ARTISTS IN CONVERSATION:
Leigh Suggs + Asa Jackson
Saturday, December 3
11 AM to Noon
Moderated by Carla Aaron-Lopez
Join us in the gallery for an inspiring and lively conversation with Virginia-based artists, Leigh Suggs and Asa Jackson, as they discuss the various artistic practices and insights they see in their exhibition. Dialogue begins at 11 AM and will be moderated by Carla Aaron-Lopez, a Charlotte-based artist, educator, and cultural instigator. Coffee and mimosas will be served.
Video footage of Asa Jackson by Termaine Etheridge. Video footage of Leigh Suggs by Page Ryland. Editing by Page Ryland.
LEIGH SUGGS
Lives and works in Richmond, VA
(b. 1981, American)
Leigh Suggs channels her fascination with the mystery and psychology of sight through cut paper works and large-scale installations. She obscures normal perception, manipulating her materials as if optical illusions. Born in Boone, North Carolina, she received her BFA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 2003 and her MFA from the Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015. She has exhibited her work extensively, including exhibitions at The Visual Arts Center in Richmond, VA, Penland Gallery, Minnesota State University, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Racine Art Museum, Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh, NC, and the Weatherspoon Museum in Greensboro, NC. Suggs has been awarded several grants and honors, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship Award, the North Carolina Fellowship Award and two City of Richmond CultureWorks Grants. Her work is a part of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Weatherspoon Museum collections and corporate collections, including the Federal Reserve Bank, Capital One, Markel Corporation, Suntrust Bank and Fidelity Investments.
ASA JACKSON
Lives and works in Hampton Roads, VA
(b. 1988, American)
Asa Jackson is a visual artist, curator, and director. As a multidisciplinary artist, Jackson’s work explores the cross section of textile from various countries, peoples, time periods, and personal histories. His works are often anthropological studies, representing the lives of myriad people, their collective and individual stories. By cutting and sewing fabrics together, Jackson metaphorically mixes cultures, time periods, people and places into unified works of art. After graduating from Hampton Roads Academy, where he developed a passion for painting and art making, Jackson studied sociology at Boston University. He then moved to New York in 2010, where he was featured in several exhibitions, including a career-defining solo exhibition at the Samuel Owen Gallery in Greenwich, CT. Jackson then opened 670 Gallery in Virginia, leading the gallery as its director from 2014-2017. He has since been featured in numerous exhibitions, including more recently at 1708 Gallery in Richmond, VA and The Arlington Arts Center in Arlington, VA. His work is a part of various prominent collections including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,the Capital One Corporate Collection, and the Hascoe Family Collection. Jackson is the founder and director of The Contemporary Arts Network LLC and CAN Foundation, a not-for-profit arts organization in Newport News, VA, with a focus on artist development, arts education, and public projects. He currently serves on the boards of the Virginia Commission for the Arts and Mid-Atlantic Arts.
CARLA AARON-LOPEZ, Moderator
Carla Aaron-Lopez is an artist-educator from Charlotte, NC. After graduating North Carolina Central University in 2006 with a BA in Graphic Design, she moved to Atlanta to attend Savannah College of Art & Design. In 2009, she graduated with a MFA in Photography and in 2012, received a MA in Printmaking. In 2010, she began her teaching career at Fort Valley State University as an adjunct professor and has been a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools arts educator since 2014. She has experience in various creative fields from photojournalism to podcasting to arts exhibitions and continues to exhibit her personal works while teaching. She is the visionary behind Local Street, an exhibition for local artists of color housed in the Mint Museum and currently, the chairwoman of Talking Walls Charlotte, a street art festival. She is represented by Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art and serves as a curatorial consultant as well.
i am king carla. i am an artist, mother, educator and villain. as a professional student of life, i believe students of all ages have the ability to learn anything and create anything. it’s how we transfer that information to the learner, guide the learner through obstacles and relate to our neighbors that makes the hard work of education that much more fulfilling. every student deserves the chance to grow and glow.
