Studio Resident Shannon Freshwater Final Presentation

Studio Resident Shannon Freshwater’s residency focused on creating a series of strong woman characters through the use of folk art and crafts techniques that could be classified as traditional “woman’s crafts” such as bead work and weaving. Stop by her culminating exhibition to view a collection of 2D and 3D sculptural and costume work that incorporates discarded toys, jewelry, blankets, and other items from local thrift stores into beaded characters and costume. Her “warrior” costumes explore the idea of self empowerment, power dynamics, and transformation.
Studio Resident (8/9/17 – 11/15/2017) Shannon Freshwater is an illustrator and fine artist who uses collage and assemblage as a way to appropriate and re-contextualize imagery and ideas. Shannon finds inspiration in the mysterious and unknown, as well as pop culture and various sub cultures. She grew up in the bizarre landscape of Las Vegas, studied painting and film in New Mexico, and lived in a collaborative art community in Seattle before moving to Southern California in 2005. Shannon is a graduate of Art Center College of Design, where she now teaches in the illustration department as well as teaching in the art department at California State University Northridge. Her illustrations have appeared on various book covers as well as The New York Times, Le Monde, Scientific American and others. She has exhibited her work across the US and her book covers are included in the permanent collection of AIGA in New York.