Structures of Sustenance

The Taking. Up. Space. Initiative is happening again in May and Katie Madden of Balanced Breastfeeding has graciously partnered with me to host!

We will be participating in the May Art Loop in Wilmington by holding an opening reception Friday, May 5th from 5-8 pm at 1601 Concord Pike, Independence Mall, Suite 56.

This collection of recent work explores themes of nourishment and breastfeeding. My oil paintings layer imagery of mammary glands during lactation with sacred geometry and edible flowers. By pairing bodily structures with patterns and plants seen everyday, I am learning to view breasts as nourishing and free from shame. 

Taking Up Space or T.U.S. is a Grassroots Female Focused Community Global Art Exhibition. Artists in the Thrive Together Network are encouraged to take up space and exhibit their work in (or close to) the month of May each year. The project launched in 2022 and over 80 exhibitions were shown in the month of May all over the world.

Follow along on Instagram with the hashtag #TakingUpSpace2023 A portion of artwork sales will be donated to Postpartum Support International of Delaware

Spring Beginnings

Hello friends!

It has been a while since I’ve posted here, as 2022 turned into quite a busy year! My teaching practice has grown and I’m now working with the Delaware Technical Community College as a drawing instructor. I’ve also been moving through my second year of programming at the New Castle County Art Studio, facilitating both the youth drawing and painting classes and adult acrylic painting studio classes. It has been a rewarding schedule, with several of my classes at the Art Studio filling up well in advance.

As I’ve settled in to my teaching schedule, I’ve turned my attention once again to scheduling exhibits for my paintings. I’m honored to have the painting “(Failure to) Thrive” included in the group exhibition “Inside a Memory” from the Visionary Art Collective, curated by Ekaterina Popova. The online exhibition is now on view at https://www.visionaryartcollective.com/exhibitions/inside-a-memory There is a virtual walk through available until April 30th.

I also have plans in the works as part of the Taking Up Space initiative with the Thrive Together network. Keep an eye out for announcements in April with event details!

Taking Up Space

This spring, I have been working on a few projects with with fellow artist and mother Rebecca Howell! We are coordinating a small group show at Grace UMC called “The Stories We Share” featuring our newest paintings and co-curating a show of emerging artists for the Chris White Gallery called “Let Me Tell You”.

These exhibitions are presented in partnership with the Taking. Up. Space. Initiative. Women across the globe are exhibiting artwork in the month of May with the support of the Artist/Mother Network and the Thrive Artist Network. There are over 80 exhibitions taking place this year. See more from this initiative by viewing the #takingupspace2022 hashtag on Instagram.

The stories revealed in this exhibition by Nanci Hersh, Jen Hintz Eggers and Rebecca Howell relate to the cycle of caregiving. These three artists explore passage of time, creating and sustaining life, and enduring loss or change. Practices and rituals involved in caregiving can contribute to exhausted bodies and minds, while at the same time, experiencing profound love. The artwork featured here manifests this cycle as meditative tributes, layering natural imagery with lived experience, and painting the darkest fears tucked in the corners of the mind. All lovingly created to share our stories in community.

Nanci Hersh’s work intends to reveal the transitory nature of being. Cascading fragmented patterns, gestural marks, and assorted textures are part of her visual vocabulary to capture an internal and somatic landscape of our experiences.

After seeing anatomical illustrations of the human mammary gland, Jen Hintz Eggers visualized the structures becoming a flower with a stem-like flow of milk. Her series “Mammary Flowers” encompasses a 24-hour period with a painting for each feeding when nursing her infant.

Through layered brushwork Rebecca Howell depicts the lurking fear of loss that has occupied her mind since becoming a parent. She uses the physical nature of paint, combined with well known myths and legends, to process this fear through paint.

The opening reception is free and open to the public, as part of the Wilmington Art Loop. The exhibition is on view and open to the public Monday through Thursdays, 8:30 - 2:00 until May 31st

Friday, May 6th, 5:00-7:00 PM

Grace United Methodist Church, 900 N. Washington St., Wilmington, DE 19801

This open-call exhibition, curated by Jen Hintz Eggers and Rebecca Howell, features emerging female-identifying and non-binary artists participating in group storytelling. Space will be held for the voices and stories of those often relegated to secondary roles in patriarchal society and traditional gallery structures. The story an artist wishes to share and the manner in which they tell it is their choice. These stories will be shown, heard, honored, and revered in this space.

The opening receptions are free and open to the public, as part of the Wilmington Art Loop. The exhibition is on view and open by appointment by calling or texting 302-475-0998 until June 24th

Friday, May 6th, 5:00-8:00 PM, with musical performance by Rebel Natty

Friday June 3rd, 5:00-800 PM, with musical performance by Sug Daniels

Chris White Gallery, 701 N. Shipley Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801