The Yadkin Arts Council’s Welborn Gallery takes a sustainable twist this Fall by presenting “RE:construction”, an educational exploration into the sustainable practices of various Winston-Salem eco-artists. This exhibition provides an in depth look at a mélange of works, showcasing numerous techniques, in which artists transform or reconstruct via various mediums, by way of reuse and repurposing of materials. This show features the works of Kelsey Brown, Emily Ortiz Badalamente, Julia Bowden, Andrew Fansler, and Lindsay Piper Potter-Figueiredo. 

Join the Yadkin Arts Council for a Live Virtual Opening Reception on Thursday, September 2, 2021 at 4:30pm. A closing reception is tentatively scheduled for the end of October (Date TBA).

More about the Artists and Curator:

Kelsey Brown is a textile artist and educator based in Winston-Salem, NC. Kelsey is intentional about the materials she uses. She grows, finds, and collects many of the materials in her work. Inspired by a love of the natural world, her art often pays tribute to where it came from. From collecting natural dyes on hikes to weaving old cassette tapes, she loves the stories of items we own, use, and consume. She recently co-opened Village Fabric Shop, supplying quality apparel and quilting fabrics, environmentally responsible textiles, notions, and crafting goods that inspire people to create, celebrate craft traditions, and connect with others.

Emily Ortiz Badalamente Emily Ortiz Badalamente is a textile artist and art therapist from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. As an artist, Emily primarily uses repurposed textiles, mixed media, and found ephemera to explore topics that interest her visually and emotionally. She values the emotional and generational connection that textile processes hold, both personally and globally. As an art therapist and counselor, she believes strongly in the power of the creative process to allow for personal inquiry, healing, and increased wellbeing for all individuals. 

Julia Bowden is a North Carolina based visual artist whose current art practice is focused around installation, drawing, and bronze sculptures. Julia grew up in Winston-Salem, NC and studied at Maryland Institute College of Art where she received a Bachelors of Fine Arts with a double major in Painting and Art History. Julia actively participated in landscape painting competitions in the Mid-Atlantic area until 2016 when she moved to Italy to pursue her Masters of Fine Arts in Florence. Her current body of work focuses on the cycle of growth and decay in nature. She creates two and three dimensional installation pieces with found wood and natural objects. 

Andrew Fansler is an interdisciplinary artist and teacher living in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His installations and sculptures address our tenuous connection to the psychic landscape and the possibility of finding each other there.

Lindsay Piper Potter-Figueiredo, a native of Winston-Salem, received her BA in Art History at Salem College. Upon graduation, she took a full-time position at the Sawtooth School for Visual Art. She has a professional background in the non-profit art sector, with a passion for making the arts accessible for all. In 2016, she moved to Scotland and completed her Master’s degree at the University of Edinburgh, in Modern and Contemporary Art History, Theory, Criticism, and Curating. The primary focus of her research encompassed community arts enrichment, outreach, and public art practice. After Scotland, she moved to Lisbon, Portugal where she worked in art and language education. Lindsay is back in Winston-Salem, spending most of her time as a fiber artist and owner of Piper + Fig; she experiments with the reuse of materials in all of her designs, from punch needle embroidery wall hangings to bicycle tire inner tube jewelry. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Art Nouveau and Gateway Nature Preserve– both of Winston-Salem.

Additional Information:

For more information: https://www.yadkinarts.org/welborn-gallery/

Exhibit Runs: September 2 – October 29, 2021

Virtual Opening Reception: September 2 @ 4:30pm on Facebook Live (https://www.facebook.com/yadkinarts)

Artist Closing Reception: Date TBA