Frances Vye Wilson

Bio

FRANCES VYE WILSON was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Strongly influenced by her family of contemporary artists working in various media, she studied fine art and choreography at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, in her 20s.  

She went on to spend much of her life in the film and television industry as a member of the Screen Actors Guild, a theatre producer for the Actors Studio, and the founder of a film production company, New Century Filmworks. A 12-year immersive study of the Japanese art form Ikebana culminated in two exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2013, she returned to New York to pursue her passion for art, particularly sculpture, working with novel materials. Her sculptural studies include the National Academy Museum and Art Students League of New York. 

Wilson presently works between NYC and Washington D.C. 

Artist Statement

From ‘warriors’ to personified ‘gods’ to biomorphic evocations of nature and humankind, my sculpture is an extension of my belief in innate human strength and the restorative power of nature. Using cambium fiber from the Asian Mulberry tree, a previously unexplored medium with natural cellular properties and endless structural opportunities, I attempt to reveal qualities of resilience, adaptability, and fragility, I find common in both this material and in human nature.  

Human figurations are embedded into fiber and suspended by branch material in the Symbiotic Systems series. The idea of man being precariously suspended in nature and not vice versa is a message that we, humans, are a consequence, a mere fragment of nature’s miracles. It is hard to ignore the seemingly ghost-like appearance of the imagery. We must rely on those human qualities of resilience and adaptability to restore harmony within our Symbiotic System.  

Symbiotic Systems: “An ecosystem in which two or more different biological organisms coexist.”

Follow Frances on Instagram! @francesvyewilsonstudio

Nilou Kazemzadeh

Bio 

Nilou Kazemzadeh is an Iranian-American artist based in Maryland. She attended the University of Maryland College Park where she completed her BA in Studio Art and Masters in Curriculum and Instruction. Her work has been shown in various galleries in the DMV area.  

Artist Statement 

Nilou Kazemzadeh’s work involves studying ways social, political, and environmental factors influence identity and one’s place in society. In her work, she incorporates written language as a means of communicating her thoughts on cultural identity, belonging, and political polarizations. She juxtaposes written language over various imagery, such as family photographs, handmade paper, and prints in order to create a layered and multifaceted image. The purpose of her work is to act as a catalyst of representation in an often-polarizing society in hopes of facilitating meaningful conversations. 

Follow Nilou on Instagram! @nilou_gole

Sandra Pérez-Ramos

Bio 

Sandra Pérez-Ramos is an awarded Puerto Rican artist and community art leader working in Washington DC and Maryland. She is currently a Resident Artist in Gallery 209, affiliated with Artists & Makers Studios in Rockville, Maryland, where she exhibits monthly. Her body of work includes drawings, fiber arts, mixed media, murals and public art. 

Pérez-Ramos has served in multiple leadership roles within local art organizations, including Montgomery Art Association, as Membership Committee Chair, Wheaton Arts Parade as leader of the Wheaton Area Latinx Artists, head of the Tableaux Vivant group for the parade and Exhibition Installation Manager in W. A. P. ‘s two previous gallery locations inside Westfield Wheaton Mall. She also co-founded the former Latino Art League of Greater Washington, DC.  

Art Critic Lennox Campello described her art in an article for the Alexandria Old Town Crier: “Pérez-Ramos channels her Caribbean upbringing in her accomplished works. Her artistic pedigree is evident in her gifted use of color and form to deliver highly stylized imagery, which over the years has grown into one of the hardest achievements in the art world: a completely distinct style and ritual.” 

When it comes to public art, she understands the power of design and placemaking in communities. Her intention is to create uplifting works and spaces that encourage healing, inspire connection and celebrate diversity. The founder of The Art & Walkability Project in Silver Spring, MD, Margaret Rifkin, says: “Pérez-Ramos’ art is for everyone…one of the most democratic ways to bring beauty to the body politic, both the marginalized and mainstream”.  

Maryland State Arts Council awarded the 2022 Public Art Project Implementation Grant to her design “The Gathering Tree” for Glenmont Forest Neighborhood Park in Silver Spring, MD. This art collaboration will be completed by 2023, with Stuart Diekmeyer overseeing structural design and Howard Connelly in charge of fabrication. The community will be included in the creation of the ground murals that complement the design. 

In 2020, Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission selected Pérez-Ramos to design Prince George County’s commemorative poster for its Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration. In 2021, The Better Block Foundation commissioned her to design a mural for the Pike District at the Bethesda Trolley Trailhead. Her work has been acquired by the Children’s National Hospital and the Marie Reed Project for Community of Hope, both in Washington, DC, by Mayor Tracey Furman, for the Town Hall in Kensington, MD and by others for their permanent collections. 

Artist Statement 

Before becoming an artist, Sandra Pérez-Ramos considered pursuing journalism, archaeology and anthropology, which are areas of interest that support and inform her work today. She believes in the concept of “collective unconscious” and is inspired by folk arts, traditional textiles, patterns and ancient, overlapping symbols that show mystical and natural connections across cultures. The repetitition of dots and lines, drawn, knotted or sewn, are an important ritual throughout her works. Her drawings are elaborate with whimsical narratives and a mix of retro with contemporary aesthetics. Her fiber works explore personal themes such as cultural clash, language mix, magical thinking, love spells and synchretism, stemming from an upbringing in the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico and the influence of her family and culture and their mixed spiritual beliefs. 

Follow Sandra on Instagram! @artsandraperezramos