Join us for a conversation with artist and furniture maker Virginia Blanchard, the first place prize winner in Home as Self, WEM’s 28th Annual Juried Exhibition showcasing a wide range of approaches to what it means to make a self-portrait. We’ll chat with Virginia about her piece in the exhibition titled Like The Virgin, her artistic path and evolution, her thoughtful and contemporary use of historic techniques including straw marquetry, and how her work intersects with Esherick’s philosophy and outlook.  

Virginia Blanchard is a designer/maker of custom commissioned furniture and smaller batch goods. Her influences are primarily from late 19th through early 20th century European decorative arts, as well as abstracted natural forms. She primarily works with wood, straw, and reed, with a focus on marquetry and inlay. Virginia grew up in Pelham, New York.  After earning her B.A. in Russian from New York University, she went to study woodworking at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine. She now lives in Mid-Coast Maine, designing and building furniture out of her 1848 ship captain’s home which she will be lovingly restoring for the rest of her natural life. Virginia shares her home with two excellent shelter mutts who are no help at all.

This is a free online event; advance reservations are required. Please register below to receive instructions on how to join us! If able, please consider a $5 donation to support our ongoing programs. Donate HERE.

We look forward to seeing you there!