Now Showing in the University Gallery of the Anderson Library
April 7 - August 1, 2025
Artist Reception:
Friday, April 25, 2025
5:30 - 7 pm
University Gallery
Anderson Library
Viewing Hours:
Monday through Thursday from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Friday 8:30 am to 1 pm.
“XX” by Ashlee René Thompson is USC Sumter's first art exhibition since Covid-19.
Thompson is an adjunct art instructor at USC Sumter and teaches Introduction to Art
as well as studio courses. She is a contemporary visual artist from Montgomery, Alabama
who works within the realm of painting and mixed media to explore the relationships
of materials while also examining femininity, societal pressures, and gender roles
in the South. She received her MFA and Certificate in Museum Studies from The University
of Alabama in 2022, but she also holds a Master of Liberal Arts degree as well as
a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts. Professor Thompson’s work has been featured in
several international art exhibitions in the U.S., London, Paris, Milan, Venice, and
Florence in the last few years.
Artist Statement:
Working within the realm of painting and mixed media, I explore the relationships
of materials and create a compound history of marks to examine femininity, societal
pressures, and gender roles. Beginning with a concept revolving around a new chapter
of womanhood, I communicate a theme and then open myself to the experimentation of
form, line, color, texture, pattern, and collage. Artistic development provides a
channel for introspection, allowing me to utilize memory, interpersonal relationships,
and transformative experiences. As a Southern woman who has challenged generational
cycles, my most recent work compiles the old with the new. Throughout the process
of layering, the composition translates into a record of ideas, reactions, and expressions
referenced by underlying symbolism. Incorporating collaged elements and other mixed
media allows me to combine past remnants with contemporary practices to express my
innermost thoughts and feelings.
Artist Website: www.artbyarthompson.com