Virginia’s Morgan Gilbreath uses reclaimed and often unconventional materials in her glass and mixed media art to bring the past and present together in exciting ways. The artist: Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Gilbreath earned a BFA in glass, a BA in art history and a certification in community arts from Temple University’s Tyler School of…
Emily Kuchenbecker set out to be a painter. But in college, a class in glass set her on a new artistic path. The artist: Born in Madison, WI, Kuchenbecker received her BFA from the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point (UWSP) in 2016 and her MFA from the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 2019. She has…
When Virginia’s Liz Hanson couldn’t find jewelry she wanted to wear, she came up with her own minimal and modern designs. The artist: Born in Norfolk, VA, Hanson grew up in Charlottesville, where she still lives. She earned a BA in art history from Ithaca College (NY) and continues to perfect her metalsmithing and fine…
In her contemporary jewelry designs, Virginia native Austin Titus is influenced by old world textures and details. The company/studio: Austin Titus Studio, based in Richmond, started in 2005. The artist has a private studio in an old Victorian house with tall windows and great light in the historic neighborhood of Church Hill. The artist: The…
Influenced by the simple, clean lines of the Bauhaus movement, Virginia’s Christina Boy draws on a love of classic modern and rural environment in her furniture designs. The artist: Born in Gießen, Germany, Boy grew up in Bonn, where she combined a two-year-plus retail apprenticeship in an office and commercial design show with trade school…
Using an old, camera-less photographic printing process, Virginia artist Jann Edmondson produces modern, blue-tinted botanical prints. The artist: She was born in Dallas into a family of artists. Her grandparents on both sides were artists. Her mother is an artist. So is her uncle and his wife. Her family lived a short time in Germany, before…
In her modular wall squares, Virginia’s Lori Katz uses clay as a canvas, taking it beyond its traditional realm of function. The artist: Born and grew up in Jersey City, NJ, often visiting museums and galleries in NYC. Katz attended George Washington University in Washington, DC, where she found a place in the ceramics studio. After…
Clay artist Julie Schnell Madden likes the idea that something you wipe off your shoes can be turned into something exquisite. In her ceramic work, the Virginia artist does just that. The artist: The Toledo native earned an undergraduate degree in ceramics from Ohio University and two masters’ degrees in ceramic and sculpture from Bowling…
Virginia’s Kiki Slaughter pours, scrapes and layers paint on canvas to create her bold, richly textured abstract works. The artist: The Virginia native grew up in Charlottesville with a love of art. She earned art degrees from the University of Virginia (UVA) and Sotheby’s Institute in London. In 2005, after college, she started painting professionally.…
Virginia’s Jomo Tariku designs modern African-inspired furniture that some have called Afrofuturist. The company: Jomo Furniture, based in Springfield, VA, started in 2017. The artist/maker: Born in Nairobi, Kenya, to Ethiopian parents, Tariku grew up in Ethiopia. As a young boy, he was drawn to art, souvenirs and furniture pieces his father collected while traveling. During…