Anna U Davis

"Queeny (Hillyer) #2", 2018 ,acrylic and ink pen on cut-out birch plywood 34 1⁄2 x 46 1⁄2 inches

“Allone (Hillyer) #1,” 2023 Acrylic, ink pen, and hand cut paper collage on canvas 72 x 144 inches

"Sad Girl (Hillyer) #3",2018 acrylic and ink pen on cut-out birch plywood 44 x 39 inches

"Self-deprecation (Hillyer) #4",2018 acrylic and ink pen on cut-out birch plywood 42 1⁄2 x 36 inches

"Window Dressing (Hillyer) #5",Window Dressing 2018 acrylic and ink pen on cut-out birch plywood 44 1⁄2 x 27 1⁄4 inches

"On Top (Hillyer) #6",2018 acrylic and ink pen on cut-out birch plywood 68 x 31 1⁄2 inches

And Still We Rise
September 7- September 29, 2024

And Still We Rise features a monumental colorful mixed-media painting with a selection of Anna U Davis’s black and white wall sculptures exploring the perpetual misogynistic behavior that has been indoctrinated within society, while investigating the physical and emotional impact it has had on the artist. Davis’s Swedish roots are central to her brand of feminism. She remembers growing up in an environment where notions of gender justice were firmly embedded in the legal framework and norms of the community. Her struggles with inadequate childcare and family leave as a young mother in the United States, then, formed a strong undercurrent shaping her critical perspective.

"New Growth (Hillyer) #6," 2024, Inks made with red deadnettle, honeysuckle leaves, dogwood blossoms, bark from fallen branches, & dandelion leaves on handmade Hakone grass and cotton paper 17.5 x 17.5 in

"New Growth (Hillyer) #7," 2024, Inks made with red deadnettle, honeysuckle leaves, dogwood blossoms, bark from fallen branches, & dandelion leaves (with modifiers of alum, soda ash, and iron) on handmade Hakone grass and cotton paper, 17.5 x 17.5 in

"New Growth (Hillyer) #8," 2024, Inks made with red deadnettle, honeysuckle leaves, dogwood blossoms, bark from fallen branches, & dandelion leaves (with modifiers of alum, soda ash, and iron) on handmade abaca paper, 17.5 x 17.5 in

"New Growth (Hillyer) #10," 2024, Inks made with red deadnettle, honeysuckle leaves, dogwood blossoms, bark and charcoal made from fallen branches, dandelion leaves, & mulberries on handmade Hakone grass and cotton paper 17.5 x 17.5 in

"New Growth (Hillyer) #22," 2024, Inks made with red deadnettle, honeysuckle leaves, dogwood blossoms, bark from fallen branches, dandelion leaves, mulberries, magnolia seed pods, & Norway maple leaves on handmade cotton paper with bark/bast fiber from fallen branches, 11 x 8.5 in

New Growth
August 3-September 1, 2024

New Growth features a series of site-responsive drawings studying the city landscape surrounding IA&A at Hillyer. Observations of the reciprocal impact of nature and the built world reveal complex, interconnected relationships. These drawings explore ways the local ecology is shaped by its human inhabitants and how, in turn, this environment influences human experience and perception of a place.

In this work, Evans incorporates a palette of inks and paper made with botanical sources collected within walking distance of the gallery. Cultivated from plants in abundance or past their prime–spent blooms, fallen branches, and unruly “weeds”–the work is both of this place and an instrument to learn about it. These materials breathe life into drawings of both the tended, and overlooked, nature of the surrounding neighborhoods–the manicured hedges and gardens alongside new growth emerging between cobblestones.

"Night Hunger, After Xenia Hausner," 2012, Oil on canvas 50 x 60 in

"Family Totem: Cox, McCall, Asplen, O’Boyle, Funk, Gebbia, Gallagher," 2024, Oil on canvas, 54 x 114 in

"Love in the Shade," 2023, Oil on canvas, 48 x 54 in

"The Garden of Autumn," 2021, Oil on canvas, 78 x 54 in

"Origin of the Family," 2019, Oil on canvas, 96 x 54 in

"The Floor is Ours," 2023, Oil on canvas, 96 x 54 in

Sapphic Gaze
August 3-September 1, 2024

Sapphic Gaze presents a compelling series of vibrant, life-size portraits that delve into the intimate lives of women-loving women. Drawing from her 23-year relationship and the experiences of lesbian couples in her community, Joan Cox crafts visual narratives that champion intense, celebratory, and nuanced relationships. By reimagining historical art compositions with personal narratives and lush, symbolic imagery, Joan challenges the historical absence of lesbian representation in Western art. Her paintings are a canvas of affirmation, celebrating the dynamic and complex intimacies between women, which have long been overlooked or taboo. Through this exhibition, Joan showcases the beauty and complexity of sapphic love and aims to affirm these relationships, recognizing them for their intrinsic value and significant place in contemporary society.

"Phoenix Series III (detail)," 2023, Cyanotype contact print image, 44 x 60 in

"Phoenix Series I," 2023, Cyanotype contact print image, 44 x 60 in

"Phoenix Series II," 2023, Cyanotype contact print image, 44 x 60 in

"Phoenix Series III," 2023, Cyanotype contact print image, 44 x 60 in

"Phoenix Series IV," 2023, Cyanotype contact print image, 44 x 60 in

"Phoenix Series V," 2023, Cyanotype contact print image, 44 x 60 in

Phoenix Series
July 6-July 28, 2024

Phoenix Series is a self-portrait series of large cyanotype handmade prints created with digital negatives on watercolor paper. The series is based on the mythical bird which represents renewal, and a very personal form of rebirth. Across the images, deep blue contrasts a moving white figure evoking turbulence, vulnerability, and introspection.

Redeat’s practice focuses on being slow and intentional, from being in front of the camera to developing and producing the final image. The images were created using slow shutter speeds and a very intensive printing process. This project pushes the boundaries of her previous work in terms of size (44 x 60 in), length to develop (10 days per print), custom printing reagents (cyanotype) and hand-based editing techniques, self-portraiture compared to capturing portraits of other women muses, and deeper cultural significance following extensive time in Ethiopia. The photographs in the Phoenix Series hang consecutively from I to VI.

About the Artist
Redeat Wondemu’s journey began in 2005 in a university darkroom where she shot film for the first time. After a decade hiatus, she re-entered the darkroom and began to refine her printing skills through internships and residencies. Traveling to her home country of Ethiopia has since allowed her to tell long-form, visual stories of women using both digital and film techniques.

Redeat was concurrently a scholar in residence at the Hillwood Museum and a faculty member at Photoworks, where she recently served as an Artist in Residence. She just became a Humanities DC: Community Culture and Heritage grant recipient for her photography series, “The Games We Played”.

April Webb, "A 3-Part Dissection of a Rug That I Sweep Under," 2021, Dryer lint, preloved disposable mop pads, yarn, rug pad, upholstery tacks, 60 x 108 x 84 in

"Dream Catcher," 2021, Preloved air filters, dryer sheets, floral mesh, thread, beads, sheetrock, wallpaper, shoe molding, paint, 3 28 x 28 x 6 in panels

"Fe Mini Start," 2022, Dryer lint, wax, spool organizer, embroidery floss, 12 x 12 x 12 in

"But That's None of My Business," 2024, Dryer lint, wax, plates, plate racks, 72 x 48 x 6 in

Optimal Delusion
July 6-July 28, 2024

By highlighting gender inequity in domestic and unpaid labor, Optimal Delusion questions established notions of value. By connecting perceived patterns, Webb maps domestic labor, making new connections with each installation by responding to the limitations of space. A THREE-PART DISSECTION OF THE RUG THAT I SWEEP THINGS UNDER, MAP MOP, and THE DEVIL AND GOD ARE BOTH IN THE DETAILS, are a series of drawings on disposable mop pads. The patterns and pads are connected physically and visually, elevating their importance through repetition. SCROLL highlights the fragility of these connections using perforated wet wipes. DREAM CATCHER accentuates dust patterns on air filters by celebrating the work it takes to remain invisible. Lastly, FE MINI START and BUT THAT’S NONE OF MY BUSINESS are dryer lint fire starters, which use grid patterning and the bundt cake form to suggest femininity and class, which is reinforced by organization and hierarchy.

About the Artist
April Webb was born and raised in Florida. She received her undergraduate degrees from Flagler College in St. Augustine and her MFA from Florida State University in Tallahassee. Webb’s work has been exhibited internationally. In recent years, her work has been shown at CICA (Czong Institute for Contemporary Art) Museum, Rollins Museum of Art, The University of Central Florida Art Gallery, and The B-Complex in collaboration with Strange Matter Atlanta. Her work is on permanent display at the Florida State University Coastal Marine Laboratory. In 2022, Webb was a finalist for Pathways: The Carlos Malamud Prize, and in 2020, she received the Jim Boone Endowed Art Scholarship which rewards exceptional achievements to graduate students making work about social justice issues. Webb currently works as an adjunct professor and studio manager at Florida State University. She teaches in the Foundations Department and The Painting and Drawing Department.