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Virginia Dare
archival pigment print of hand-constructed still life
16 x 24 inches
Courtesy of Quirk Gallery
The work in Riley Goodman's series, To Cultivate A Magnolia, weaves together a rich blend of still life, landscape, and portrait imagery, sharing Riley's journey to discover his identity and place within the city he has chosen to call home. To Cultivate A Magnolia poetically visualizes the folklore and history of Richmond and greater Virginia, the complexities of queer identity, the contemporary presence of the American Civil War, and reflections that come as we age. Riley's work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and Time Magazine, among other outlets, and most notably resides in the permanent collections of the MoMA Artist Book Collection and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This is the first time his work has been featured at Collectors' Night.
Riley Goodman, raised in the Patapsco River Valley of Maryland, inquires folklore, American history, and humankind's relation to the environments they inhabit in an effort to understand what endures, and how this manifests through the passage of time. Informed by the compositional styles of cinema and painting, Riley weaves a vast visual narrative inspired by everything from historical accounts and folk-based storytelling to dreams and familial legends. Riley's work presents an ever-occurring understanding of history, establishing a crafted world that invites the viewer to question tenets of authenticity, leaving the idea of truth versus myth in an undisclosed middle ground.
Craig
linocut print
8 x 6 inches
Courtesy of ACA Galleries
Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation
Kandy Lopez is a multidisciplinary artist exploring cultural identity, representation, and power through fiber art, portraiture, painting, and mixed media. As an Afro-Caribbean visual artist, Kandy is eager to be challenged materialistically and metaphorically when representing marginalized individuals that inspire and move her. Her works are created out of the necessity to learn something new about her people and culture. Kandy's full-scale portraits, "painted with fiber," start as drawings like this one. She created new work during a 2024 residency at VisArts in preparation for the collaborative exhibition with Crafting the Future, The Shape of Water. Kandy and her work have been profiled in Vogue (her portrait of Justice Dwight was included in the article), American Craft, Hyperallergic, Colassal, and Ebony.
Kandy holds a BFA in Painting and a BS in Marketing/Management from the University of South Florida and earned her MFA in Painting from Florida Atlantic University in 2014. Her background in both fine arts and business informs her meticulous material investigations and strategic engagement with art institutions. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, Media, and Arts at Nova Southeastern University, where she integrates critical theory with hands-on material practice.
Redwood Lilies
digital photo collage on Hahnemuhle watercolor paper
19 x 19 inches
Courtesy of Candela Gallery
Leigh Merrill is an artist best known for her digitally collaged photographic and video works that explore the intersection of contemporary landscapes and personal desire. This piece, exhibited in a solo show at Candela Gallery earlier this year, is from her series Garden of Artificial Sugar. Leigh's digital collages begin as photographs taken in forests, gardens, and parks. Individual elements are extracted from each photograph then manipulated and layered in Photoshop to create new, colorful and sometimes abstracted landscapes. These imagined spaces reflect human actions and, like our homes, front yards and gardens, are created to display style, aesthetics, an appreciation of beauty and cultural values.
Leigh Merrill received her BFA from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM and her MFA from Mills College in Oakland, CA. Her work has been a part of exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad in venues such as Paris Photo (France), Centre de la photographie Genève (Switzerland), the Phoenix Art Museum (Arizona, United States), the diRosa Art Preserve (California, United States), FotoFest International (Texas, United States), the Fries Museum (Netherlands) and the Museum of Texas Tech University (Texas, United States). Leigh's work has been included in online and print publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Afterimage Magazine, Places Journal, Dwell.com, the Dallas Morning News, and The Houston Chronicle.
Leigh's work is represented by the Liliana Bloch Gallery in Dallas, TX. Her work is part of the permanent collections of the Dallas Museum of Art, the Old Jail Art Center, the Museum of Texas Tech University, the University of North Texas Library Print Study Collection, the City of Phoenix, the California Institute of Integral Studies, and various private collections.
Leigh Merrill lives and works in Dallas, Texas where she is a Professor of Art at East Texas A&M University.
Work/Play sleeveless dress, meso pattern on 100% linen
linen, screen-printed & sewn, eco-friendly ink
bust 44"
Courtesy of The Artist
Under the moniker Blue Skies Workroom, Alyssa C. Salomon produces joyful clothing, bags, home goods and books from fabrics and papers she screenprints in her Richmond studio. Alyssa is a VisArts teacher, student, Craft + Design exhibitor, and long ago board member. Fluorescent orange remains her favorite color.
Gilded Garden
acrylic on canvas
24 x 24 inches
Mary Beth Blackwood's vibrant, bold paintings capture the beauty of everyday moments and floral subjects. Her work often features a play on scale and intricate patterns, drawing significant inspiration from her travels. Following a ten-year career as an art teacher in Chesterfield County Public Schools, Mary Beth founded Happy Palette which offers art classes and workshops for young artists from toddlers to teens. She is one of VisArts' newest board members. This is the first time her work has been featured at Collectors' Night.
POWERSHIELD #11
mixed media
18 x 24 inches
Guest Curated by Sarah Irvin
Franchell Mack Brown is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Richmond. She is a VMFA Fellow (2021-22). Her works are in the Capital One Collection. She's a cohort of Interlude Residency in Hudson, NY (2022), Monson Arts Residency, Monson ME (2023), and The Visual Arts Center of Richmond, Richmond, VA (2023-24). Mack Brown teaches creative workshops for CultureWorks and helps facilitate The Make Space mentor program for 6th grade girls. She is the Professional Artist Development Co-Ordinator for VisArts' 6-month residency program.
"My themes focus on the spiritual practice of raising one's vibration to find peace in, what can be, a tumultuous life. As a Black American Mother, witnessing trauma, micro aggression, and social injustice are daily occurrences. Whether in person, through social media feeds, newscasts, or entertainment narratives. Misogyny, sexism, racism, and ageism are the fabric of this country. As such, I have learned to weave my own antidote by finding and creating joy and peace in my existence, regardless of the circumstances. The practice of healing leads me to lean on angels, ancestors, guides, and vanguards. These entities guide me in quilting healing armor. These are the stories I am interested in telling."
Royal Head with Flowers
woodcut on mulberry paper
18 x 36 inches
Dennis Winston is a Richmond-based artist and educator known for his evocative woodcut prints that explore African American culture, identity, and history. His compositions often feature family members, childhood memories, and straightforward moments of daily reality. Dennis has been a huge part of The Hand Workshop and VisArts for decades. He received the Shelly Shepherd Master Teacher Award in 2023.
"My work reflects both my urban and rural experiences. As an artist, I am driven by needs that are both aesthetic and social. My themes are universal and are concerned with the everyday reality of all human existence. The woodcut allows me to use a bold and direct black and white approach in my work. This is an ordinary medium through which I endeavor to capture telling moments in the lives of ordinary people. It is an attempt to reveal something of their character, the history that has shaped them, and the spirit that sustains them. These works express essential ideas, and I have merged my vision and the medium to celebrate both the process and my perception."
Dennis is a graduate of Norfolk State University and the University of Richmond and has done post-graduate work at the University of Colorado and Virginia Commonwealth University. He has served on the faculties of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia State University and the Governor's School of South Carolina. He retired as the Coordinator of Arts Education and the Humanities Center for the Richmond Public Schools.
Dennis has received honors both locally and nationally as an artist and as an educator. He has been included in an educational multimedia series entitled, "African American Artists: Past and Present," and recently was included in the textbook publication "Below the Surface; Ethnic Echoes in America's Modern and Contemporary Art". His work can be found in a number of publications on artists and exhibitions nationally.
Dennis's work can be found in many private and public collections. Some recent collectors include; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the University of Virginia Medical Center, Capital One Corporation, Apex Museum of African American Art, Lynchburg College Museum, Indiana University Museum of PA., University of Richmond Museum, National Civil Rights Museum, Medical College of Virginia, Bowie State University, Childsavers of Richmond, Longwood University, St. Mary's Hospital, Museum of African American Art of Dallas, Bank of America, First Market Bank, and The Bank on the James of Lynchburg.
He has been a recipient of a public arts commission from the City of Richmond and an artist fellowship award from the Virginia Commission of the Arts for works on paper. The woodcut print is his primary medium of expression and he is a member of One /Off Printmakers.
Lodestar
ceramic
14 x 15 x 3 inches
Guest Curated by Erin Bannan
Borrowing motifs from her background in entomology and biological sciences, Raven Larcom's work often features biomorphic shapes with large spikes, unsettling textures, and bold colors. By playing with discomfort and the emotional impact of form, she hopes to better understand our collective inviolable triggers and re-introduce them as safe and whimsical experiences. Most recently, her work has been featured at the Branch Museum of Architecture and Design in the Re-Think Landscape: Habitat Stewardship exhibit and at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond as part of the Studio Access Residency show: Interwoven.
Untitled 127
30 x 40 inches
Jenny Bassett is an abstract painter based in Richmond, Virginia. Though largely self-taught, her work reflects the influence of artists such as Kandinsky, Rothko, Frankenthaler, Diebenkorn, and Richter. She paints intuitively, allowing each piece to evolve through an organic and spontaneous process guided by her responses in the moment. Drawing inspiration from dreams and meditation, Bassett builds her paintings through layers of paint, creating depth and a sense of history within each work. Outside of her studio practice, she is actively engaged in civic life. She serves on the Senior Foundation Board of The Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU and is a member of the Board of Trustees for Visual Arts of Richmond. She also dedicates time to managing her husband Steve's music career. Her work is held in numerous private collections throughout Virginia.
May, 2026
ceramic stoneware
9.5 x 12.5 inches
Courtesy of ADA Gallery
Alezendria Decking is a Brazilian-American painter based in Richmond. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA. Her oil paintings capture quiet, intimate moments of everyday life---like someone checking their grocery list at a store, or the passing of an object from one set of hands to another. While she is known for her paintings, Alezendria has incorporated ceramics into her artistic practice, a skill set she developed during her time as a Studio Access Resident. This series of ceramic LIFE magazine covers was created during her residency at VisArts and has been exhibited recently at ADA Gallery, where she is represented.
I Got The Spirit
graphite, chalk and spray paint on paper and wood panel
36 x 30 inches
Seth Bauserman makes paintings that look like they've survived something---scraped, taped, sanded, bruised sheets of paper that have been pushed to their material limits. The layers build and gather only to be peeled back again, leaving marks, hints, and faint impressions of decisions underneath. In his work, these layers of paper become something more than a surface for marks. They are characters: vulnerable, stubborn, sometimes barely holding it together.
Seth's practice explores the delicate experiences of identity and memory. Each piece is treated as a site where clarity and confusion share equal weight. His compositions hold tension rather than resolve it, inviting viewers to sit inside the messy human process of revealing and obscuring oneself.
He has exhibited locally at Quirk Gallery and Pamplemousse Gallery and is a past recipient of VMFA's Professional Fellowship.
Simmer
wool and silk on linen warp
10.5 x 10.5 x 2 inches
Susan Iverson is a distinguished textile artist and educator known for her mastery of tapestry weaving and pioneering use of the "pulled warp" technique. Her work, inspired by landscape and architecture and made with hand-dyed yarn, often investigates the intersection of image-making and physical structure, balancing intricate technical processes with personal and political themes. She is Professor Emerita at Virginia Commonwealth University where she taught and served as head of fiber until 2015. Susan's work has been exhibited widely throughout the United States and in Canada, Italy, Poland, Australia and Uzbekistan. Her work is included in many collections including The Art in Embassies Program, Capital One, the Avenir Museum (CO) and the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC. She earned a MFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Philadelphia and a BFA from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado.
Grocery Store with Back Room #1
inkjet print, acrylic, and paint
25 x 21 inches
Courtesy of Suzanne Seipel
Special thanks for this 100% donation
Joe Seipel was a prominent local artist, educator, and a cornerstone of Richmond's arts community. Known for his "powerful yet playful" approach, his 50-year career spanned monumental sculpture, robotics, and administrative leadership as a professor, department chair, and Dean of VCU's School of the Arts. In the final years of his career, he focused on a series of mixed-media pieces that transformed photographs into three-dimensional objects.
For more than 40 years, Joseph Seipel's studio production varied from large-scale sculptures to long-term process pieces, to installations, and recently to works that combine sculpture, painting and photography. His studio pursuits and his academic career have intertwined and evolved from his early years in rural Wisconsin to dean of one of the most prestigious schools in the country.
Joe served in academic leadership roles and on numerous boards and councils. He has received many honors including being awarded the University of Wisconsin, School of Education, Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award and in 2019 being named one of Richmond's Persons of the Year by the Richmond Times Dispatch. Among his produest accomplishments is his Life Time Achievement Award for Sculpture Education from the International Sculpture Center.
Among many other locations, his work has been shown in Baltimore, New York, Savannah, Peru, and Richmond.
Lone Traveler
fused glass
22 x 18 inches
Guest Curator Anne Fletcher
Jude Schlotzhauer is a Richmond-based glass artist and educator with over 40 years of experience in kiln-glass working. She is recognized for her diverse portfolio, ranging from small gallery sculptures to large-scale architectural glass commissions. Schlotzhauer specializes in kiln-worked glass, utilizing techniques such as casting, fusing, and slumping. She was the recipient of the Shelly Shepard Master Award in 2022.
Untitled (Groupchat Series)
acrylic and charcoal on canvas
Kevin Sabo is known for his vibrant, multimedia works that explore queer identity, gender dynamics, and pop culture satire. He characterizes his practice as "drag on canvas," using exaggerated figures and fashion to subvert traditional societal norms. His work has been featured in major publications such as Architectural Digest, Surface Magazine, and Metal Magazine.
Narcissus 'Tete-a-Tete'
pressed botanical
11.5 x 20 inches
Anne Blackwell Thompson's work is as special and unique as it is beautiful. She collects botanical specimens from public parks, private gardens, and roadside landscapes, disassembling, pressing, preserving and eventually presenting them using the traditional methods she learned from her mentor, Stuart Thornton. Anne's work (and her company, Blackwell Botanicals) has been published in Garden & Gun, Veranda, Southern Living, Coastal Living, The Washington Post, Virginia Magazine and R. Home. Her pieces are a favorite of collectors including this year's event chair, KK Harris. This is the first time Anne's work has been featured at Collectors' Night.
Homage to Pete Seeger
5 x 26 inches
Courtesy of Milk River Arts
Mark Trezise studied graphic illustration and prepress imaging at Montgomery College. His bold, linear style is informed by his graphic arts background and his deep connection to music serves as a major inspiration. His colorful illustrations on paper are often translated into fused glass pieces, most of which are created at VisArts. Mark is a member of Milk River Arts, a nonprofit studio that supports neurodiverse artists.
Amnesiac
wax pastel on paper
13.25 x 16.25 inches
Courtesy of Reynolds Gallery
A self-taught figurative painter and abstract expressionist, Hampton Boyer's work spans graphics, murals, and large-scale studio paintings. His practice is deeply rooted in the history of the Black body in America, often drawing inspiration from African folklore, literature, and his own life experiences. He co-founded the Contemporary Arts Network (CAN) in Newport News, where he serves as an advisor, curator, and business developer to support emerging artists and regional collectors. Hampton was a Studio Access Resident in 2024. He currently lives and works in Norfolk.
Natural Disasters as Hairstyles
24 x 18 inches
Jordan Bruner is an artist and filmmaker working across painting, animation, and ceramics. Her work centers on women, animals, and imagined places, mixing joy, tension, and humor. She uses color and composition to create worlds that feel inviting at first glance but reveal something more uneasy beneath the surface. Past projects include work with clients such as The New York Times, Google, Eve Ensler, The Atlantic, and Warby Parker. Jordan has previously taught classes at VisArts.
Jordan's work has been exhibited at institutions including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where she currently has a solo painting exhibition at Amuse (February-August 2026). She has also exhibited at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, where she participated in the museum's biennial exhibition (2025) and will have an animation installation in the group exhibition Seamless (April-August 2026). In 2023, she had her first solo painting exhibition at Pairo's Gallery in Richmond, VA. Her animation work has also been shown at CADAF Miami. She is a recipient of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Visual Arts Fellowship in Painting (2026-2027).
Her animation work has been screened internationally at festivals including Pictoplasma and LA Film Festival. In 2013, she received the Art Directors Club Young Guns Award for her directing and animation work.
Jordan has contributed to public art through commissions with MTA Arts & Design. She has lectured at conferences including Pictoplasma and Playgrounds, and has mentored MFA thesis students at the School of Visual Arts. She is also the co-founder and curator of the Richmond Animation Festival.
Jordan received her BFA in Kinetic Imaging from Virginia Commonwealth University. She lived in New York City from 2007 to 2019 before returning to Richmond, where she is currently based.
Listening
red clay
4 x 4 x 4 inches
Guest Curated by Shane Prada
Yeonsoo Kim is a South Korean ceramic artist whose work bridges traditional Korean techniques with contemporary, narrative-driven expression. Currently based in New Hampshire, he is known for creating large-scale vessels and sculptures that explore personal identity, psychological states, and his journey of "listening to his inner voice". The graphic elements Yeonsoo employs grew out of a lifelong practice of drawing and painting, one he continues today and uses to challenge himself to create new clay forms and surface designs. He exhibited his work at Craft + Design for the first time in 2025 where he was selected as the Featured Artist and won Best in Show. He was also named Best in Show at Smithsonian Craft Show in 2025 and was NCECA's 2020 Emerging Artist of the Year. He has participated in prestigious residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation, where he was awarded the Matsutani Fellowship and the Etchart-Satre Fellowship. His residency experience also includes the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and the Korea Ceramic Foundation. Kim's practice continues to explore the profound dialogue between tradition and contemporary form, focusing on the evocative "breathing volume" and the visceral presence of clay. Yeonsoo says that working in his studio as a full-time artist makes him feel "rewarded every day."
Mazharia
clay
7 x 10 inches
Bashar and Roula Jarjour are the artists behind Jarjour Pottery. Their porcelain and raku pieces, heavily influenced by a Middle Eastern background and Mediterranean life, blends organic, nature-inspired themes with functional art. Their shared love of clay started when they took a wheel throwing class as a date night. Bashar was so enamored by the process and wanted to keep practicing but they couldn't afford the equipment at that time. Instead, he engineered a make-shift wheel out of ceiling fan parts and practiced in his basement, creating pieces he could sell to make money and eventually buy his own wheel, kiln, and other equipment. The Jarjours have exhibited their work at Craft + Design since 2024 and have won the Excellence in Ceramics Award two years in a row.
Configuration Limited Edition Diam Slice Sways Earrings
hand carved upcycled skateboards with hand fabricated oxidized sterling silver
4 x 1.5 inches
Tara Locklear's recognizable jewelry utilizes materials like recycled skateboards and cast cement. Tara's work has been highlighted in several national publications, including American Craft Magazine, Metalsmith Magazine, and the book Art Without Waste by Patty Wongpakdee. She was selected as Craft + Design's Featured Artist in 2017 and has continued to exhibit her work at the show since then.
"My creative journey is deeply inspired by the vibrant energy of urban landscapes, merged with an enduring passion for mathematics. This combination, along with an ongoing fascination with color, is the driving force behind my jewelry designs. Drawing from upcycled materials sourced from social culture and architectural remnants, I have crafted a visual language that is both modern and playful. My affinity for bold hues and striking shapes is a direct result of years influenced by pop culture, shaping my perspective on jewelry as a vital medium for self-expression.
The materials I choose possess unique, graphic qualities and an inherent beauty that goes beyond their original function. My relentless curiosity compels me to explore and reshape these materials, testing their limits to reveal new possibilities. Whether working with the vivid patterns from upcycled skateboard decks, as seen here in the Configuration Diam Slice Sways adorned with the marks of the street patina, or the speckled, terrazzo-like surfaces of reclaimed plastic countertops, I pair these elements with minimalist sterling silver designs to create pieces that are both comfortable and powerful.
In my jewelry, color and texture transcend mere surface aesthetics; they serve as emotional bridges between the materials and those who engage with them. These qualities evoke memories, moments, and places, allowing the jewelry to resonate deeply with anyone who encounters it. At the core of my studio practice is the pursuit of refined, modern, and distinctive sculptural designs that encourage a unique sense of self. Through a playful approach, I strive to tell my personal story and expand the definition of what contemporary jewelry can be."
Tara is a full-time studio artist living in Knightdale, NC. She has taught at Penland School of Craft (NC), Haystack Craft School (ME) as well as various other craft schools and art colleges around the United States. Her work has been shown throughout the country as well as abroad in multiple group exhibitions in addition to several fine retail museum and fine craft shows such as the Smithsonian Fine Craft Show (DC), Mad About Jewelry Show at the MAD Museum (NY) and was selected as the feature artist at the VisArts Craft + Design Show 2017 (VA). Tara's work is a part of permanent collections at the Racine Art Museum (WI), Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AK), and the Mint Museum (NC). Her work is represented by Mora (NC), Museum for Art and Wood (PA) as well a select few others. Her work has also received awards such as being a finalist Our State Magazine 2022-21 as well as receiving the 2019 PMA Craft Show and 2024 Tephra ICA Arts Festival - Excellence in Jewelry awards
Freedom of the Stone - inverted
cast Hydrostone pillow with carved wood "stone"
11 x 11 x 7 inches
Jere Williams is a Savannah-based wood sculptor and furniture maker known for his hyper-realistic trompe l'oeil sculptures that challenge the viewer's perception of material and weight. He has exhibited his work at Craft + Design for the past several years. He was awarded Best in Show in 2024 and Excellence in Wood and Recycled Materials in 2025.
"I was born in Atlanta, Georgia and graduated from Georgia State University after completing work on an M.A. degree in philosophy in 2000 and an M.F.A. degree in sculpture in 2002. For roughly 25 years I taught various art forms and philosophy on the college, secondary and middle school levels. My academic work has been published in the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism and the International Journal of Social Science; I have also appeared a few times in Fine Woodworking Magazine.
My artwork has been fortunate to have received recognition in the form of juror's awards, people's choice awards and in the popular press; the CV has a selected listing. For many years I was represented by art galleries in the Richmond, VA area and in New England. However, after retiring from teaching I have pursued commission work and have been participating in juried craft and art shows: the Smithsonian Craft Show, the Crystal Bridges Museum Art Fair, and the Naples National Art Fair among others.
During my academic career I worked extensively with nonprofit companies, leading teams of students in pro bono graphic design projects which promoted awareness, engagement and fundraising campaigns. I was a board member with the Visual Arts Center of Richmond for two 3 year terms ending in 2022. My art practice has also included making collaborative sculptures/installations with other visual artists as well as creating performances with dance and theater companies (making sets, videos and sculptural elements for their productions). My home and studio are currently located in Savannah, GA where my wife, Sally, teaches high school math at a local private school."
Intumesce
glazed ceramic
7 x 7 x 9 inches
Amber Dawn Ellis is a multi-media artist working in fiber and ceramics with a background in photography and film. Their practice employs ceramics and fiber to create objects that explore the notion of play. Amber's use of tactile intuition and their admiration of the natural world lay the foundation for their playful designs. Amber is a former Studio Access Resident whose work was featured at Collectors' Night in 2024.
"My work explores emotional and sensory memories of play and the ways that they can inform and spark imagination through interconnected binaries. As a child, wonder and curiosity for the natural world was intrinsic. Anxiety stemming from social pressures and perceived binaries as an adolescent hindered that wonder. Reconnecting with the innate desire to observe, learn and imagine in adulthood is at the heart of my artistic practice. Attempting to understand the way organisms feed on each other, grow, decay and create new life informs every step of my process.
I utilize materials that can be easily manipulated with simple tools. Hand-building ceramics and fiber techniques require both flexibility and tension to intuitively craft organic forms and patterns. Utilizing tactile intuition by entangling and shaping materials connects me to my natural abilities and playful desires. This process allows me to find new ways of portraying aggression, tenderness, anxiety and sensuality through texture and form. Color is used to emphasize or contradict these senses. The functionality of these objects, while often minimal, represents the opposing force of practicality in relation to play.
There is a desire for my work to live between realms and embody moments that fade into altered memories and inform dreams. To create something my inner child is ignited by. Something from the deepest corner of a forest I have never visited. Something that brings to surface the opposing forces that live entangled, deep beneath my skin. Something that is alluring and off-putting, comfortable and harsh, beautiful and grotesque."
Rat Costume Man, Boxman with Opossum, Horseman
cone 6 stoneware
varied
Aggie Zed is a Gordonsville-based artist renowned for her surreal, anthropomorphic ceramic sculptures and expressive works on paper. Her memorable 2013 solo exhibition, Keeper's Keep, included sculpture, installations, paintings, drawings, and sketchbooks that charted Aggie's unique working methods in a variety of media. Aggie Zed is a storyteller whose works take us out of our consensual reality and into a world filled with absurdity, ambiguity, and the gifts of artistic imagination.
A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Aggie Zed grew up in a large family on Sullivan's Island riding ponies and donkeys on the beach. As a child she watched her father repair television sets and played for hours with cheap plastic horses and cowboys which had no moving parts. She could always draw.
Living in Richmond, after graduating from The University of South Carolina with a degree in Fine Arts, she supported her painting by designing and building ceramic chess sets. Her work in clay evolved to become a widely-collected series of human-animal hybrid figures with which she has made a living.
She divides her working life between sculpture and drawing and painting. Aggie Zed's sculpture ranges from intimately-scaled ceramic figures of people and human-animal hybrids to copper wire and ceramic horses to ceramic and mixed-metals contrivances she calls "scrap floats". Her scrap floats are intended as entries in a parade of the future.
Her drawings and painting are informed by a lifelong celebration of the beauty and strangeness of dreams posed against the absurdity and poignancy of supposedly rational human activity. Her mediums are dry pastel and various inks with water on paper.
From Fruit to Flowerglazed stoneware, grout, hardware, pebbles6 x 14 x 4 inches
Guest Curated by Margaret MeehanCourtesy of The Artist
Nicole Levaque is an Ontario-based artist whose interdisciplinary practice spans sculpture, installation, and ceramics. Her process often involves revisiting previous works, adding to and refiring ceramics to the edge of their structural integrity. As part of this material exploration, Nicole frequently applies new glazes to her works that result in highly textural and ornate surfaces. These glazes mimic references from the natural world: sea foam, barnacle buildups, colonies of lichen and moss, and concrete worn under slow drips of water intrusion. Nicole is an alum of VCU's Sculpture program where she also worked as an adjunct professor. She has previously exhibited work created at VisArts during a 2019-2020 residency.
Connect the Dots: 3708
ink on paper
22 x 30 inches
Courtesy of Bond Millen Gallery
Guest Curated by Audra Kiewiet de Jonge
Sarah Irvin is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and educator whose work investigates the cultural resonance of mothering and the complexities of caregiving. The pieces in her Connect the Dots series utilize compositions mimicking connect the dot worksheets for children that, when connected, produce no recognizable forms. By using this framework to produce something meaningless, Sarah is foregrounding the specific structure of meaning-making itself as well as the viewer's desire and ability to find recognizable form regardless of the artist's intention. Sarah works as Curator of Student Exhibitions and Programs at The Anderson. She was the co-curator of VisArts' 2023 exhibition, Self Adjacent, a group show that examined the transforming experience of parenthood by artists as they navigate their many identities alongside and within the field of caregiving.
In Bloom - Work Lamp
powder coated metal, brass
18 x 10 inches
Wendy Umanoff is a contemporary artist, custom lighting designer and owner of Umanoff Design. She collaborates with commercial, hospitality and residential clients to create lighting that helps establish balance and beauty in their personal and professional spaces. Wendy has exhibited her work at Craft + Design and won the Excellence in Decorative Sculpture Award in 2023.
Wendy's training began at Parsons School of Design, where she studied fine arts with a focus on sculpture. Wendy's artistry is evident in every piece she creates. Exhibited on her website is a collection of one-of-a-kind and limited-edition designs, each reflecting her eclectic style that is rooted in a love for modern architecture, vintage objects and organic forms found in nature.
Targets
screen print and acrylic on patchwork fabric
18 x 20 inches
Guest Curated by Whitney Cole
Jake Lahah is a trans-disciplinary artist, educator, and researcher based in Richmond. His work spans printmaking, sculpture, and installation, often exploring the intersections of queerness, labor, and human ecology. He considers how visual culture and data are testimony to the human condition, using print media, craft, and installation practices to reveal political underbellies. Jake is completing his Studio Access Residency at VisArts and will exhibit new work in a show for all Fall/Winter resident artists later this month.
Garden Specimens No. 1
paper
10 x 30 x 2 inches
Guest Curated by Ashley Williams
Raven Nicole Smith is a Richmond-based paper artist whose creations reflect her Belizean heritage and upbringing in tropical Florida. Raven specializes in creating hand-cut floral works, inspired by the lush landscapes of her past and present, that mirror the grace of real flowers through meticulous folding and shaping. Her work aims to highlight the vital role of plants in our ecosystem, inviting us to see the life within each delicate petal, urging us to appreciate the significance of seemingly ordinary flora. Raven has secured artist residencies at Oakwood Arts and the Visual Arts Center, as well as receiving the Cultural Works Grant. Her work is a part of Capital One's and The Virginia Governor's permanent collection. She shares her expertise by conducting workshops on paper florals. She was in one of the first cohorts of Studio Access Residents at VisArts.
Shopping Basket with Grapefruit
acrylic on panel with handmade walnut frame
24.5 x 18.5 inches
Josh Stover is an artist, designer, and sign painter who has recently relocated to Richmond. His work is characterized by a playful and nostalgic aesthetic that draws heavily from vintage design, mid-century illustration, and the bold, graphic shapes of old signs. Stover is the co-owner of Variety Shop, a local sign painting and design studio he runs with his wife, Rachael Perisho.
Controlled Burn
collage on paper
16 x 15 inches
Guest Curated by Sally Kemp
Sharon Shapiro is a Charlottesville-based artist recognized for her paintings and collages that explore the complexities of contemporary female experience and the cultural landscape of the American South. Her work often examines the tension between a placid exterior and a turbulent inner life, frequently focusing on themes of adolescence, womanhood, memory, and transformation. Shapiro has exhibited her work nationally and is a two-time recipient of VMFA's Professional Fellowship.
Sharon Shapiro's work engages painting as a site for emotional excavation, where color, gesture, and environment reflect themes of fragility, agency, and personal reckoning. Rooted in the cultural landscape of the American South, her practice centers the female experience through the lens of both societal expectation and private interiority. She is currently working toward Tender Wild, a solo exhibition opening this Spring at Spectrum Fine Arts (Seattle, WA). Additional recent solo exhibitions include No Man's Land at Quirk Gallery (Richmond, VA) and George Mason University (Manassas, VA); Visionary Picnic at Hillyer Gallery (Washington, DC); and Then the Dream Changed at Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington (Arlington, VA). She has presented two-person exhibitions at SPRING/BREAK Art Show (New York, NY), Pollinator Art Space (Atlanta, GA), and the Gadsden Museum of Art (Gadsden, AL). Recent group exhibitions include Ferrara Showman Gallery (New Orleans, LA); McColl Center (Charlotte, NC); Spectrum Fine Art (Seattle, WA); Mint Museum of Art (Charlotte, NC); and The Painting Center (New York, NY). She has been in residence at Ucross, Jentel, Ragdale, The Hambidge Center, Mother's Milk, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. A two-time Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship recipient, her work is held in numerous collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (Atlanta, GA), and the Tullman Collection (Chicago, IL). Her work has been featured in New American Paintings, Whitewall, Art Spiel, Oxford American, The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, and Kolaj Magazine. Shapiro holds an MFA from the Maine College of Art & Design and lives and works in Charlottesville, VA.
Love Match
Kathleen Markowitz is a Richmond-based visual artist and writer known for her complex, abstract mixed-media paintings that explore the intersections of memory, sensory experience, and perception. Her work is characterized by layered, faceted surfaces and a distinct "intuitive language" of color and marks. She views her art as a form of "giving" and a means to transform the human spirit, often refusing to define her work strictly through words (though her pieces often incorporate poetic and romantic titles) and instead letting the visual language speak to the viewer.
After receiving her MS in Gerontology from Virginia Commonwealth University, Kathleen studied art with New York School of Visual Arts Study Abroad Program, Barcelona, Spain and The Accademia Di Belle Arti Pietro Vannucci, Perugia, Italy
Kathleen has exhibited in national and international venues including the United States Embassy in Hong Kong and the 2009 Tashkent 5th International Biennale of Contemporary Art in Uzbekistan.
Her work is included in many private and public collections including the Federal Reserve Bank, Capital One Corporate Collection, Westminster Canterbury, Quirk Hotel, and in the collection of Pam Royal.
She received fellowships from Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Amherst, Virginia, and the Julia and David White Artist's Colony, Ciudad Colon, Costa Rica.
ME 2 Colored Squirrel series
slipcast hand-built porcelain from artists original models and molds
7.5 x 9.5 x 4.5 inches
Michelle Erickson is celebrated for her mastery of 17th and 18th-century ceramic techniques-such as slipware, delftware, and agateware-which she uses to explore modern social, political, and environmental issues. In 2007, she designed and produced an official gift presented to Queen Elizabeth II during her state visit to Jamestown, where Michelle studied and recreated pottery from the archeological collections on the earliest colonial American site. During her residency at VisArts, she created these squirrel sculptures using the techniques of 18th century North Carolina Moravian potters. She is also responsible for the recognizable face jug that greets guests and peeks into the Commons from VisArts' Clay I studio.
Michelle Erickson is an accomplished contemporary artist internationally recognized for both making and historical scholarship. Michelle is a leading figure in reconstructing historic ceramic technology. Her ceramic artworks explore issues of child slavery, social and cultural identity, racial inequity and environmental geopolitics. Erickson is widely exhibited and published her artworks are in private and major museum collections across the United States and Britain. Michelle's practice in experimental archaeology has been incorporated into many exhibitions and programs, her scholarship concerning the discovery of colonial era ceramic techniques is well documented in several volumes of the annual journal Ceramics In America, now edited by Ron Fuchs with emeritus editor Robert Hunter and published by the Chipstone Foundation. Michelle has produced ceramics for major motion pictures such as The Patriot, The Time Machine and HBO series John Adams. In 2012 Erickson was artist in Residence at the Victoria Albert Museum in the category of World Class Maker. Recent solo exhibitions include Wild Porcelain at Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco's Legion of Honor 2021-2023 and Recasting Colonialism at Baltimore Museum of Art May-October 2023 and Artifacts at Try-me Artspace NCECA 2024. Michelles's piece HUMANITY, commissioned by the Office of the President of the College of William and Mary, was unveiled in May 2024 and is on permanent display at the Colleges Tyler Mcloud Center. Her ceramic art will be in the upcoming semi-quincentennial exhibition Revolution Reimagined: Evolving Stories from Newport's Past at Rosecliff Mansion opening June 2026. Michelle's depth of historical reference and technological virtuosity distinguish her unique career as an American artist working in clay.
Melt and Marvel with Me
blown glass
5 x 10 x 4 inches
Sean Donlon is a glass artist living and working in Ithaca, New York. He currently balances his creative studio practice with his role as the (only) Scientific Glassblower for Cornell University. His hand-blown teapots serve as a symbol of human connection, storytelling, and reflection. Each piece is a distinct individual, yet together they form a network, a micro-community that mirrors the relational dynamics of human experience. Sean has previously taught flameworking at VisArts and has exhibited his work at Craft + Design. He was awarded Best in Show at C+D in 2016 and received Smithsonian Craft Show's Excellence in Design for the Future in 2019.
"Through flameworking, I construct sculptural forms and immersive installations that explore the relationship between object, space, and viewer. My work investigates how everyday forms-objects we often overlook-can become sites of reflection, interaction, and narrative. The teapot became central to my practice when I recognized that functional objects, long avoided for fear they might constrain my voice, could instead serve as a potent canvas for experimentation. In their ordinariness, teapots reveal possibilities for play, connection, and storytelling. The mirror teapot embodies this duality: each piece is a distinct individual, yet together they form a network, a micro-community that mirrors the relational dynamics of human experience.
These mirrored surfaces do not merely reflect-they activate the space and the viewer. As the observer moves, the work shifts, blurring the line between artwork and audience. The teapots become portals, moments in which reflection, perception, and engagement converge, inviting viewers to participate in creating meaning, ultimately becoming part of the work themselves."
ICELee
raw cotton, silicone, cypress, dental stone
9 x 9 x 7 inches
Paul DiPasquale is a sculptor renowned for his monumental public works that blend historical significance with realistic figurative design. He is the creator of the Arthur Ashe Monument, King Neptune in Virginia Beach and VMFA's sculpture garden, and Connecticut, previously installed at The Diamond and, later, the Lucky Strike building where it looks over the James River. As the sculptor of the Arthur Ashe monument, Paul consulted for the safe removal, transport and storage of these former city icons and will advise on their future use. As Confederate statues now sit in storage, ICELee captures this moment of pause---holding history in suspension. It reflects the idea that our understanding of the past is not fixed but continually evolving through reflection and dialogue.
Paul DiPasquale is a nationally shown public artist living in Richmond, Virginia. He earned degrees in Sociology and Art from the University of Virginia in 1973 and a Masters Degree in Sculpture from VCU in 1977. He has taught part and full time at William & Mary and Virginia Commonwealth Universities, Maryland Institute Collage of Art and Norther Virginia Community College. He has sat on numerous Richmond City commissions and committees, and on Richmond and Virginia art boards and organizations.
Bridge in Fog, James River #8203 (12.2.23)
archival pigment print on Moab Juniper Baryata 305 paper
24 x 30 inches
Alex Nyerges is an internationally award-winning photographer, museum director, and photo historian who has dedicated more than four decades to the arts. Seeking out the elements of beauty that surround us, so often unseen and neglected in the built and natural worlds, Alex's work uses sunlight and its shadows to create works that are both modern and timeless. Now in his 19th year as director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Alex Nyerges is responsible for leading one of the nation's top 10 comprehensive art museums with exciting and far-reaching strategic initiatives that have transformed the institution, making it more accessible, diverse, and inclusive.
Alex's work is in collections in New York, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Ohio, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Palm Beach, Tampa, Richmond, Budapest, Paris, Australia, and elsewhere. His work has been exhibited in Atlanta, Budapest, Canberra, Houston, Richmond, Vienna, and Washington, D.C., among other places.
A native of Rochester, New York, the home of George Eastman and the Eastman Kodak Company, he grew up with a family tradition in photography and music. He has been creating photographs in 35 mm, medium and large formats for more than forty years and digitally since 2002.
Seeking out the elements of beauty that surround us, so often unseen and neglected in the built and natural worlds, his work uses sunlight and its shadows to create works that are both modern and timeless. Enjoy.
Seattle Rain
12 x 16 inches
Following his 35 year career as an air traffic controller and instructor, Dave Henderson has used his retirement to focus on artmaking. Dave has always been a woodworker but he began looking for different creative projects after retirement. After discovering glass blowing while visiting Seattle, he came back to Richmond looking for some type of glass work he could enjoy. VisArts glass studios were discovered. Dave has taken flame working classes for both bead making and marble making as well as Glass Fusing.
"VisArts has been an exciting place to learn and explore one's artistic talents and grow as an artist. I have been serving as a studio monitor in the glass lab for two years and enjoy helping others learn. Richmond is lucky to have a place like VisArts for all to enjoy."
In addition to being an active studio monitor at VisArts, Dave keeps busy as an auctioneer for Blacktie Benefit Auctions, traveling throughout the region to support major fundraising events including Collectors' Night.
Entwined
ceramic, glass
18 x 12 x 16 inches
As an avid lover of bugs and nature, Madelanne League likes to focus on the small intricate details which bring beauty to an overall picture. They are a current teacher and staff member at VisArts, serving as Studio Coordinator. This piece was created specifically for Collectors' Night and was made (almost entirely) at VisArts. This is Madelanne's first donation to Collectors' Night.
As an avid lover of bugs and nature, Madelanne League likes to focus on the small intricate details which bring beauty to an overall picture. She has been local to Richmond since 2015 but has travelled to work in an array of studios from Washington to Maine since 2019. League works to cultivate creativity in all aspects of life. Whether that be a meal for friends, curating her plant collection, or creating tangible works of art, she is always making and cultivating. She strives to find beauty and creativity even in the smallest mundane parts of life.
Dumbell
hackberry
15 x 24 x 15 inches
Guest Curated by Sarah Mizer
After earning a BA in English Literature at VCU and serving in the Army after graduation, Nathaniel Newcomb taught creative writing before transitioning to his career as a craft artist. He began by apprenticing in various furniture shops, including an antique reproduction shop, and will graduate this spring from VCU's Craft/Material Studies program with an MFA in Woodworking and Furniture Design. His pieces, inspired by Paleolithic and Neolithic objects, are created from local wood that is sustainably harvested or wood that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Nathaniel mills the wood himself with a chainsaw or a bandsaw mill so some pieces have hand-tool markings while others have large with aggressive chainsaw marks. In addition to serving as a woodshop supervisor at VisArts, Nathaniel has also taught classes in creative writing, bookmaking, and woodworking and has exhibited his work at Craft + Design.
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