Artistic Encounters -Meet the Artist essentially takes the artist from behind the camera and welcomes them into the Blue Ridge PBS studio. This provides our arts loving audience the opportunity to meet the featured artist while they introduce their works one on one. Specially curated pieces from their collection will be on display during the reception and for several weeks afterwards with many available to take home by making a donation to Blue Ridge PBS. Additionally, each artist will donate one piece to Blue Ridge PBS which will then be auctioned the night of the artist’s reception. Proceeds benefit the artist and Blue Ridge PBS so it may continue its mission of enriching people’s lives by providing educational, informational, and cultural programming that fills a unique role as a positive and lifelong resource for the communities we serve.
Our Featured Artist: Simone Paterson
Born and educated in Australia and now residing in the American South, Dr. Simone Paterson is an artist whose work bridges creative technologies and traditional crafts. Her studio, located in a historic log cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, influences her contemporary art practice. Simone advocates for diversity, inclusion, and the recognition of historically undervalued labor, particularly that of women. Her recent work focuses on embroidery, a medium she believes honors women's often-unacknowledged contributions.
With a keen interest in spirituality and the flow of energy both within the human body and in machine systems, Simone views art-making and art-viewing as significant contributors to health and well-being. Her hand-stitching workshops, held in the rural mountains of Appalachia, emphasize healing and creative expression.
Simone's solo exhibitions feature innovative uses of technology and textiles and have been held at venues such as A.I.R. Gallery in Brooklyn, NY, The Taubman Museum of Art in Virginia, and Olin Hall Galleries at Roanoke College, where she had a mid-career retrospective in 2023. She has also completed a residency at Art Space in Sydney, Australia, and presented at the College Art Association in New York and ISEA in South Africa.
She holds a Ph.D. from The University of Newcastle and an M.F.A. from Sydney College of the Arts, both in Australia. Simone is a retired Associate Professor and former Chair of Undergraduate Studies in Creative Technologies and Studio at the School of Visual Arts at Virginia Tech.
Reception:
Thursday, June 26 from 4 – 7 pm
Exhibit & Sale:
Weekdays, June 30 – July 11 from 1 – 4 pm
And by appointment.
Closed July 3 & 4
Admission is free.
Blue Ridge PBS: 1215 McNeil Drive, Roanoke, VA 24015
In order for the series to continue we need funding and artists! Please reach out to ArtisticEncounters@BlueRidgePBS.org
Artistic Encounters - Visionaries
Recognizing and supporting Blue Ridge PBS’ artist series, Meet the Artist
- Brenda Barksdale
- Anne and Curt Steele
- Ann Martyn
- David-Charles Campbell