Collaboration with Roanoke Arts Commission: Self Portrait

Example self-portrait: Luminous from my series The Feminine Landscape

To celebrate 2022 as Roanoke’s YEAR OF THE ARTIST and advance the role of arts and culture in recovery and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Roanoke Arts Commission has commissioned 50 artists to create self-portraits that will become an exhibition entitled WE ARE ART: The Roanoke Self-Portrait Project. The self-portrait must illustrate the artist in a public setting within the City of Roanoke, and comment on the work of the artist in the community and an aspect of the community assets, goals, causes, or qualities that the artist addresses or celebrates through their work and/or civic engagement. The Year of the Artist is funded by the City of Roanoke and the National Endowment for the Art’s ARPA Local Arts Agency subgranting program.

I am excited about being selected to contribute a piece for this exhibition! I’m currently working on developing my concept for this project, and hope to share my creative process once I settle on my direction, so watch for updates soon.

Roanoke is an outdoor mecca, and nature is an important element of the community, woven into our city in the form of the river and the greenways and parks, with the mountains as a backdrop. It is an integral element of our collective identity. My work will focus on the healing power of nature, and the critical importance connecting with nature has for each and every one of us.

To find out more about this project, click the link below.