Second Street Gallery is pleased to present our Artist-in-Residence exhibition, conventions of movements and ritual, with Charlottesville-based conceptual artist, Somé Louis. This exhibition is held in the Dové Gallery from September 2 - 30, 2022.

conventions of movements and ritual is a working exhibition. The residency space displays the artist’s personal workspace and the reflection of self within the environment, while also serving as a place to design and expand a body of work. 

Visitors to the gallery are encouraged to visit the space more than once to observe changes to the environment over time, modifications to the projected performance, and additions to the graphic conventions / drawings that have originated from this project and serve as tools to build the artist’s body of work.

The gallery will be hosting an extended hours event with Somé Louis on September 29 from 5-7PM. Louis will encourage questions about her creative practice and the evolution of her work within and outside of her residency. These extended hours are a great opportunity to not only support an emerging artist, but also learn more about her work.

Somé Louis completed an interview with Second Street Gallery, reflecting on some thought-provoking questions regarding her creative practice, her intentional process, and her time within the residency space in the Dové Gallery. Read the full interview article HERE.

Somé Louis (@soma.lou) is a Charlottesville-based conceptual artist whose work investigates concepts of ritual, movement, memory, and cherished personal space. She addresses these concepts through a variety of media and methods, most commonly installation, video, and minimal drawings and illustrations.

Louis is concerned with the development and maintenance of space and objects as a means to hold and reflect the self, as well as serve as a secure environment to process one's thoughts, particularly those relating to understanding mundane occurrences of the everyday. 

Louis holds a BA in Studio Art and Art History from Wellesley College, and is an active participant in a number of Charlottesville creative projects. She is currently the August-September 2022 Residency Artist at Second Street Gallery, and has joined McGuffey Art Center as an Incubator Studio Artist for the 2022-2023 year.

Louis was selected from a competitive pool of applicants by guest curator, Dr. Tiffany E. Barber, from this year’s Artist-in-Residence open call. The selected residency artist is provided a working studio space and opportunity for exhibition within the Dové Gallery at Second Street Gallery for the months of August through September 2022, in addition to a $1000 stipend and professional photographs of work created during their fellowship.

The Artist-in-Residence opportunity provides an emerging artist who is facing financial challenges or lacking access to a studio space an opportunity to grow in their studio practice while strengthening their professional skills as an artist. Preference was given to applicants with specific project goals for the two month residency period. The residency artist will receive mentoring and guidance from the guest curator. 

This residency opportunity and exhibition is generously sponsored by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. 

Images courtesy of the artist