Artist: Bree Stallings | Location: Charlotte, NC
Dreamscapes
June 9 - August 12, 2023
This flora and fauna series began during Bree’s artist residency at Olive Stack Gallery in the small town of Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland in February of 2022 and ended in Bree’s residency in the even smaller town of Orquevaux, France in February 2023. This multi-step process began as a collection of leaves and flowers from her daily walks around the village, which she then printed them in acrylic on canvas and covered with more realistic paintings. At the end of a traumatic winter, she was interested in creating “dreamscapes”, landscape paintings of places that don’t quite exist – vivid, soft, multi-layered, and safe. The animals chosen for this series were inspired by her Japanese and Irish/Scottish heritage and the animals that exist in either of those extreme places, and sometimes, more interestingly, the animals that exist in both places or migrate between the two. Her work explores the mythology of places she visits, and the oral traditions of stories as they are warped being passed down through families. The subjects of her work represent ways that humans interact with the supernatural: through nature, superstition, and prayer.
Join us for an opening reception on Friday, June 9th from 6-8PM at TRAX Visual Art Center. The gallery will be open each week during the exhibition Tuesday – Saturday from 11AM – 5PM. Admission is always free!
Note: This exhibition finished hanging on August 12, 2023.
Bree Stallings
Charlotte, NC
Breanna "Bree" Stallings is North Carolina-native multi-media artist, illustrator, writer and activist. Bree graduated from Queens University of Charlotte in 2013 with a Bachelor Degree in Studio Art and Creative Writing. She resides near uptown Charlotte where she works as a painter, illustrator and muralist. Currently, she serves as the Director of Artistic Experiences at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. Using art as her vehicle, she raises awareness for many causes that affect her life and those closest to her such as economic mobility, displacement and environmental consciousness. Her personal work uses storytelling and motifs to examine the meanings of race, class, memory and connection. Through the programs, curated art shows and fundraisers she has helped put on, Bree, alongside her creative team and partnerships with Project Art Aid, Behailu Academy, the Mecklenburg County Health Department, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center and many more have helped raise over $4,000,000 for furthering development in Charlotte's art and humanities scene. In recent news, her partnership with the Mecklenburg County Health Department and students at Behailu Academy has provided the opportunity for 2 large-scale public art murals in designated "food deserts" to highlight the pressing issue of food insecurity in our communities. She is also a HATCH Intensive Training Cohort Fellow as sponsored by C4 Atlanta, Artist As Change Agent Fellow of 2019 as sponsored by EmcArts, Artists Campaign School of 2017 (Detroit, MI) Fellow as sponsored by Fractured Atlas, the 2018 GOLD Alumni Award Winner from Queens University of Charlotte and the 2017 Outstanding Leader In The Arts Award Winner from The Arts Empowerment Project. Her 2019 solo exhibition “Where I’m From” won “Best Art Show of the Year” by Queen City Nerve and her 2020 solo exhibition “To Be Seen And Celebrated” sold 135 paintings to benefit the Brookhill Village Vision Fund. She also recently wrapped up Gaston County's largest mural project called "Flourish" in partnership with the United Way, and has been awarded a Cultural Vision Grant 2020 from the Arts + Science Council to complete a project called "Holding Space" with Time Out Youth.
Artist Website