VANESSA GERMAN

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanessa_German

 

Vanessa German (born 1976[1]) is an American sculptor, painter, writer, activist, performer, and poet based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Her sculpture often includes assembled statues of female figures with their faces or heads painted black, and a wide range of attached objects, including fabric, keys, found objects, and toy weapons.[2] German is an activist, addressing problems like gun violence and prostitution.[3]

Her work is held in numerous permanent collections, including the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; and has been reviewed by Sculpture[4] and discussed in The New York Times,[5] O, The Oprah Magazine,[6] and on NPR's All Things Considered.[7] Her art has been featured in a wide range of galleries, museums and traveling exhibits, including the 2012 "African American Art 1950–present" touring exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution.[8] She was a 2015 recipient of the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Biennial Grant.[9] She was the winner of the 2018 Don Tyson Prize, a biannual $200,000 award from the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.[10]

German uses her art to address hate in the world while also expressing hope for the future.