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Andrea Downs

Drawing, Fiber, Multidisciplinary, Multidisciplinary Art, Multimedia, Painting, Public Art, Sculpture / Installation, Visual / Media

Through my work, I observe, respond to and amplify personal and collective narratives with an emphasis on women’s experiences and the value of relationships and connectivity. I use found and personal heirlooms and objects, depictions of nature, text, and symbolic imagery to create work that explores identity, sense of place and belonging. In tribute to many of the hundreds of women who continue to connect through my ongoing visual storytelling movement, Airing Out the “Dirty” Laundry; I created the Balsa Butterflies in 2022–a series of 76 painted and printed wood panels. Each butterfly honors one of many women and nonbinary people who have stood next to me and each other in community. In my recent work, I am exploring the complexities of power and privilege when narratives from historically oppressed groups are concealed/revealed.

About the Artist

Andrea Downs  she/her Baltimore, Maryland   Andrea Downs is a multidisciplinary visual artist and educator who has been teaching art in public and independent schools since 2004. She earned her BA and MA in Art Education summa cum laude from Ohio State University. Central to her work is the exploration of identity and the value of relationships and community. She has exhibited solo shows at The Mint Museum, Center for the Arts Perimeter Gallery (SC), Winthrop University, UNC Charlotte, and C3 Lab and worked in partnership with a number of community organizations, independent artists and institutions including Charlotte Pride, Charlotte Women’s Movement, Wells Fargo, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Guerilla Poets, The Baltimore Sleepover, Charlotte Lit, Iron Crow Theatre, BOOM Festival, Levine Museum of the New South, CLTextile, Comfest, and Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. She has been the recipient of grants and awards for both her studio and teaching practice including a HUG Grant (Charlotte is Creative), Cultural Vision Grant (Arts and Science Council of Charlotte), Social Impact Grant (Red Ventures), Teacher of the Year, and the Blackwell Award for Teaching Excellence in the Humanities. She lives with her husband and two children in Baltimore, Maryland where she is the art teacher at the St. Paul’s School for Boys, MS Arts Department Chair, and the Director of TSPS Galleries and Exhibitions.  

Andrea Downs website Airing Out the "Dirty" Laundry

Featured Work

Photos

Booking

Please contact Andrea directly at areneedowns@gmail.com or 704.650.5347 to discuss possibilities.