Robby Moore

About Robby Moore

I’m an Appalachian maximalist, mixing media to create ephemeral contemporary heirlooms. I make art and make art happen. I use Appalachian traditions (quilting, storytelling) and values (like saving and repurposing) as inspiration to comment on our modern existence. I find their intersection of practicality and adornment interesting. I am also inspired by incongruous parallels, like the idea of using trash to make fine art. There is something subversive and gratifying in taking something that no one wants and exalting it to something collected and exhibited. I am obsessed with ephemera; I appreciate the beauty of something that was once useful and now is not. The act of saving it is useless, until some undetermined and unforeseen moment when it becomes invaluable. I like using common, often discarded, items to create my work. My media mostly consists of paper, paint, ink, pencil, thread, and fabric. I use what I have to communicate the strange, triumphant, beautiful, and tragic things that I observe and experience in my daily life. I try to express, through my figures, the sadness and confidence that comes from the depth gained from thoughtfulness.

Biography

Robby Moore was born and currently resides in Beckley, West Virginia. He is a mixed media artist and graduated with a Bachelor of Art degree in Studio Arts and a minor in Theatre from Concord University. Moore began professionally exhibiting artwork in 1999. He has curated many art exhibitions in West Virginia. He is a theatrical director and have also worked professionally as a scenic designer/artist, costumer, actor, technician and marionette puppeteer. Moore currently works as WV’s first Arts Extension Educator for Tamarack Foundation for the Arts and WVSU Extension Service. He was named Best Artist in the state in WV Living magazine’s Winter 2021 issue. His work has been exhibited in various spaces including the Juliet Art Museum, Apartment Earth, West Liberty University, The Huntington Museum, Carnegie Hall and Concord University.