Sam Christian

Tchotchke #5

12"X3""

Ceramic mask (Slip-cast), found Jewelry

Artist Bio:

My name is Sam Christian (They/Them) and I'm a mixed media installation artist focusing on the celebration of black and queer stories, good and bad. My work talks to my experiences growing up in the south as the grandkid of a quilter, parentified first-born and black body existing within the "American Dream". These ideas show up in multiple forms of media including Fiber(Quilting), Ceramics and digital design all book-ended with my backgrounds in writing and performance. I write to convey the chaos of queer childhood, I perform with the dreams of my community on my back. I explore and celebrate the utility of black art and the need to preserve ones self in the face of adversity. My work asks every viewer to question their personal ideas of liberation and community care.

Shipping available-buyer agrees to pay separately via Venmo for all packaging and shipping costs. The shipping invoice will be sent from RVA4CERF+ to the buyer by February 1, 2025.

Curtis Newkirk

Blue Flower

18"w x 18"h

Medium: Oil & Acrylic on Wood Panel

This painting was inspired by a quote from C.S. Lewis, suggesting that if we find ourselves with desires that nothing in this world can satisfy, we might have been made for another world. This idea resonates with me as I navigate life, carrying what often feels like multiple bags filled with desires, hopes, and dreams. Over time, these bags become heavier and sometimes burdensome. Thankfully in the midst of these, there is still beauty in the here and now. These glimpses of joy create in me a longing for an even greater wholeness and beauty. I am left joyful, but still wanting. This explains my depiction of the blue flower, which symbolizes spiritual longing.

Artist Bio

Curtis Newkirk Jr. is an artist from Northern Virginia who resides in Richmond. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University and has exhibited his work in numerous exhibitions, winning many awards throughout his career. His award-winning work has been showcased in numerous exhibitions, including the New American Paintings 2020 South Issue and the 2020 documentary The Builder. Recently, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts acquired one of his pieces. Curtis primarily uses oil and acrylic on wood to create deeply moving, dynamic, figurative paintings that communicate themes of freedom, dignity, courage, and conviction. Through his work, he aims to encourage everyone to think more about the experiences that build character, inspire hope, and ignite our imaginations, all contributing to a perpetual state of becoming more human.

Shipping available-buyer agrees to pay separately via Venmo for all packaging and shipping costs. The shipping invoice will be sent from RVA4CERF+ to the buyer by February 1, 2025.

Margaret Meehan

"Child (2)"

4.25 x 6 inches

Vintage cabinet card, gouache and graphite, 2023.

Artist Bio:

Margaret Meehan is an artist living and working in Richmond, VA. Her work is a research-based, multidisciplinary exploration that pulls from film, music, popular culture, folklore, and traditional crafts. She considers the origins of outcasts through their representation - in particular, the tendency for women and societal "others" to be seen as monsters. Meehan's research includes teratology and medicine, ornithology, the esthetics of cuteness, materiality in high and low culture as well as modes of feminist protest. This all stems from her curiosity about the lines that separate what is protected from what is feared and how gendering plays into these expectations. Her work has been shown at ArtPace San Antonio, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, The Dallas Museum of Art, Flowers Gallery in London, Conduit Gallery in Dallas, and Ulterior Gallery in New York. Awards and residencies include the Nasher Sculpture Center Microgrant, Artpace International Residency, The Lighthouse Works Residency, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts Residency and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship. Meehan's work has been featured in the Guardian, Sculpture Magazine, New American Paintings, and Artforum, among others.

Shipping available-buyer agrees to pay separately via Venmo for all packaging and shipping costs. The shipping invoice will be sent from RVA4CERF+ to the buyer by February 1, 2025.

Sayaka Suzuki

"Origami Blues: Fold/Unfold"

Crane 10"x 10" (framed)

Sumi ink, acrylic and pen on paper

Origami Crane has come to be known as a symbol of peace, healing and resilience in Japan following WW2. I created this piece to mark the act of folding and unfolding of a crane, unfolding of peace, healing and resilience. I was thinking about both the cultural significance as well as the meaning a simple crease in paper can hold.

Artist Bio:
Suzuki creates works that explore her deep roots in Japanese culture in conjunction to her new adopted identity as an American immigrant.
Exploring colors, designs and traditions of Japanese textiles, she explores this dual identity in forms of drawings, sculptures and installations.

Shipping available-buyer agrees to pay separately via Venmo for all packaging and shipping costs. The shipping invoice will be sent from RVA4CERF+ to the buyer by February 1, 2025.