"Nurturing the Self: A Journey to Healing, reflects a woman immersed in quiet introspection, symbolizing the journey of mental health and self-care. The butterflies represent transformation, while the flowers signify growth and healing. The shadow highlights the hidden struggles women often face, while the vibrant colors evoke hope and resilience.

Celebrating the mission of CANDOR

I volunteered with CANDOR to explore tactile art along with another local artist during the Torchlight Residency. I also love that they run Part & Parcel in Durham, which is a package free grocery store. My piece, Forever Wave is a representation of the beauty of the NC coast and Atlantic Ocean but also the reality of human made waste, especially single-use plastic, that ends up in our oceans and the frustration I have not knowing what to do about it.

Celebrating the mission of Appalachian Wildlife Refuge

Appalachian Wildlife is a nonprofit that providing care for injured and orphaned wildlife, supporting the wildlife rehabilitation network, and offering conservation education to the community. North Carolina has many types of wild animals including mammals, birds and reptiles such as: bobcats, red wolves, squirrels, songbirds, owls, herons, etc. My paintings were inspired by NC wildlife and people who save their lives. I included in my paintings wild animals and birds of NC. My main heroes are bobcat, Carolina red wolf, Cardinal birds.

Celebrating the mission of Appalachian Wildlife Refuge

Appalachian Wildlife is a nonprofit that providing care for injured and orphaned wildlife, supporting the wildlife rehabilitation network, and offering conservation education to the community. North Carolina has many types of wild animals including mammals, birds and reptiles such as: bobcats, red wolves, squirrels, songbirds, owls, herons, etc. My paintings were inspired by NC wildlife and people who save their lives. I included in my paintings wild animals and birds of NC. My main heroes are bobcat, Carolina red wolf, Cardinal birds.

Celebrating the mission of Institute for Southern Studies and Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)

I am white. I grew up in Durham during school desegregation and went to Hillside High School, a majority African American school. My experiences there led me to focus on racial justice in much of my work, including as a researcher at the Institute for Southern Studies, a nonprofit in Durham. At the Institute, I focused on environmental justice, writing community organizing guides and editing an issue of the Institute’s magazine, Southern Exposure, that told the stories of low-income communities of color that are often targeted by polluting industries as dumping grounds for toxic waste, a practice that jeopardizes residents’ health and safety.

The Institute, founded by veterans of the Civil Rights Movement, has supported communities organizing for environmental health, worker safety, voting rights, corporate accountability and other forms of justice in the South for over 50 years. Their current online magazine Facing South is known as a go-to source for investigative reporting, in-depth analysis of Southern issues and trends, and voices for change. www.southernstudies.org

I also volunteered as a lead with the national group Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) to advocate for better treatment of students of color in public schools and to work on reforming local policing after the shooting of an African American youth. SURJ mobilizes white people to reject racism and work for justice across the country through campaigns, education, and local action. www.surj.org

My work in racial justice has influenced my sculptural work. Our History is a comment on the fact that white and African American people in this country share centuries of history but their experience and understanding of that history have often been in opposition, hence the heads facing in opposite directions. The sculpture titled January 6 highlights the white male anger and hostility that defined that political moment and undergirds white supremacy in our country today.

Celebrating the mission of Institute for Southern Studies and Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)

I am white. I grew up in Durham during school desegregation and went to Hillside High School, a majority African American school. My experiences there led me to focus on racial justice in much of my work, including as a researcher at the Institute for Southern Studies, a nonprofit in Durham. At the Institute, I focused on environmental justice, writing community organizing guides and editing an issue of the Institute’s magazine, Southern Exposure, that told the stories of low-income communities of color that are often targeted by polluting industries as dumping grounds for toxic waste, a practice that jeopardizes residents’ health and safety.

The Institute, founded by veterans of the Civil Rights Movement, has supported communities organizing for environmental health, worker safety, voting rights, corporate accountability and other forms of justice in the South for over 50 years. Their current online magazine Facing South is known as a go-to source for investigative reporting, in-depth analysis of Southern issues and trends, and voices for change. www.southernstudies.org

I also volunteered as a lead with the national group Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) to advocate for better treatment of students of color in public schools and to work on reforming local policing after the shooting of an African American youth. SURJ mobilizes white people to reject racism and work for justice across the country through campaigns, education, and local action. www.surj.org

My work in racial justice has influenced my sculptural work. Our History is a comment on the fact that white and African American people in this country share centuries of history but their experience and understanding of that history have often been in opposition, hence the heads facing in opposite directions. The sculpture titled January 6 highlights the white male anger and hostility that defined that political moment and undergirds white supremacy in our country today.

Celebrating the mission of the Pansy Collective

My name is Leeman Smith, and I’m a textile artist and illustrator. I create vibrant, colorful illustrations that I transform into large textile tapestries. My illustrations are whimsical interpretations of pivotal life experiences that have shaped who I am, including cherished memories spent in nature and transformative moments that have defined my identity as a genderqueer person.

Through my art, I celebrate the beauty and joy of queer identity while pushing back against the societal pressures that attempt to constrain or erase us. As a genderqueer individual, I live in a world that often forces me to choose between the masculine and feminine parts of myself. This expectation can feel deeply isolating and harmful. However, through my art, I reclaim my wholeness. In my tapestries, I don’t have to choose—I can simply be me. I hope that other queer people can see their own experiences reflected in my work and feel less alone in their journeys.

My connection to the mission of the Pansy Collective is deeply personal. As a trans-led mutual aid collective, their work embodies the same spirit of resilience, community, and visibility that drives my art practice. The Collective provides vital resources and support to the transgender community, ensuring that queer people not only survive but thrive. My art complements their mission by serving as a visual celebration of the beauty and power within our community. It amplifies the message that we are here, we are vibrant, and we are worthy of love and support.

Celebrating the mission of UNC OASIS & ALTITUDES

Through my brush, I seek to imbue advocacy with a deep understanding of the nuances of a journey to health and mental health recovery.
My momentum as an artist is to capture on canvas moments to inspire healing, compassion, hope and well-being. Paintings composed directly from nature and the garden bring passages of light, joy and optimism in our greater community.

As a caregiver to both my children through serious health crises, I have become involved with the services and research of UNC OASIS and REACH and have offered art materials and art experiences in peer support settings. In addition, I am a lived experience Family Peer Worker with UNC Altitudes, (each of these are within the UNC School of Medicine.) We instill hope by supporting other families traveling same path of unknowns, offering lived understanding, connectedness and self care strategies. I champion the absolute power of art for one’s health and recovery, and the broader benefit of uplifting art and thoughtful design in places of healing and care. My paintings, “Hope Grows” and “Towards Light” were painted from the late Autumn flower field at the Museum Park of NC Museum of Art. My painterly renditions exemplify the power of planting seeds of Hope, even in darkest days there can be a step towards light.

Celebrating the mission of UNC OASIS & ALTITUDES

Through my brush, I seek to imbue advocacy with a deep understanding of the nuances of a journey to health and mental health recovery.
My momentum as an artist is to capture on canvas moments to inspire healing, compassion, hope and well-being. Paintings composed directly from nature and the garden bring passages of light, joy and optimism in our greater community.

As a caregiver to both my children through serious health crises, I have become involved with the services and research of UNC OASIS and REACH and have offered art materials and art experiences in peer support settings. In addition, I am a lived experience Family Peer Worker with UNC Altitudes, (each of these are within the UNC School of Medicine.) We instill hope by supporting other families traveling same path of unknowns, offering lived understanding, connectedness and self care strategies. I champion the absolute power of art for one’s health and recovery, and the broader benefit of uplifting art and thoughtful design in places of healing and care. My paintings, “Hope Grows” and “Towards Light” were painted from the late Autumn flower field at the Museum Park of NC Museum of Art. My painterly renditions exemplify the power of planting seeds of Hope, even in darkest days there can be a step towards light.

Celebrating the mission of CJAA

My artwork and I connect with CJAA through our resistance against all systems of oppression. The organization and I align on recognizing the world we live in today full of racism, sexism, homophobia, and more. We also align in reimagining what our ideal worlds would look like, from institutional changes such as people receiving free healthcare to vernacular changes such as people getting help with their needs through community mutual aid.
The third alignment is sharing these feelings with the world through artwork. I define the organizing of people into community as one of the most beautiful forms of art. Therefore, I believe CJAA and its collective members are artists creating work about our current living conditions and the possibilities of our future conditions. The artwork I am sharing in this show emphasizes the need to pay attention and take action against the genocide of Palestinian people.
In collaboration with Isaiah Kirkpatrick, True Patriots Bear Witness (2024) and True Patriots Wear Keffiyehs (2024) flips the meaning of a stereotypical patriot in the U.S. We are taught that soldiers and police are patriots, yet their jobs involve disproportionate mass violence against Black and Brown people. Isaiah, stylist and model, and I, photographer, utilize fine arts to reimagine patriots as people who fight for the liberation of all. Our collaboration also represents the power in the art of building community. As more artists, organizations such as CJAA and DAG, continue to center building community, we will begin to build a better tomorrow that centers liberation for all through art.

Celebrating the mission of CJAA

My artwork and I connect with CJAA through our resistance against all systems of oppression. The organization and I align on recognizing the world we live in today full of racism, sexism, homophobia, and more. We also align in reimagining what our ideal worlds would look like, from institutional changes such as people receiving free healthcare to vernacular changes such as people getting help with their needs through community mutual aid.
The third alignment is sharing these feelings with the world through artwork. I define the organizing of people into community as one of the most beautiful forms of art. Therefore, I believe CJAA and its collective members are artists creating work about our current living conditions and the possibilities of our future conditions. The artwork I am sharing in this show emphasizes the need to pay attention and take action against the genocide of Palestinian people.
In collaboration with Isaiah Kirkpatrick, True Patriots Bear Witness (2024) and True Patriots Wear Keffiyehs (2024) flips the meaning of a stereotypical patriot in the U.S. We are taught that soldiers and police are patriots, yet their jobs involve disproportionate mass violence against Black and Brown people. Isaiah, stylist and model, and I, photographer, utilize fine arts to reimagine patriots as people who fight for the liberation of all. Our collaboration also represents the power in the art of building community. As more artists, organizations such as CJAA and DAG, continue to center building community, we will begin to build a better tomorrow that centers liberation for all through art.

Celebrating the mission of Museum of Durham History

I’m Tracey Chipps, an amateur photographer and professional nanny residing in Durham.
I gain inspiration from Durham’s rich history.
My photography reflects a commitment to preserving that history. This piece of my work entitled “I Am Durham History” features a toddler standing before a chalkboard full of Durham History facts at the Museum of Durham History. Empowering our youth is the key to building a brighter future! Teaching them early, teaching them young is essential for creating a strong foundation. That foundation includes knowing the unique history of our beautiful city. That's where the Museum of Durham History comes in as a catalyst to inspire you and our youth to explore the fascinating facts, success stories and interesting statistics of our rich history. By sharing Durham's history with our youth, we help them develop pride and care for the very history they are standing upon each and every day. By reaching youth on Durham's history that the young mind would find interesting, we can build a pride in Durham that helps them build a desire to protect, help grow and be a part of our city in positive ways. Thus, reducing youth crime. From the brave story of the Royal Ice Cream sit-in to the introduction of Durham Bulls baseball. The account of the city's first library to our first recording of a rap song. The organization of the NC Mutual Life Insurance Company had all eyes of Durham. All of these stories and more can be found at the Museum of Durham History where they welcome and engage our youth through personal visits, school tours and even participation in some historical displays.

Celebrating the mission of CANDOR

As an artist, I combine art and activism by creating work that explore themes of white supremacy culture and social justice. My work with both CANDOR and The Rainbow Collective for Change (RCC) involves educating young artists at this same intersection of art and activism. I aim to help each student realize that they have important things to say and that they can say these things through art.

CANDOR, an organization based in Durham, NC, is an acronym that stands for Chronically Ill, Autistic, Neuro-eclectic, Disabled Organization for Reclamation. CANDOR’s mission, in part, “is to dismantle the systems, pathologies, and narratives that perpetuate the discrimination, exclusion, stigmas, and devaluation of Autistic, Neurodivergent, Chronically-ill, and Disabled people.”

My work with CANDOR includes co-facilitating the annual Torchlight Residency, which is a program for high school students in Durham Public Schools. The Occupational Course of Study (OCS) and the Extended Content Standards (ECS) are two courses of study a student with disabilities may complete to graduate with a high school diploma in North Carolina. The Torchlight Residency is an opportunity for OCS and ECS students to receive some of their required internship hours. Historically, it has been hard for these students to find paid internship hours, and even harder to find creatively focused internship hours. Torchlight provides both.

During their lessons, Torchlight residents move through a curriculum focused on Disability Justice and Art as Activism. These young artists explore different art making techniques, learn from established artists who also identify as Disabled, Autistic, and/or Chronically Ill, and are introduced to the ten principles of Disability Justice and the history of ableism. We want students to finish our program with a confident sense of self and bolstered creative energy.

The Rainbow Collective for Change, which was founded in Durham, NC, “is a collective of diverse community members working together to build community and inclusive spaces for LGBTQIA+ families and children ages 0-12. RCC provides LGBTQIA+ families with meaningful opportunities to connect with each other and engage in advocacy and activism.”

One such opportunity RCC provided was a six-week long “Artivism” workshop for kids ages 8-12 that I had the honor of creating and co-facilitating in 2024. During this workshop, I taught these young artists about contemporary LGBTQIA+ artists who were using their work to speak about their marginalized identities and the adjacent joys and injustices. Students had time to explore various art materials and were encouraged to use their creative voices to speak out.

I am grateful to be working with CANDOR and RCC, teaching young activists to understand and utilize the communicative power and broad reach of visual language.

Learn more:
www.candornc.org
www.rainbowcollectiveforchange.org

Celebrating the mission of CANDOR

As an artist, I combine art and activism by creating work that explore themes of white supremacy culture and social justice. My work with both CANDOR and The Rainbow Collective for Change (RCC) involves educating young artists at this same intersection of art and activism. I aim to help each student realize that they have important things to say and that they can say these things through art.

CANDOR, an organization based in Durham, NC, is an acronym that stands for Chronically Ill, Autistic, Neuro-eclectic, Disabled Organization for Reclamation. CANDOR’s mission, in part, “is to dismantle the systems, pathologies, and narratives that perpetuate the discrimination, exclusion, stigmas, and devaluation of Autistic, Neurodivergent, Chronically-ill, and Disabled people.”

My work with CANDOR includes co-facilitating the annual Torchlight Residency, which is a program for high school students in Durham Public Schools. The Occupational Course of Study (OCS) and the Extended Content Standards (ECS) are two courses of study a student with disabilities may complete to graduate with a high school diploma in North Carolina. The Torchlight Residency is an opportunity for OCS and ECS students to receive some of their required internship hours. Historically, it has been hard for these students to find paid internship hours, and even harder to find creatively focused internship hours. Torchlight provides both.

During their lessons, Torchlight residents move through a curriculum focused on Disability Justice and Art as Activism. These young artists explore different art making techniques, learn from established artists who also identify as Disabled, Autistic, and/or Chronically Ill, and are introduced to the ten principles of Disability Justice and the history of ableism. We want students to finish our program with a confident sense of self and bolstered creative energy.

The Rainbow Collective for Change, which was founded in Durham, NC, “is a collective of diverse community members working together to build community and inclusive spaces for LGBTQIA+ families and children ages 0-12. RCC provides LGBTQIA+ families with meaningful opportunities to connect with each other and engage in advocacy and activism.”

One such opportunity RCC provided was a six-week long “Artivism” workshop for kids ages 8-12 that I had the honor of creating and co-facilitating in 2024. During this workshop, I taught these young artists about contemporary LGBTQIA+ artists who were using their work to speak about their marginalized identities and the adjacent joys and injustices. Students had time to explore various art materials and were encouraged to use their creative voices to speak out.

I am grateful to be working with CANDOR and RCC, teaching young activists to understand and utilize the communicative power and broad reach of visual language.

Learn more:
www.candornc.org
www.rainbowcollectiveforchange.org

Celebrating the mission of Hands of Protection

The mission behind my work is to create an imaginative way to encourage people of all ages to find ways to express themselves using the unique individual talents catered to them. The goal is for the viewer to go on a journey of self discovery with along with the characters in my work to find their own way path to enlightenment and emotional awareness. I feel my work connects to the hands of protection non profit as it is an organization with the mission of bringing awareness to child abuse and neglect within communities. I have partnered with the hands protection non profit with my business immortal rose gallery to bring an experience to the children of the community who have suffered from child abuse and neglect a way for them to express themselves in a safe creative space. Encouraging mental health and emotional awareness in children.

Celebrating the mission of NCAAT

"Arowana" was created for We Vote Together, NCAAT's 2024 Get Out The Vote campaign. The project celebrates the diversity of the Asian American community across the state, bringing together personal and shared experiences in visual form to empower community members to make their voices heard. The prized Arowana, also known as "dragonfish", is a fixture in Asian restaurants and the homes of peculiar uncles, making a statement with its shining scales and prominent size. In a quieter way, fish in general are ubiquitous in Asian American culture, whether steamed, fried, or kept in home aquariums to appease children's wishes for pets. Vibrant, adaptable, and incredibly varied, the world of fish mirrors the resilience and diversity of the Asian American community.

Celebrating the mission of SEEDS

ELEPHANT GARDEN was inspired by gardens as well as an elephant's herbivore diets. This piece was one of the three pieces that I showcased during the SEEDS Non-Profit that took place in April along with a few other artists. Its message is to celebrate nature the same way that SEEDS does with their company. The goal of this composition is to celebrate the nature and crops that we use for our food recipes.

Celebrating the mission of CleanAIRE NC

Father Nature embodies the problematic intersections of humans and nature.- from appreciation of wild beauty to anthropomorphism and selfishness. CleanAIRE NC harnesses natural and human power for positive change, creating an elegant balance between wilderness and people.

Celebrating the mission of Hands of Protection

The mission behind my work is to create an imaginative way to encourage people of all ages to find ways to express themselves using the unique individual talents catered to them. The goal is for the viewer to go on a journey of self discovery with along with the characters in my work to find their own way path to enlightenment and emotional awareness. I feel my work connects to the hands of protection non profit as it is an organization with the mission of bringing awareness to child abuse and neglect within communities. I have partnered with the hands protection non profit with my business immortal rose gallery to bring an experience to the children of the community who have suffered from child abuse and neglect a way for them to express themselves in a safe creative space. Encouraging mental health and emotional awareness in children.

Celebrating the mission of Piedmont Fibershed

This piece was created in conjunction with the Piedmont Fibershed and a project called the One Acre Exchange that focused on growing hemp locally as a sustainable fiber resource. Piedmont Fibershed is a community organization dedicated to building a regional fiber system in the Piedmont of North Carolina centered around local fibers, local dyes, and local labor. We seek to support and develop a regional fiber economy that benefits the environment, workers, and the local economy. Our local landscape used to be shaped by the growing and processing of cotton goods. In the modern era, nearly all of that production has moved over seas, taking the knowledge, history, and economic power with it. It is my hope that we can thoughtfully and ethically bring fiber industry back to the Carolina's by growing hemp and through community efforts like One Acre Exchange. This piece uses a unique weaving technique called "ondulé" to distort and curve the warp threads, creating an effect like rolling hills. Pieces of raw cotton and hemp stalks, both harvested from NC fields, are inset to create an abstract landscape, representing both our past and (hopefully) our future.

Celebrating the mission of the Triangle Land Conservancy

These paintings depict fragile, high-elevation balds in North Carolina and glacial meadows in Washington State. These places of crisp light, cold skies even in summer, and fast blooming alpine plants are most at risk as the climate becomes less predictable and warm. And they represent the places that the Triangle Land Conservancy seeks to preserve, here in the Triangle piedmont, and through its partners, in North Carolina.

Celebrating the mission of the Triangle Land Conservancy

These paintings depict fragile, high-elevation balds in North Carolina and glacial meadows in Washington State. These places of crisp light, cold skies even in summer, and fast blooming alpine plants are most at risk as the climate becomes less predictable and warm. And they represent the places that the Triangle Land Conservancy seeks to preserve, here in the Triangle piedmont, and through its partners, in North Carolina.

Celebrating the mission of Moms Demand Action

As a former educator I was devastated when the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook happened. I was deeply offended and saddened that following that horrific event, no real change occurred in this country to keep our students and citizens safe from gun violence. I have supported Moms Demand Action because it proposes common sense gun legislation. My artwork is portraiture and serves to remind us that any one of us, any loved one, or the student down the street could be the next victim. It is time to put faces to the shootings and work to make change happen.

Celebrating the mission of Moms Demand Action

As a former educator I was devastated when the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook happened. I was deeply offended and saddened that following that horrific event, no real change occurred in this country to keep our students and citizens safe from gun violence. I have supported Moms Demand Action because it proposes common sense gun legislation. My artwork is portraiture and serves to remind us that any one of us, any loved one, or the student down the street could be the next victim. It is time to put faces to the shootings and work to make change happen.

Celebrating the mission of the Durham Art Guild

ITS AN ICONIC PIECE FOR AN ICONIC PLACE.

Celebrating the mission of Habitat for Humanity

Growing up as a coloured, Muslim male in the deep South of the United States shook me to my core. The experiences my family and I witnessed after 9/11 were extraordinary – people looked at us differently at grocery stores, children weren't allowed to come over to my house anymore, I wasn't allowed to go to anyone's home either, and our phone was tapped by the FBI. The good old red, white, and blue – always listening, waiting, and wondering what we might do.

My work is informed by my experiences in the post-9/11 era. Pelted by images of suicide bombings, warfare, and fire I started creating pieces that reminded me of all these things I used to see on western media as a teenager. I use shiny, rich, bright colors to create vibrant illustrations of anatomical body parts that are reminders of the propaganda that was manufactured, packaged, and distributed about Islam by the western world.

Celebrating the mission of Habitat for Humanity

Growing up as a coloured, Muslim male in the deep South of the United States shook me to my core. The experiences my family and I witnessed after 9/11 were extraordinary – people looked at us differently at grocery stores, children weren't allowed to come over to my house anymore, I wasn't allowed to go to anyone's home either, and our phone was tapped by the FBI. The good old red, white, and blue – always listening, waiting, and wondering what we might do.

My work is informed by my experiences in the post-9/11 era. Pelted by images of suicide bombings, warfare, and fire I started creating pieces that reminded me of all these things I used to see on western media as a teenager. I use shiny, rich, bright colors to create vibrant illustrations of anatomical body parts that are reminders of the propaganda that was manufactured, packaged, and distributed about Islam by the western world.

Celebrating the mission of Duke Lemur Center

As an artist deeply inspired by the intricate bond between humanity and nature, my work often centers around themes of exploration, conservation, and the journey towards understanding our shared environment. "Steps of Preservation," a sculpture of my Teva sandals, is a poignant reflection of these themes and my connection with the Duke Lemur Center.

Through this artwork, I aim to raise awareness about the vital role of conservation and the significance of every step we take towards preserving our planet. "Steps of Preservation" invites viewers to reflect on their own journeys and consider how their actions contribute to the larger narrative of environmental protection. It is a call to action, urging individuals to support initiatives like those at the Duke Lemur Center and to become active participants in the conservation movement.

I often wear my Tevas while engaging with nature, and over time, they have become a certified "granola" shoe—synonymous with outdoor adventures and a deep appreciation for the environment. This personal connection adds an intimate layer to the sculpture, emphasizing how our everyday choices and experiences intertwine with our commitment to conservation.

Celebrating the mission of the Durham Literacy Center

The idea for this sculpture stemmed from observing the subtle yet powerful moments of connection in everyday life. The hands, poised in an almost-touch, symbolize both the potential and the barriers to closeness that we experience. This delicate balance reflects the intricate dance of human relationships, where every gesture, every movement, carries the weight of unspoken emotions and shared histories.

The Durham Literacy Center, where I dedicate my volunteer efforts, exemplifies the principles embodied in my sculpture. The Center's mission is to empower individuals through literacy, bridging educational gaps and creating opportunities for personal and communal growth. Just as the hands in the sculpture reach out to one another, the Durham Literacy Center reaches out to the community, offering resources, support, and education to those in need.

Celebrating the mission of North Carolina Nature Conservancy

I create small-scale art on paper that responds to the fragility of our environment and the crucial relationships we have with botanical life. I collect and gather elements of native, exotic, and invasive plants collected during nature hikes and garden explorations. I then print and weave them into intimate abstract drawings and mixed media collages. Responding to each piece individually, I add color when necessary with various types of pigments and methods. I enjoy playing with the shapes and textures of leaves, grasses, and flowers. Working intuitively and intentionally, I explore ways to express my connection with the plants around me and the importance of stewardship to the earth.

My bond with nature began in childhood with time playing in the woods and helping my grandmother in her flower gardens. These experiences fostered an appreciation of the coexisting relationship between plants and humans, which is now the focus of my practice. I seek to start a conversation around nature: what we plant is consequential. Native, exotic, and invasive plants compete for the same space, and inappropriate competition among plants adversely affects living organisms in their immediate environment and beyond. My goal is to encourage dialogue and attention to conserving our lands. I feel a true connection to the work that the Nature Conservancy is doing.

Celebrating the mission of North Carolina Nature Conservancy

I create small-scale art on paper that responds to the fragility of our environment and the crucial relationships we have with botanical life. I collect and gather elements of native, exotic, and invasive plants collected during nature hikes and garden explorations. I then print and weave them into intimate abstract drawings and mixed media collages. Responding to each piece individually, I add color when necessary with various types of pigments and methods. I enjoy playing with the shapes and textures of leaves, grasses, and flowers. Working intuitively and intentionally, I explore ways to express my connection with the plants around me and the importance of stewardship to the earth.

My bond with nature began in childhood with time playing in the woods and helping my grandmother in her flower gardens. These experiences fostered an appreciation of the coexisting relationship between plants and humans, which is now the focus of my practice. I seek to start a conversation around nature: what we plant is consequential. Native, exotic, and invasive plants compete for the same space, and inappropriate competition among plants adversely affects living organisms in their immediate environment and beyond. My goal is to encourage dialogue and attention to conserving our lands. I feel a true connection to the work that the Nature Conservancy is doing.

Celebrating the mission of Eno River Association

Environmental sustainability, especially water, is the essential connection to our health and well-being. There are many bodies of water accessible around us, to walk alongside, to swim in, to paddle in, to fish or just to enjoy. Keeping these waters clean is an ongoing mission anyone can be involved in!

Non Profit
Eno River Association
Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association
& many more...
For Profit - Phelps' part time gig, kayak instructor & river guide, as well as one of his mural locations - Frog Hollow Outdoors

Phelps paints the mysteries of nature. This irregular painting, "Rising of the Waves Along the Sun Rays" was hand built and stretched using pine, linen and oil. This painting is part of the series 'Aqua Motus' which depicts the movement of water. Phelps Phine Art, 305 East Chapel Hill Street, Durham Arts Place, Belly of the Building, Third Friday Art Crawls, Six to Nine Post Meridiem.