4 Stony Creek Lane,
Wilmington, DE 19803

Artist Statement

Through my undergraduate study of philosophy and language, I became interested in the relationship between humans and their environments, particularly through the lens of Native American and Daoist philosophies, while also exploring the narrative abstraction of Brian Rutenberg's multi-layered colorfields and the organic micro-and macrocosmic imagery of Barbara Takenaga's paintings. For my thesis I created a series of large-scale, painted landscapes of human forms interwoven with their surroundings. I worked with string embedded into the surface as stream-of-consciousness linework, referencing ancient Greek concepts of fate and time, and contemporary theories on quantum mechanics. This interest in string and tapestry led me to delve further into textiles. I began painting on silk, developing a multi-layered dye and resist process that is a modern incarnation of the ancient art of batik, looking at installation work of Thomas Hirschhorn and El Anatsui for ideas on moving the fabric off the wall. I started collaborating with sound artist Hannah Selin to create site-specific, multi-media installations. We suspended silk panels and speakers from a circular frame to create an intimate, womb-like space. The silk panels incorporated imagery from uterine arteries and plant cell walls, while the soundscape used stomach gurgles and heartbeats from contact microphones, and names of body parts and processes recorded at a student workshop. This work was part of the first show I curated as director of the New Wilmington Art Association (NWAA)—an organization created to offer emerging and established artists the opportunity to connect, show experimental work, and generate critical dialogue throughout the city. NWAA is part of a social practice I have been building. I am working with the Creative Vision Factory, a studio space for artists on the mental health spectrum, to found Creative Vision Works, an intervention which trains muralists, creating job opportunities for existing local talent. I also started a youth public art program through Pegasus Artworks in which students design and implement murals after school.

About the Artist

Anne graduated from the University of Delaware in 2010, her thesis pulling from political and philosophical study to create large-scale, watery landscapes interwoven with political figures. She worked with other students to create Stu-Art, connecting the campus and surrounding city through shows, workshops, and a community mural. This spring, Anne led the design team for the Kalmar Nyckel Mural, which grew into Creative Vision Works, Wilmington's mural program. She currently serves on the board of Delaware's first art and tech makerspace, teaches mural-making and financial literacy at Boys & Girls Clubs, and directs the New Wilmington Art Association, which creates opportunities for exhibitions in Wilmington's vacant retail space. Her current work explores a multi-layered batik process on silk. She is collaborating with sound artist Hannah Selin on “Sylvania”—a multi-channel fabric installation exploring the experience of Philadelphia's urban dwellers.