Emily Springer is an emerging artist, native of Silver Spring, Maryland. She has received a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the George Washington University, Corcoran School of the Arts and Design in Washington, DC. Her work has been featured at various galleries and art centers including the Corcoran galleries, Delaplaine, Montpelier, Pyramid Atlantic, and Chesapeake Arts Centers. Her practice is defined by the techniques of needlework that allows for her to create fabric compositions expressing the vast narratives and story-telling of Black womanhood. Through connections between ancestral legacies passed down to the elderly, middle, and the youth generations, her work functions as a veneration of collective memory through this deep cultural identity.

 

Statement:

Harmony and balance manifest within my artmaking through the use of materiality and symbolism. I immerse myself in the vast techniques of needlework that allows me to explore the themes of Black womanhood and the Black matriarchy. My curiosity lies in the dynamic between historic and cultural memory. I delve into the bonds and relationships of Black women that are strengthened throughout many generations, connecting us to our ancestors and legacy. Through the use of fabric, I combine various colors, patterns, and textures to be representative of a visual narrative alongside meaningful storytelling. I embrace the permanence of sewing, beading, quilting, and embroidery, honoring its tradition and history of these practices in Black culture. Each element that I implement into my work is charged with meaning and intentionality. This deep underpinning establishes a visual language through imagery that venerates the collective journey of overcoming and unity. Resilience, strength, and culture bind us together and my artwork is a reflection of the abundance of these attributes representative of Black womanhood.