Virginia Sperry
February 6, 2013
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
I am fascinated by contrast and juxtaposition, and I love to explore and manipulate disparate elements. I challenge materials to become what they are not: steel becomes fluid and graceful, rust becomes beautiful, and fragile paper becomes a story of a growing racial awareness.
Throughout my artistic career I have jumped from two dimensions to three dimensions and back again. From the physical movements of dance to the textures of watercolor; from the forms of polymer clay, steel and fiber, to the new other-worldly photographs, I create physical and sensorial experiences for the viewer.
My installations (including some of my larger metal sculptures) are site specific. I am not a fan of pedestals, instead I like to settle my creations into the space. The viewer then becomes a part of the story and not just a passive observer. I hope that this experience leads the viewer to connect to deeper parts of themselves and their own lives.
ARTIST’S BIO
Virginia Sperry grew up in a house full of art, music, dance and theater. A bachelor’s degree in theater, a year dancing at the Martha Graham School in NYC and a master’s degree in dance therapy preceded Virginia’s visual arts career. Her first foray into the sculpture started with polymer clay in 1990. Taking advantage of the malleability of the medium, she taught herself to weave colorful baskets and make miniature life-like animal sculptures and furniture. Virginia exhibited these works in multiple craft shows, including the ACC show in Baltimore, from 1990 to 2003. During this time she owned and operated Winter Moon Designs, a contemporary craft and art gallery located in Ellicott City, MD.
In 2003 Virginia learned to weld in a metal fabrication class at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Initially assuming that steel is strong and difficult to manipulate, she soon found that she could create fluid sculptures using this material. Trained in observing the movement of living creatures and feeling a deep connection with the animal world, Virginia created amazingly life-like bears, giraffes and other beasts. From 2005 to 2014 these animals were installed in several cities around the country, including Sioux Falls, SD, Eau Claire, WI, and Castlegar, BC. Her Great Blue Heron was installed at Piney Run Park in Eldersburg, MD in March of 2018.
From 2015 to 2020, Virginia experimented with using rust as a medium and making woven forms from rusty metal and fibers. She also spent time with her camera, taking abstract photographs of steel, rust and paint. Virginia’s sculptures and photographs from this time speak to themes of aging and impermanence both in her own life and in the world around her.
In 2022, Virginia began working on a new series born of a visceral response to racism in this country. She created paper collages and mixed media sculpture as she re-educated herself on the brutal history of racial inequality in America. All of this work inspired thoughtful, educational and sometimes intense conversations with the general public of all races and ethnic backgrounds.
In 2023 Virginia retired from being a professional artist, choosing instead to spend her time playing in the studio and exploring new directions of creativity. Early in 2024, clay found her when she took a ceramic figure sculpting class and she happily converted her studio to accommodate yet another new and hugely satisfying medium ever since.
Virginia lives and works on a six-acre farm outside of Baltimore, MD with her husband, her very big dog, Benji, and two grumpy old cats. Many of her larger sculptures are scattered around her property. When not getting messy in the studio, Virginia can be found walking Benji at the local parks, reading or traveling around the world in search of new experiences and art.
CURRICULUM VITAE:
Solo/Duo Exhibitions:
2023 Spatial Inequity, ArtLab, Creative York, York, PA
2022 Un/Familiar Territory, Tatem Gallery, Hood College, Frederick, MD
2022 Missing Pieces, Noma Gallery, Frederick, MD
2020 Storytelling, Frederick County (MD) Library, Brunswick branch
2020 Occupied Space, NOMA Gallery, Frederick, MD
2019 Impermanence, Delaplaine Art Center, Frederick, MD
2019 Edge/Flow, temporary art installation, Howard County (MD) Library, Glenwood branch
2018 Temporary Installation of Paper Rocks, Carroll County (MD) Library, Eldersburg branch
2017 Temporary installation of Paper Rocks, Horowitz Center, Howard County Community College, Columbia, MD
2010 Guest Artist, Off Track Art, Westminster, Maryland
Commissions:
2018 “Great Blue Heron“ Commissioned by the Carroll County Arts Council. Placed in Piney Run Park, Eldersburg, MD
2009 “Tundra” Roam Around: Art in Public Places, Stamford, Connecticut
Juried Shows:
2019 Second Tri-Annual Maryland State Artist Registry Juried Exhibition, Maryland Art Place, Baltimore, MD
2016 Cartes Blanches, Delaplaine Art Center, Frederick, MD
2016 National Juried Show, Delaplaine Art Center, Frederick, MD
2015 Reach, Carroll County Arts Center, Westminster, Maryland
2012 Unleashed, Strathmore Mansion, Bethesda, MD
2010 Rejected to Perfected, Carroll County Arts Center, Westminster, Maryland
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2023 Spatial Inequity, Studio 220, Havre de Grace, MD
2021 Bug Invitational, Delaplaine Art Center, Frederick, MD
2019 Artists’ Invitational, NOMA Gallery, Frederick, MD
2019 Elements, Carroll Arts Center, Westminster, MD
2017 Rust Redux, Buickster Hall, Taneytown, MD
2017 All In The Family, Noble Horizons Gallery, Salisbury, Connecticut
2016 Cartes Blanches, Delaplaine Art Center, Frederick, Maryland
2016 National Juried Show, Delaplaine Art Center, Frederick, Maryland
2016 Washington Sculptors’ Group Show, Delaplaine Art Center, Frederick, Maryland
2015 Bio Art Residency, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
2015 Reach, Carroll County Arts Center, Westminster, Maryland
2014 Sculpture Walk, Castlegar, British Columbia
2013 City Art, Walking Sculpture Tour, Mankato, Minnesota
2012 University of Sioux Falls SculptureWalk, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
2011 Sculpture Tour, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
2010 SculptureWalk, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
2007 Sculpture installation, Quiet Waters Park, Annapolis, Maryland
2007 SculptureWalk, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
2006 Sculpture installation, Unison Sculpture Garden, New Paltz, New York
2005 Strictly Sculpture, Carroll County Arts Council, Westminster, Maryland
2004 Alumni Show, Tang Museum, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York
Residencies:
2018. The Photography Master Retreat, Esparon, France
2015 Bio Art Residency, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
Awards:
2013 Best in Show; Other Media for “Tundra”, City Art, Walking Sculpture Tour, Mankato, Minnesota
2010 Director’s Choice Award for “Tundra” SculptureWalk, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
2010 Best in Show for “Water Pump” Rejected to Perfected, Carroll County Arts Center, Westminster, Maryland
Public Collections:
2018 “Great Blue Heron”, Commissioned by the Carroll County Arts Council. Placed in Piney Run Park, Eldersburg, MD
2010 “Lioness with Cub” owned by the Sioux Falls Lions’ Club, on permanent display in the city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Publications:
2004 “400 Polymer Clay Designs”, Lark Books, New York
1997 “Foundations in Polymer Clay Design” Krause Publications, Wisconsin
Education:
1992 MA in Dance/Movement Therapy, Goucher College, Baltimore, Maryland
1984 BS in Theater Arts, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York