Opening Reception: Simone Paterson

"ULTRAVIOLET, A Life of Purpose" is a retrospective exhibition by Simone Paterson, Ph.D., on display in Smoyer Gallery, alongside new works that examine light frequencies in Olin Gallery. Over the past 30 years of practice-led research, Simone's art has undergone significant transformations - from photographic self-portraits in Australia to abstracted landscapes and intricate machine embroideries in America. Through her exploration of the intersection between technology and the human condition, Simone seeks to find meaning in the world around us and from within ourselves, promoting self-awareness and inner peace. Her belief in the power of art to enhance our well-being is showcased throughout the exhibition, which celebrates her personal and artistic journey and her unwavering commitment to purposeful creation. 

Born and educated in Australia and living in the American South, Dr. Simone Paterson is an artist who works at the crossroads of creative technologies and crafts. The location of her studio in an old log cabin (Caterdell Cabin) in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia exerts an influence on her contemporary art production. Simone is an advocate for diversity, difference, and inclusion. Her work acknowledges the historically unpaid, undervalued, and invisible labor of women. Hence her most recent work is embroidery. She believes that the medium of embroidery honors all women who have labored without acknowledgment. With a particular interest in spirituality and how energy flows throughout our bodies and also within machine systems, Simone firmly believes that the making and viewing of art can significantly contribute to our health and well-being. Her hand-stitching workshops, held in the rural mountain area of Appalachia, have an emphasis on healing. Her solo exhibitions with diverse applications of technology and textiles have included showings at A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A., The Taubman Museum of Art, Virginia U.S.A., and a residency at Art Space, Sydney, Australia. She has delivered presentations at the College Art Association in New York and ISEA, South Africa. 

Simone received a Ph.D. from The University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, and an M.F.A. from Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney University, New South Wales, Australia. She is a retired Associate Professor and once Chair of Undergraduate Studies in Creative Technologies and Studio at the School of Visual Arts at Virginia Tech. 

“ULTRAVIOLET, A Life of Purpose” is made possible with support from the Copenhaver Scholar in Residence Grant of Roanoke College, the Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo Center for Art and Olin Hall Galleries. 

Image Credit: ULTRAVIOLET, 2023, embroidery on tulle, dimensions variable