Artist Statement

Inspired by my background in labor-intensive crafts and my research of art and architectural history, I make artwork to explore how context, material, and gesture can encourage a life in which all things can be viewed as historically, spiritually, and artistically meaningful.

I utilize the stories and associations that come with found objects to develop the meaning of my work. My materials have included glass swept up from streets, dust from the ventilation of a bible factory, blessed liturgical candles, and waste glass gathered from glass shops. The narratives imbued within these reclaimed materials come together to create sculptures which display a relic-like quality. This begins to blur the line between secular and sacred, thus encouraging reverence and curiosity towards every part of the world around us. I want my work to reveal the immeasurable potential energy that I see within the mundane particles of our everyday existence.

About

Morgan Gilbreath is a glass and mixed-media artist whose process-driven work investigates the intersections between religion, history, and labor. She holds a BFA in Glass and a BA in Art History from Tyler School of Art (Temple University) in Philadelphia. She’s completed residencies at the Creative Glass Center of America (Wheaton Arts), Pilchuck Glass School, and the University of Texas Arlington. Exhibiting nationally and internationally, her work is in the permanent collection at the Museum of American Glass (Millville, NJ) and the Aldo Bellini Glass Collection at Castello Sforzesco (Milan, Italy). Morgan lives and works in Richmond, Virginia.

Retail: morgangilbreath.bigcartel.com