ACO ARTIST DISCUSSION WITH DAWN WHITMORE
10:30am - 11:30 am
Join us Saturday morning for a virtual Artist Discussion with Dawn Whitmore, part of The Art Clinic Online's artist discussion series.
Dawn Whitmore (b. 1983) is a Washington, DC based interdisciplinary artist whose work explores the dynamics between mythology, identity and the environment. Using soundscapes, photography, video, sculpture, performance, painting, and drawing, she creates immersive spaces that invite the participant to enter an altered emotional landscape. Dawn received a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art in 2005. Her work has been shown nationally including: the Mesa Museum of Contemporary Art (AZ), Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington (VA), Hemphill Fine Arts (DC), Area 405 (MD), Spring Gallery (NY) and published in The Guardian, The Washington Post and The Virginia Quarterly Review. She is a recipient of multiple Artist Fellowship Grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and an CAH-NEA CARES Act Grant.
Artist Statement
The act of drawing represents the physical gesture of making a mark on a surface; an ancient and sacred ritual that goes back to the beginning of human consciousness. It also can mean to ‘draw’ something out – to invoke a new action or perception. In my work I am exploring the act of drawing by creating immersive environments through sculpture, sound, performance, video and traditional mark making to understand the layers of individual and collective mythology. The root of my work is based on exploring the inner emotional landscape – a place represented with symbolic imagery derived from nature and myth. I am curious to explore the connections between storytelling and reality. As a child I was enthralled by the colorful serpentine path on the board game Candyland. This inspired playfulness is a thread in my work that leads to exploring themes of deep ecology and climate change.