Statement
I use sculpture, drawing and video to access the uncomfortable experiences, memories, and people from my life. Through the cathartic process of making, I am able to arrive at a more resolved understanding of my circumstances. Clay and drawing gives me a false sense of control that fulfills my desire to repair failed relationships. Video offers me the distance and intimacy to insert a sense of humor into the work. By taking on the role of a character through performance or the creation of a character in clay, I place a mask over the truth of my experience that is inevitability distorted and biased.
— Rachel Ballard Bigley
Bio
Rachel Ballard Bigley was born and raised in Mooresville, NC. She received her BFA from Appalachian State University in 2011. She was the recipient of a North Carolina Regional Artist Grant and is a Scholar of Distinction at the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design. In 2016, she will be a student presenter during the 50th Annual NCECA Conference, where she will discuss her experience as an assistant to multiple ceramic artists. She currently lives in Atlanta, GA where she continues to make her work as an MFA candidate at Georgia State University.