Valerie Gillespie Art
Valerie Bennett Gillespie
Valerie Bennett Gillespie was born in Austin, Texas. She graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in with a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art and Spanish. She studied Art History and Architecture in Spain at the University of Santiago de Compostela in 2001. Valerie began her education career shortly after, teaching Spanish and Art in Dallas, Texas. Valerie is currently a Middle School 2D Art teacher at the Greenhill School in Texas. She has shown her work mostly in Dallas, as well as Houston, Arlington, Lynchburg, Virginia, New York and Venice, Italy. Her work has been exhibited in the Janette Kennedy Gallery, the South Side on Lamar, the Cedars Open Studios Tour, Maier Museum, Local Colour Gallery, the Bath House Cultural Center, the Arthello Beck Gallery, Meadows Museum, 80 Gallery Square and IUAV in Tolentini, Italy. Her work was exhibited as one of the juried pieces at the annual 2007 and 2008 Hunting Art Prize and her recent series was selected for the WPCA’s invitational and juried show in Milwaukee. Valerie is currently working towards her Masters at New York University.
In my current series “The Great Divide” I tackle the notions of the human nature in an alleged post-racial society. Along with the exploration of human nature, I seek to identify the questions surrounding why we as people act, respond and behave in the manner that we do. Each work within the series examines the idea of “color terminology” for race and the divide society creates by this subjective categorization. With the use of text, I examine the often times complexities of the human mind and spirit. I ultimately strive to evoke emotion and questions from my viewers so that they themselves might become aware and come to an understanding that we are all capable of change in some form or another.
.jpg)
(above) "Conversation #23" 2009 Mixed media on paper $450.00 (below) "Belonging" 2008 Mixed media on canvas SOLD
