drawing 1-4.
After only one ride in Yorkshire by Drawing Adjunct Pete van Riper, Charcoal
Amanda Sauer is a an adjunct for the Photography Department.
Portrait of Leo Sideways by Photography Adjunct, Amanda Sauer. Photograph
Amy Reed is an assistant to the Ceramics Program.
Orca by Ceramics Assistant, Amy Reed, Ceramic Raku
Zach Reddin is the Instructional Assistant for Graphic Design. He also has an equally impressive background as a chef.
Greg Eckler is not only a designer, and amazing faculty, he’s also an expert letter artist. That’s where his passion lies.
Hell Yeah, The Vicious Circus, and … Like You Give A Damn by Graphic Design Faculty Greg Eckler
Angela Terry teaches Design for Web, Typography, Introduction to Graphic Skills as well as running our NOVA studio, an internship opportunity for students to work with real-world clients on projects before they graduate. She is an amazing print maker as well.
20 Facts by Angela Terry, Screen Print
Bob Laubach is our Photography Department office manager. Photographing architecture is his passion. His show submissions are from a recent trip to Florida.
Beach Patrol Headquarters by Photography Instructional Assistant, Bob Laubach, Inkjet print
Stacy Slaten is our 2-D faculty. She loves birds and especially parrots. She has an upcoming show at the Schlesinger Arts center in 2020.
Nesting 12, Deidra and Liberty and Nesting 6 by Stacy Slaten, Graphite
Our first fine art department show in the new Center for Design, Media and the Arts building here at the Alexandria Campus!
Each year we dedicate one show to a topic theme for an outside artistic group or singular artist to broaden the minds of our students and show them what serious shows can be. This year we collaborated with George Mason’s graduate MFA program. The artists within the masters program determined their theme.
The artwork is brilliantly constructed. Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding serves. “as a reflection on accumulations of moments of recognition after a catastrophic event.” The artists used themes of, “shelter, repair, reconstruction, self-reliance, collectivism, exchange, organizing, technology and functionality,” to communicate the temporary paradigms that experienced by those touched by catastrophic events.
Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Canopy by Kate Fitzpatrick and Kerry Hentges. Photo by Britt Conley
The work, “Canopy,” is created from cut canvas, grommets, red thread and pine.
Opening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt ConleyOpening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt Conley
Kate Fitzpatrick and Kerry Hentges built “Canopy,” to reflect the protection, and shielding from the outside elements that is necessary with makeshift shelters. They explain, “Although these kinds of shelters are temporary and made with found items that come apart or lose strength, people are linked and reconnected through the process of rebuilding.”
Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Canopy by Kate Fitzpatrick and Kerry Hentges. Photo by Britt Conley
Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding, Refuge: Under it’s Own Weight by Erica Hopkins and Emily Fussner. Photo by Britt Conley
One of the unexpected works, is the installation by Emily Fussner and Erica Hopkins, which consists of dipped wire in flax paper pulp.
Opening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt ConleyOpening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt Conley
“Refuge: Under its Own Weight” traverses our building structure. The majority of the work resides in the main gallery room, however small trails of wire rest outside the gallery wall, holding up to the outdoor weather elements.
Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding, Refuge: Under it’s Own Weight by Erica Hopkins and Emily Fussner. Photo by Britt Conley
The next, they explain, “is on of the most basic shelters: a primitive refuge at once secure and delicate. It is a sanctuary, made from available materials with care by the dweller.”
On the gallery north wall, resides “Inverted Rank: Shifting Gear” by Jennifer Lillis and Giacomo Gamble. The used found bicycles to show how bicycling is used, “as a primary mode of transportation. Often times after catastrophe, systems of communication and transportation are broken down, causing shifts in social power,” they continue, ” By breaking bicycles down to their base components, we manipulate the function of it’s mobility to inverse the power in a capitalist society to knowledge base in archaic structures.”
Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding, Inverted Rank by Jennifer Lillis and Giacomo Gamble. Photo by Britt ConleyOpening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt ConleyOpening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt Conley
Just seeing the individual parts of the bicycles makes one aware of the difficulties of rebuilding.
Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding, Inverted Rank by Jennifer Lillis and Giacomo Gamble. Photo by Britt Conley
The lone tire, splattered with mud seemingly illustrates, the distances that one must traverse when transportation breaks down.
Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding, Inverted Rank by Jennifer Lillis and Giacomo Gamble. Photo by Britt ConleyOpening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt Conley
Kerry Hentges has altered books to explore the “personal items and family heirlooms,” that are lost in disasters. “A circular patters is cut int he center of the book,” she explains, “causing ti to lose all meaning and functional purpose. The layered cuts mimic the weather pattern at the center of the large storm, known as the stadium effect.”
Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding, What Remains by Kerry Hentges. Photo by Britt ConleyAftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding, What Remains by Kerry Hentges. Photo by Britt Conley
Finally Brigitte Caramanna created “The Universal Power Paradox” to show how, “Power is becoming vital to our existence.” She illustrates how this vulnerability leaves us, “at the mercy of our planet supporting us.”
Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding, The Ultimate Power of Paradox by Brigitte Caramanna. Photo by Britt ConleyOpening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt Conley
Brigitte adds, these etchings show, “Our rise or demise,” as, “determined by the way we use our resources.”
Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding, The Ultimate Power of Paradox by Brigitte Caramanna. Photo by Britt Conley
The opening for the show, was great. It wasn’t long before everyone began arriving for the “Aftermath” opening reception at 4pm on November 7th.
Opening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt Conley
Everyone excitedly prepped for a lovely early evening gathering.
Opening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt Conley
The installations were a hit!
Opening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt Conley
The raining day, made for a lovely backdrop. It was all about the art.
Opening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt ConleyOpening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt ConleyOpening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt ConleyOpening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt Conley
One of the great new features of our gallery is the TV screen. Perfect to showcase the artists biography and artist statements.
Opening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt ConleyOpening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt Conley
The show was curated by our very Jessica Gardner. She is our ceramics faculty and an artist in her own right.
Opening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt ConleyEmily Fussner stands within her installation. Photo by Britt Conley
The installations perfectly used the space at hand. Our new gallery walls are still en route. The artists problem-solved beautifully.
Opening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt ConleyOpening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt ConleyOpening Night of Aftermath: Cycles of Rebuilding. Photo by Britt Conley
If you haven’t seen the show, please do come in. It runs until December 17th, 2017.
For more information about the show, contact Jessica Gardner at JgGardner@nvcc.edu
Post by: Britt Conley, Fine Art Department Studio Assistant
We have finally left the old Tyler Building and moved up into our brand new Center for Design, Media and the Arts Building, just up the hill at the Alexandria Campus. It’s right across from the Bisdorf Building. There are also two sets of elevators and handicap parking is right outside the building. All in all it’s really been wonderfully designed.
Center for Design, Media and the Arts. Photo courtesty of Northern Virgina Community College
The inside is just as nice the exterior. It houses the Music, Art, Photo, Graphic Design, Theater, Communications, Physical Education and Early Childhood Development Departments.
The entry foyer of The Center for Design, Media and the Arts at Alexandria Campus. Photo by Britt Conley
The Arts Department, Graphic Design and Photography are all on the third floor. Ceramics, Theater, Music and PE, reside on first and second floors.
Our new Barnes & Noble bookstore houses a Starbucks! Photo by Britt Conley
We now have a brand new Barns&Noble Bookstore, which houses its own Starbucks! They offer all the regular drink and food options that used to be a car ride away. They also offer numerous healthy food options as well as snacks.
Photo by Britt Conley
Our new Art Department has stunning new classrooms. Our drawing and painting studios offer phenomenal lighting between the northern window light, tall ceilings and track lighting!
Photo by Britt Conley
The painting studio is just as spacious and also offers a full computer teaching area for presentations.
The new Ceramics studio is next to the bookstore on the first floor. The students are loving it .
Photo by Britt Conley
The shelves are already filling up!
Photo by Britt Conle
Long gone are the old, drab, Tyler hallways. Our new building walkways, offer TV screens and bulletin boards to grab information on the go. They also offer seating and easy access to great views and even a soda machine right there in the department on the second floor. Want to relax in between classes? There are plenty of places to grab a seat and plug right into any of the tables or walls nearby.
The 1st floor, Music Department hallway at The Center for Design, Media and the Arts. Photo by Britt Conley
Each floor offers seating and great views.
Second Floor Seating. Photo by Britt Conley
The music department offers new Steinways!
All of our teaching studios and practice rooms have pianos. Photo by Britt Conley
The gym is available to students during set hours. Stop by to see their schedule!
The Workout Center at The Center for Design, Media and the Arts. Photo by Britt Conley
Stop by the other departments and take a tour! It’s worth visit!
Post by: Britt Conley, Fine Art Department Studio Assistant
