Artist’s
Statement:
As an artist I am
dedicated to making art that is provocative, that makes the viewer stop and
think and maybe reconsider an idea or belief, even if it is only just to
reconsider the beauty of an eggshell or a fruit label. Much of my work adds
depth to the conversation about many aspects of the feminine experience within
the universal human experience. I do this through iconic images and the use and
reuse of materials from my daily life and surroundings.
In 2006 while searching for more personal depth in my work, I
discovered an image that truly spoke to me, the dress form. The image of the
dress offers a multifaceted metaphor for many issues relating to feminine
identity, from physical appearance to presumptions about women’s roles in
society and in relationships. ‘The dress’ is a vessel containing the spiritual,
emotional and physical essence of being female in today’s world. The dress is
my soapbox from where I engage in political debate, question social protocol,
and express my authentic self.
With ‘The Dress Project’ as
well as other creative endeavors, I have discovered the strength of my unique
artistic vision and my passion to create. I am committed to making people
think, to making people question. I strive to inspire people to see the
possibilities for themselves and the larger community.
Bio:
Virginia
Fitzgerald is a mixed media artist who works in sculpture, installation, fiber
arts, painting, photography and collage.
Her studio is in Natick, MA where she also lives with her two daughters
in a house full of love and creativity.
She
was born in Chicago, IL where she was introduced to the colors and freedom of
the Impressionists at the Art Institute of Chicago at an early age. She received her BFA from Kenyon
College in Gambier, OH, where she concentrated in printmaking and soft
sculpture/fiber arts. After graduation she lived in Los Angeles, CA where she
worked in a quilt shop and started one of her businesses, The Yellow Garage,
which featured her hand painted clothing.
For many years she moved around living in Chicago, IL; The Netherlands
and New York, NY before settling in the Boston area. During her nomadic years she studied Art at such
institutions as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the School of
Visual Arts, NY, NY.
When
she first moved to Boston she continued her freelance illustration business,
however soon after attending a painting class at the Danforth Museum’s School
of Art, her energies were focused back on her studio work. First she concentrated on acrylic
painting, successfully exhibiting in local galleries. Then in 2006, her work
exploded into photography, site-specific installations and sculpture, when she
discovered the iconic image of the dress. Currently she is working on three
significant bodies of work, ‘The Dress Project’, her ‘Creatures’ and her ‘line
paintings’. Her work can be found in many private
collections throughout the country and in corporate collections. In 2011 she was an artist in residence
at the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, MA, attended the Vermont Studio Center
and received the Puffin Foundation Grant.
This year she has been commissioned to create a community participatory
installation for National Poetry Month for the Attleboro Public Library. She is very honored about being part of
the Fountain Street Fine Art’s CSA, and is excited to see what she will create
for the event.
you
can follow her work either through her blog: http://virginiafitzgerald.blogspot.com/
or
on her facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Virginia-Fitzgerald/127363913633
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