Annandale Art Prof. Creates Faculty Exhibit

Professor Michael Dowley, assoc. professor of art at Annandale Campus, arranged for some wonderful art work done by employees to be displayed in the Provost’s conference room in CG 202.

“It is a small sampling of the work of the many talented art instructors and staff here at the NOVA Annandale,” he said. “From large sculpture to delicate ceramics, rich collages, quilts and paintings, the artwork shows the diversity of working methods of artists here on campus.“

Michael shared biography briefs of the artists. We hope, when people return to campus, they will stop in to view the art works.

Bradley Birkhimer
[Showing various ceramics]
Since 2006, Birkhimer has been creating one of a kind, wood, soda and gas fired ceramics for exhibition and the home. His studio is now located in Manassas, Va. He also specializes in full service kiln repair and ceramic equipment for schools, local potters, senior centers and art centers in Va., D.C., Md., W.Va. and Del. In addition to teaching at NOVA Annandale, Birkhimer has also taught at Hood College, Frederick, Md. and Workhouse Art Center, Lorton, Va. locally as well as Penland School of Crafts and Touchstone Center for Crafts.

His work can be found locally at Manassas Clay and The Cooley Gallery. His work is fired to 2370 degrees Fahrenheit and most glazes are sprayed with baking soda to enhance colors and surface textures. This emulates the wood fired surfaces and allows for more consistent results. All of the pottery is made with his personal white stoneware blend, custom ash and mottled glazes. Pagodas and temples have been Birkhimer’s main inspiration and study while he lived in China. These experiences have given him a framework for his work through a fusional abstraction of pagodas, western utilitarian ceramics and Christian temple motifs.

Robert Devers
[Showing “Cult of the Hand”]
Robert Devers is an artist with a multi-faceted practice that includes ceramics, sculpture, painting, and photography. Ceramics remains his essential focus and provides the lens through which the other mediums are engaged and ultimately brought back into play in ceramic practice. He is the owner and founder of Blue Fire Studio in Mt. Rainier, Md., where he holds exhibitions and workshops, as well as serving as his primary studio.

Robert Devers received his MFA degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art, and his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, majoring in ceramics at both institutions. Since 2004, he has served as the Visual Arts Coordinator and co-founder of the Visual Arts Program of the Amalfi Coast Music & Arts Festival, based in Maiori, Italy, where he also leads a ceramics workshop in maiolica glaze painting.

Mr. Devers exhibits his work and teaches workshops internationally. Recent exhibitions include venues such as Grattacielo Pirelli, Milan Italy; VisArts At Rockville; Katzen Art Center, Washington, D.C. and Fabrica La Aurora in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Works in public collections include: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, American University Art Gallery, Katzen Art Center, Museo Artistico Industrial Manuel Cargaliero, Vietri sul Mare, Italy, Museo Manuel Cargaliero, Castelo Branco, Portugal, International Monetary Fund and the Washington Brain and Spine Institute.

Sharon Tindall
[Showing “Nat Turner”]
Sharon Tindall is an advocate and educator of African American history expressed through quilt code. In “From Cotton to Quilts, The Underground Railroad Quilt Code, fact or fiction, is there proof?” she takes participants through a journey of African ancestry to African American culture by incorporating the history of cotton, spinning cotton into thread, weaving thread into cloth and creating a narrative about the revelation of quilt codes.

While conducting research on the existence of the Underground Railroad quilt codes, Ms. Tindall was awarded a grant to investigate the use of quilt codes by the Underground Railroad and their origins. She did research in West Africa (Liberia) studying patterns, coded messages in fabric and cotton’s history. Her presentation, “From Cotton to Quilts…” discusses and translates the quilt codes hidden messages from which slaves could glean whether or not they were a taste away from freedom or danger was within the shadows.

With over 30 years of sewing/quilting experience, Tindall received her professional textile training from Montclair State University in New Jersey. She is a sewing instructor for “G Street Fabrics,” which is one of the oldest fabric stores in Maryland. She is also a quilt code and sewing instructor for Northern Virginia Community College and Morgan State University. Ms. Tindall shares her passion of quilt codes with the old and the young through presentations at schools, universities, museums and other private venues in hopes of inspiring current and future generations to carry on the rich culture and legacy of African American art and tradition. Interested parties should contact Ms. Tindall for availability and pricing at QuiltsbySharon55@gmail.com.

Dafna Steinberg
[Showing “Head and Heart,” “Untitled” and “Little Monster”]
Dafna Steinberg’s work has spanned a variety of media, including photography, video, collage, installation and performance. She works with themes that relate to the experiences of women and the fragmentation of the female body. She also creates works about interactions between men and women and how these interactions play out in building relationships and understanding. Most of the time, her work is pretty funny. Professor Steinberg has been on Annandale’s Art faculty for over seven years.

Mike Dowley
[Showing “Potomac Off Canal” (2 works)]
Mike Dowley, full-time professor of art for NOVA Annandale, lives and works in the Northern Virginia/D.C. area. Through his sculptural paintings, he explores intimate spaces, both from memory and observation. In 2017, he completed a residency at Vermont Studio Center. He has exhibited nationally, Art at Kings Oaks (Penn.), Blue Spiral (N.C.), Atlantic Gallery (N.Y.), Barrett Art Center (N.Y.), DCAC (D.C.), among others. His work has been selected for exhibition by Joan Young, Guggenheim Museum and William Bailey, Yale University. He is currently associate professor of painting and drawing at Northern Virginia Community College.