2022 Emerging Artist Fellows
Welcome to our virtual exhibit.
On display at Taylor Books 8/18 – 9/31
This virtual exhibit is also on display at Taylor Books in Charleston WV from August 18th to September 31st, 2022. We highly recommend visiting this landmark Charleston business to see the work in person if you get the chance. Join us for the opening reception on Friday August 19th at 6:00pm and spend some time with the artists. You will find photos of each piece on display below as well as a video walkthrough of the entire exhibit. Should you be interested in purchasing any of the work on display, please contact Taylor Books at (304) 342-1461 for details.
2022 Emerging Artist Fellows
Fierce Sonia | Mary Roy | Rachel Dennison | Robb Shobe | Steven Hughart
Fierce Sonia
Website | FierceSonia.squarespace.com
Facebook | Facebook.com/fiercesoniaart
Instagram | @fiercesonia
“I create vivid mixed media layered portraits of women inspired by fairy tales and pop culture, simultaneously nostalgic and nove. My work is strong and distinctive. I look forward to participating in shaping the evolving narrative of Appalachian culture embracing my own limited human effort, I will try to move the lever.”
Available for Purchase from Taylor Books | Price List
Mary Roy
Website | Etsy.com/shop/theappalachianmoon
Facebook | Facebook.com/appalachianmoondesigns
Instagram | @appalachian_moon
“I originally began embroidery to find a hobby to do after my previous corporate 9-5 job. It proved beneficial to my mental health and allowed my creativity to come out. Over time I have found embrodering landscapes to be my specialty. I love recreating textures found in nature and using nature-based color palettes. I work diligently to create one-of-a-kind landscape works that showcase the recognizeable, natural beauty. It is important that I create something many people can recognize and enjoy.”
Available for Purchase from Taylor BooksÂ
Rachel Dennison
Website | RachelDennisonArt.bigcartel.com
Facebook | Facebook.com/racheldennisonpaintings
Instagram | @rld_art_wv
“The urge to create comes from the need for a sense of belonging. There is a sense of comfort I find in painting characters that are slightly out of place, because I know that feeling so well. Growing up in a secluded area, it was very easy to feel out of place as a queer woman. I explored those feelings and slowly began to draw comfort and understanding with my art. Now, I hope that others can find a sense of peace in the otherworldly and sometimes strange, as I do. I want to blur the line of what belongs and what is other.”
Available for Purchase from Taylor Books | Price List
Robb Shobe
“My work incorporates woodworking and the use of unconventional materials, relying on found, recycled, and often living, plant elements, to create both art pieces and unexpected but functional design pieces such as lighting and other decorative items. I love finding beauty in unexpected places and frequently leverage uniques combinations in my design, juxtaposing examples of rustic and contemporary, folk art and modern art, elegance and kitsch. I believe in creating art that is beautiful and evocative but also sustainable, functional and accessible.”
Available for Purchase from Taylor Books | Price List
Steve Hughart
Website | blacksnakeblacksmith.com
Instagram | @blacksnake_blacksmith
“I am an artisan blacksmith/metal worker and sculptor. I make work reflecting my perceptions of growing up in Appalachia. Currently, the vessels I form from steel sheets are shaped to represent opium poppy plants that correlate to the epidemic that plagues many of the families in Appalachia. My work shows the struggle of drug abuse through techniques and processes learned from masters of my trade during my time in the master’s program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.”
Available for Purchase from Taylor Books | Price List
Thanks
Thank you for supporting our 2020 Emerging Artist Fellowship Program.
Tremaine Foundation
BB&T | Now Truist Foundation
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
