Creative Industries Discussion: Claire Burbridge, Naeemeh Naeemaei, and Olga Volchkova
On April 28, 2022 the SMA hosted a Virtual Creative Industries Discussion on Zoom with Spring Exhibition artists Claire Burbridge, Naeemeh Naeemaei, and Olga Volchkova. The discussion is moderated by curator Jill Hartz
Claire Burbridge
Born in London in 1971, Claire Burbridge grew up on the west coast of Scotland and in rural Somerset in England. She received her BA in Fine Art and History of Art from Oxford University and her MA from Camberwell College of Art, London. In 2010, she moved to Ashland and began a deep study of nature, creating beautiful and complex drawings and watercolors. Wild nature greets her each morning at her hilltop home, whose backyard offers views of mountain ranges, wild gardens, and untamed creatures. https://www.claireburbridgeart.com; https://www.claireburbridge.com
Naeemeh Naeemaei
Born in Tehran, Iran, in 1984, Naeemeh Naeemaei received her BFA from Tehran Art University in 2006, majoring in sculpture. After graduation, she participated in numerous individual and group shows in Tehran, both in sculpture and painting, including the 5th Tehran Contemporary Sculpture Biennial at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. In 2009, she began a series of paintings about endangered species, which led to her first solo exhibition, Dreams Before Extinction, at the Henna Gallery in Tehran in 2011. In 2013, the series was reproduced in a bilingual (English and Farsi) book of the same title, published by Perceval Press, and shown at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon, in 2019. Prior to moving to Oregon in 2017, Naeemaei was active in Iran’s environmental movement and involved with several organizations that seek to raise awareness about endangered species and other environmental issues. She has also illustrated children’s books, including Mr. Samad and the Little Black Fish, a modern classic in contemporary Iranian culture. In 2016, Naeemaei was the category winner in the Wildlife Artist of the Year Competition, sponsored by the David Shepherd Foundation in London. In 2018, she served on the Twelfth Glenn Gould Award Jury, given every second year to a living individual in recognition of his/her contributions to music and communication. Her works have been featured in renowned international journals and magazines such as Orion, Leonardo, and Feminist Formation. https://www.naeemaei.com
Olga Volchkova
Born in Russia in 1970, Olga Volchkova is a professionally trained icon painter and conservator. A resident of Eugene, she uses her knowledge of Orthodox iconography and her love of botany to create provocative paintings that explore the history of florae. Through intensive research about each plant specimen she portrays, Volchkova creates visual narratives that explore the mythologies humans have created around plants, while expertly rendering the form of each leaf, petal, and tendril. https://www.olgalaxy.com
