Meet Rose M Barron

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rose M Barron.

Rose, can you give us a brief recap of your career and story so far?
I’m originally from the Midwest but finished my undergraduate degree in Athens at  The University of Georgia then moved to Atlanta where I currently work and live. Earning my BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Georgia I worked in the field for a while before later earning my Masters of Art with a Photography Concentration from Georgia State University while raising two small children. Later I  obtained my MFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Photography. I am currently teaching part-time in the Photography Department at the Art Institute of Atlanta.

It’s been a busy year; this past years highlights include a solo collaborative exhibition at Kibbee Gallery in Atlanta, then traveling to Xian, China  to teach an art class for 5 weeks as well as give an artist talk to the students and community at the Art First School in Xian. Following that trip I traveled to an artist residency at the Rensing Center in July for 4 weeks in Pickens, SC. Upon returning to Atlanta I had a solo exhibition “Sweet Dreams and Nightmares” at the Atlanta Photography Group gallery in conjunction with Atlanta Celebrates Photography. This summer I also received the good news that one of my paintings was purchased by  Fulton County Public Art Program.

I exhibit my photography/video and multimedia work in solo exhibitions across the south including Atlanta, and Huntsville, as well as internationally including Espacio Común in Panama City, Panama. Collections of my work include the Four Seasons in Morocco, Fulton County Public Art. the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, the Marriott Courtyard in Nashville, Art on The Beltline, the March of Dimes Corporate Office Collection, and the APG Collectors Portfolio.

I also show in group exhibitions across the nation including the Athens Center for Contemporary Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Fe Gallery in Pittsburgh, and Umbrella Gallery in New York City.  My short art films have been included in showings throughout the United States such as The Atlanta Film Festival, and Action on Film International festival.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have always felt called to be an artist. I grew up in an artistic family and learned to paint and draw at an early age from my older sister. I pursued the arts throughout school and received awards and art scholarships. My father (the businessman as he was) advised me to choose Graphic Design, so I finally choose that path but did not stick to that very long.

I tried it and was somewhat successful, but I got a little bored as I enjoyed the disciplines the process of painting and sculpting and getting messy. I even left the graphic design career path for a while to pursue acting and modeling but I missed the creation of art myself, so I enrolled back in College to pursue my Masters of Fine Arts. I fell in love with photography and film as I found it a wonderful, compelling way to create conceptual art and to combine the love of painting, performance, and storytelling.

It has been a bit of a bumpy road along the way with an uncertain paycheck of art sales, commissions, acquisitions, supplemented by being a part-time art professor (which I love of course). I will say that I’m happy that I have followed my dreams and I encourage my own children and students to stick with what you love, and it will pay off.

Tell us more about what you do.
As a multimedia artist, I work within a conceptual/postmodern doctrine with subject matter often extracted from art history and literature to reflect on our modern day society.  I have a narrative style of photography, painting, and performance that is influenced by allegory, history, religion, and mythology in which symbolism is a major component.

I often recreate scenes to photograph drawn from well-known historical paintings giving them a contemporary edge to deal with identity since 2005 and in 2010 began my Multitude of Madonna’s series with more elaborate set dressing, costumes, and performance. Since 2016, I have started collaborating with a peer artist and painter J William Hill;  we work together to build tableaus and once a year host a living performance along with an exhibition at the B Complex in Atlanta.

I still paint in an abstract expressionism style and exhibit and have begun a collaborative series Undoings – Existents: A Collaborative Body with fellow artist Priscilla Alarcon.

The artist residencies I have been doing since 2010 have been especially important to my artist career. They give me a chance to get away, slow down, get back to nature, clear my mind and get away from daily demands of life.

I have been awarded and completed numerous artist residencies including Taller Portobelo, the Hambidge Center for the Arts and Science, University of North Texas, Rensing Art Center. Currently, I work at the Art Institute of Atlanta as a part-time adjunct professor in the Foundations and Photography Department.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Probably one of my visits with my big sister (who is 13.5 years older than me) at her country farmhouse, making art while her rescued pets jumped and played around and in her home and we would take breaks to go play in nature and swim and sunbathe. Such delightful times.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://rosembarron.com/
• Phone: 4042743227
• Email: rosembarron@hotmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosembarron/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoseMBarronArtist/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosembarron

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