Christine Orr

Artist Statement

when objects converge in a space
they start a dialogue of their lives
lives that become entangled with your life
your memory
objects are the narrators of memory
a stain, a chip , a tear
materials embed meaning and metaphor within the process of creating
woven cloth, throwing lines, squeezed and pressed coils
become remnants of the hand 
as I make, play and collect materials and objects
questions are offered
How do these components talk to one other?
What are they saying? 
How do I listen?
knowledge is generated in the transformation of material through the process of making with my hands. 
a call and response
a conversation
an attentive listener  / / an intuitive maker
I seek to excavate  spaces and analyze my findings
in hope of contemplation and examination
a moment where my art becomes artifact 
where the unfamiliar appears familiar 
connecting  materials and objects that have anchored our human experience
to ask the unanswerable questions of human existence
to love
to grieve
to  grasp onto memories
to let go
to admire fate 
to mourn 
to grow

Bio

Christine Orr b.1993 (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist based in Richmond, Virginia. Working in clay, weaving, basketry, paper-making, and poetry, her practice critically navigates how humans have co-evolved with objects. Orr investigates material culture’s role in our understanding of domestic and utilitarian items. This research connects objects and what they are made from as well as their metaphorical and symbolic potential. Orr received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2015. She completed her Master of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University in the Craft/Material Studies Department in 2021.