SEE HER WORK
COMMUNITY, NOT COMPETITION
French-American artist Valérie Chaussonnet uses welding and painting to celebrate the spirit of sisterhood. BY CLAIRE MISFELDT
Take a stroll through Austin Community College’s Riverside campus and you may see a woman dumpster diving for pieces of discarded metal and steel. While some may find this strange, other students recognize her as the “Dumpster Queen.” As an art and welding student, Valérie Chaussonnet uses the discarded materials she digs up in her work. Chaussonnet is a professional artist with more than 30 years of experience and has been featured in over 45 group exhibitions since 2017. Her first solo exhibition was in 2020 with the Midland Arts Council. Her art is inspired by her work as a museum anthropologist, with a specialty in Siberian and American Arctic women’s art and shamanism. This process of transforming trash into art is part of how she approaches art in general, regardless of what medium she’s working with. “Art making is a spiritual practice where you practice not being attached to your preconceived notions,” says Chaussonnet.
THREE GUARDIAN SPIRIT SISTERS
Her Art History Chaussonnet’s art journey spans the globe, starting in Paris, France, where she was born. Her family fostered an appreciation for art in her from a young age. Yet she did not truly begin her career until after earning her doctorate. While working at the Smithsonian on her Crossroads exhibition, Chaussonnet also took night classes at the Corcoran Art School. Her earliest pieces were masks based on her experience with Inuit artists she met while completing her doctorate. In 1997, Chaussonnet moved to Austin with her first son and gave birth to her second the following year. She took a short break from art during her first few years as a mother but picked painting back up in 2002. With the desire to learn more technical and welding skills, she enrolled at Austin Community College (ACC) soon after. “There are excellent art classes that can be taken at the community college,” Chaussonnet beams. “[ACC] is affordable and fabulous all around.” Continuing in the spirit of education, since 2013, Chaussonnet has been teaching French and art through her school La Petite Provence Austin while working as a professional artist. In that span of time, her works have been featured in exhibitions all across Texas. For example, she is currently featured in the State of Sculptor exhibit in San Angelo. Photos by TJ Hilton.
The Spirit of Sisterhood A common theme throughout Chaussonnet’s work is the idea of the “ancestral goddess” and the bond between women. Even during her time working at the Smithsonian, she focused her research on art from Inuit women and showcased work from indigenous contemporary artists in the exhibition. “I consider myself a feminist and the spirit of sisterhood is central to me,” says Chaussonnet. “I feel a lot of [the] community of art [is] made by women.” CLASS NOTES
28 | AUSTIN WOMAN | SEPTEMBER 2021
