At the Schlesinger Center Margaret W. & Joseph L. Fisher Gallery 

Edmond Nassa

“Innermost Evocations”

Sculpture

Friday, March 21 – Sunday, April 27, 2014

Reception with guest panel, Jay Townsend and Mary Higgins, on collecting art, Saturday, March 22, 4 – 6 pm

Innermost Evocations, an exhibition of sculptural works by Edmond Nassa, will be on display from Friday, March 21 through Sunday, April 27, 2014 in the Margaret W. and Joseph L. Fisher Art Gallery, located in the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center at the Alexandria Campus of Northern Virginia Community College. The opening reception with guest panel discussion on collecting art is scheduled for Saturday, March 22, 4 – 6pm. The Gallery Hours are 10am – 4pm Monday-Friday and during performances.

In Innermost Evocations, Edmond Nassa’s sculptural works express the synthesis between his external experiences and his inner life.  Edmond explains, “Through my travels, I’ve met many different people and my art is a way of drawing connection between cultures and individuals.  It’s also about connecting past and present with an exploration of the contrast between smoothness and roughness. It’s my way of making sense of my internal and external experiences in the world.”

Edmond’s tools and media afford him a freedom that does not exist anywhere else. Wood provides a working space that is durable and resistant. He explains, “I work with the wood to build onto it, to combine and transform it into something new without fighting its inherent form. From every angle, it is new and tactile. Working with it makes me travel. When I am with my art, I can feel my mind exploring new things and going to places it has never been. As I begin, I never know what the wood will teach me, or what I will find to give to it.”  Gallery Manager, Megan Peritore, reflects on Mr. Nassa’s sculptures, “Through his mark making, each piece Edmond creates offers a tangible contemplation on life’s struggles and triumphs.”  Edmond’s sculptures are an intimate collision of innovation and inspired metamorphosis drawn from nature’s textural forms.  His unexpected compositions and combinations of materials create sophisticated connections between cultures across historical contexts.

Edmond Nassa received his primary art education at the Centre des Arts de Ouagadougou in the capital city of Burkina Faso, the country of his birth. His studies continued in Europe, including France, where he lived and exhibited his work.  Several years ago, he relocated to the Washington D.C. metro area where he now lives and has his studio.  His website http://edmondnassa.com/ showcases some of his work.

As part of a panel discussion on collecting, Jay Townsend and Mary Welch Higgins will share personal insights on why they collect art.  Over the past 27 years, Jay and Mary have been quietly developing a collection of music, books, sculptures and two-dimensional works from local, national and international artists Jay and Mary were both raised by parents who valued art as being central to home life so have always been surrounded by art, literature and music.  Art was integrated into their daily experiences so was not viewed as something confined to museums.  Jay is from a military family where packing up and moving to a new city every few years was normal.  Each destination was an opportunity for Jay to be exposed to new local cultures and arts communities.  For Mary, a fifth generation Washingtonian, whose childhood was spent visiting local galleries and museums, cultures from around the world came to her.

The Fisher Art Gallery is located on the upper level of the Schlesinger Center, and is named for local artist, the late Margaret “Peggy” Fisher and her husband, Joseph Fisher.  Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and during performances. See Innermost Evocations anexhibition of sculptural works by Edmond Nassa from Friday, March 21 through Sunday, April 27, 2014.  The opening reception with guest panel, Jay Townsend and Mary Higgins, on collecting art, Saturday, March 22, 4 – 6 pm is on Saturday, March 22, 4 – 6 pm.

Title:  Support of Rhythm 

Medium: Oak, paint, wire
Dimensions:  40” x 13” x 9.5”
Photographed by Jay Townsend

Title:  Everything on Me

Medium: Oak Wood, Wire, Paint
Dimensions: 39.5” x 9.5” x 7”
Photographed by Jay Townsend

Title:  Braided Woman  
Medium: Nwika wood, metal, wire, rope
Dimensions: 52” x 11” x6.5”
Photographed by Jay Townsend