News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2020-01-30-jessicawimbley
January 30, 2020

Art Gallery to Feature Jessica Wimbley Exhibit

The College of the Canyons Art Gallery will feature the mixed media work of artist Jessica Wimbley in her solo exhibition “Belle Jet and Cabinet Cards.”

Running from February 3 to March 26, the exhibition is a survey of works Wimbley has created over the past six years investigating how identity is constructed through portraiture as well as inherited ideals and beliefs.

Wimbley’s complex and poetic portraits are made up of layers of photographic images of herself, her grandmother, great grandmother, and other relatives dating back to the early 1900’s. She also uses Victorian portraits, pop culture images from black periodicals like JET Magazine, and ethnographic images of Native, African, and African American women.

“I’m so excited to introduce Jessica Wimbley’s artwork to our community and also thrilled that Jessica will be here ‘in-residence’ to engage directly with our students and faculty,” said COC Art Gallery Director Pamela Lewis.

Using poet Audre Lorde’s term "biomythography" (a literary form that blends elements of autobiography, the novel, and personal mythology) as an interdisciplinary approach, Wimbley’s mixed media works merge memory, biology, culture and history to challenge the complexities of race and narrative in the American imagination.

“Through the merging of images, I seek to create a hybrid, which exposed the shifting of identities in relationship to both historical and social political understanding of American history and citizenry,” said Wimbley.

As the Art Gallery’s second artist in residence, Wimbley will be on campus from February 24 to 27.

A free public lecture by the Los Angeles-based artist will be held at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26 followed by a reception for the artist from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

The College of the Canyons Art Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Those unable to visit the gallery during normal hours are welcome to contact the gallery to schedule a viewing appointment.

All gallery exhibitions and related events are free and open to the public.

More About the Artist
Based in Sacramento, Jessica Wimbley has exhibited her work in galleries across the nation, including the Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art, California State University at Long Beach, and Ripon College.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in painting from Rhode Island School of Design, she completed her M.F.A in visual arts from the University of California, Davis. Wimbley also holds a master’s degree in arts management from Claremont Graduate University.