ABOUT
BIOGRAPHY
Victoria Walton b. 1994 (she/her) is an emerging visual artist based in Baltimore. She is a 2023 Ceramics MFA Candidate at NYSCC at Alfred University and has a BFA with a focus in ceramics from Towson University. Victoria explores the wonder and complexity of Black identity, creating life-size figurative works that center the narratives of women and gender-expansive people. Walton draws from her own life: reflecting on the intersection of her identities, ongoing battle with her health, and background of medical and emotional trauma. She further investigates the impact that historic societal factors and personal experiences have on the individual and the Black community. Her work illustrates the conditions that reveal how our environment builds and breaks us down simultaneously, making multi-layered connections between clay and the body. In her practice, she creates safety for emotional untethering, community, and contemplation.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Levels of fragmentation from the bust to the full figure support my fascination with how we hold the sum of our histories: ancestral, lived, and present. We contain multitudes: mountains of joy, creativity, and grief. My true aim is to capture an essence of identity within these figures and to illustrate a balance and presence of structure and chaos within the tension of each work. I've been able to use my own intimate experiences as a foundation for unpacking the greater impact of what people carry collectively. Through my practice, I’ve been able to create a language for this stability and unraveling that resonates with my reflections on what it feels like to be Black and to be alive.
CURRICULUM VITAE
EDUCATION
2023 (Expected) MFA Ceramics Candidate - New York State College of Ceramics (NYSCC) at Alfred University - Alfred, NY
2021 BFA Ceramics- Towson University - Towson, MD
- Internship with Cristina Cordova, Penland, NC, February 2021
- Farmhouse Pottery BIPOC Scholarship, December 2020
2014 AAS Fashion Design - Fashion Institute of Technology - New York, NY
EXHIBITIONS
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 Acceptance: A Journey Through Chaos, Creative Alliance, MD | Solo
2020 Divisions of the Psyche, Storage Space Gallery Towson, MD | Solo
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022 Womxn of Alfred, NCECA, Sacramento, CA
2022 Culture, Strada, New York, NY
2022 MOR Exhibition, Goodyear Art Center, Charlotte, NC
2021 Future Ancestors, Baltimore Clayworks, MD
2021 Repercussions: Redefining The Black Aesthetic, Eubie Blake Cultural Center, Baltimore
2021 The Coal Skuttle’s Legacy, Motor House Baltimore, MD
2020 We Are Clay, Baltimore Clayworks, MD
2020 Black Art Matters, Maryland Federation of Art, Virtual
- Juror’s Choice - Black Art Matters, Maryland Federation of Art
TEACHING
2021-2023
NYSCC at Alfred University | Graduate Teaching Assistant
Sophomore Handbuilding (21’) and Junior Figurative Sculpture (22’)
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Maintenance of classrooms and coordinating undergraduate schedules and procedures
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Firing and organizing the loading of student work in gas and electric kilns
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Facilitating student critiques, contributing to the curriculum, and providing demos in class
October 2020- July 2021
Creative Development Studios - Baltimore, MD | Teaching Artist
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Writing art curriculum for primary age students
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Teaching various forms of art techniques and art history using project-based lesson planning at reoccurring sites
September 2017-July 2021
Art With A Heart - Baltimore, MD | Teaching Artist
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Responsible for writing curriculum for a diverse range of primary/secondary age students and adults, such as those with disabilities and those in recovery.
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Teaching various forms of art techniques and art history using project-based lesson planning at reoccurring sites
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Instructing beautification and one-time art installation projects and workshops