Community Art Projects

This portfolio gallery features larger community-level art projects that Victoria has been awarded or commissioned to participate in.

“The Gnome of Nocturnal Wonders” at New England Botanic Gardens at Tower Hill

In November of 2022, New England Botanic Gardens at Tower Hill will host a month-long celebration of art, gardens, and gnomes! Gnomevember will take place for the entire month of November. This year, the event features 20 concrete garden gnomes decorated by local artists. Victoria was selected as one of the artists.

The Gnome of Nocturnal Wonders features a variety of night-dwelling creatures native to New England. The barred owl, luna moths, opossums, fireflies, gray tree frogs, little brown bats, and deer mice all adorn this magical night scene. The paper birch trees and moon flowers are illuminated by the moon and star light. The gnome was primed and then painted with stain finish exterior house paint, in order to hold up to the outdoor elements.

To view The Gnome of Nocturnal Wonders, visit New England Botanic Gardens at Tower Hill during the month of November of 2022.

“A Growing Family Tree” for Growing Room Child Development Center of Berlin

In late 2020, Victoria was commissioned by local child development center, Growing Room of Berlin, MA to create a large canvas painting to display in the school. The school wanted to create a thank you gift for the families who continued to support them during the pandemic lockdown of 2020. The directors of the center wished to incorporate all of the names of the families into the painting and wanted it to include a large tree and butterflies. They asked for it to be colorful and large, but also wanted to be able to move it around if needed.

Victoria created this 36″x48″ acrylic painting on canvas of a colorful nature scene to bring color and happiness to the school’s walls. It features six different species of butterflies native to New England and purple and orange cone flowers (echinacea), which these pollinators love. Victoria wished to bring a sense of happiness and wonder to the school, but also wanted to celebrate the beautiful nature present in our biologically rich northeast region. The large tree was based on the large old oaks of New England and the forest backdrop features a variety of smaller forest trees, including birch. A small babbling brook flows through the center of the painting. The family names were hand lettered in a swirling font that sits among the leaves, flowers, butterflies, and water. The painting now hangs in Growing Room’s parent room in the front lobby of the school.

“Spirit Bear” for Easthampton’s Bear Fest 2012

“Spirit Bear” was part of Easthampton, MA Bearfest in 2012. This was a community project sponsored by Easthampton City Arts in which artists were selected to create art on fiberglass bears. When complete, the bears were placed on display around the community. Later, they were auctioned off for community arts charities. “Spirit Bear” found a private home locally and was auctioned off for $2,751.00 USD.

A respect and love for nature was the inspiration for “Spirit Bear”. The Kermode Bear, found in small pockets on the Northwest Coast is a subspecies of black bear in which a small percentage of the population have white fur. These special and rare bears are called “spirit bears”. The name came from these special wild creatures. The imagery on the bear features wild animals, plants, and elements of earth, water, sun, sky, and spirit. The feathers were hand-sculpted and added to the original bear figure. The art was painted with acrylics.

A note from the artist:

“Spirit Bear” was originally conceived out of a great respect for the Earth, all her creatures, and the cultures and people in North America who see the land as something sacred to protect. The purpose of the piece was to inspire others to see the beauty and importance of nature and the lands we inhabit. I used symbols from the indigenous tribes of the southwest United States to represent the importance of these natural elements in part because the symbols are fairly well-known in this country. I also incorporated the sacred medicine wheel which is found across many tribes through the country because of its spiritual importance related to the Earth. All of this imagery was used because of a personal respect for the Earth and the people who originally inhabited the lands I live on.

Years after creating this piece, I have realized that making use of this cultural and spiritual imagery was not the best decision despite the best intentions. I am a white American woman with unknown or questionable ancestry which may or may not include indigenous heritage. Though I grew up learning about First Nations and have lived on the land of these people my whole life, I have no right to use these symbols. I always felt a deep personal connection to the Earth and the people of this land since I was a child. I grew up among the Mohegan and Pequot tribes and visited the lands of others including the Navajo, Zuni, and Hopi tribes of the southwest many times through childhood. But, they are still not my cultures and I do not wish to appropriate them.

I hope you can see the intention and meaning of “Spirit Bear” about respecting and caring for the Earth. But, I also hope you learn with me that these symbols are sacred and belong to people who have been repressed and appropriated from for generations and it is not the place of white people to use them. I have since moved my art in a direction that does not use such imagery.

In support of indigenous peoples here in the United States and around the globe, I hope you will stand with me in respecting and helping protect their art, cultures, and sacred lands. Here is a list of organizations that support the preservation of indigenous cultures and protect the land. Please consider supporting them:

Know of an organization that should be on this list? Please let me know.