My work is a narrative on personal space and perspective. I reenvision what surrounds me - household belongings intertwined with geometric and organic patterns to craft a narrative about domestic life and its inhabitants. I often use vibrantly colored furnishings as the subjects of my artwork to remind us that we are creatures of nature and habit, never truly free from expectations of and longings for home. With more than 60 million displaced people in the world today, the universality of this desire for shelter, acceptance, comfort, and stability is more pressing than ever. Differences in race, culture and socio-economic status, however, leave each of us with a unique idea of what constitutes home. Yet across these perspectives, the female is a constant. I explore the role of women in this domain.
Artist Biography
Philadelphia artist Constance Culpepper studied psychology and studio art at Southern Methodist University (B.A.) and received an M.A. in Clinical Developmental Psychology from Bryn Mawr College. Her collective work is a depiction of domesticity and the commonalities of personal experience, informed from her background in psychology and her itinerant childhood in rural Texas and Southern Louisiana - filled with antiques, American quilts, and strong women.
Culpepper’s paintings were featured at Select Fair Art Basel Miami 2013 and 2014, and at the 2016 Democratic National Convention Headquarters. She recently worked as an archivist at the Barnes Foundation, cataloging the foundation's photography collection, and designed an art history program for the Lower Merion School District of Southeastern Pennsylvania, where she served as Artist-in-Residence. In 2018, Culpepper interned with Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program, painting murals in the East Falls and South Philly neighborhoods. She is Director Emeritus of Philadelphia’s 3rd Street Gallery.
Education
2018 Mural Arts Program, Philadelphia, PA Summer Internship
2000 Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA MA, Clinical Developmental Psychology
