State of the Arts Gracelee Lawrence ’11
A METEORIC CAREER “IT WAS A R EALLY IMPORTANT
her 20 residencies in the United States,
school making art, and thinking about
time for me to experiment — to be
showcases at multiple exhibitions
it and finding a lot of respite in that
given confidence in my work. The art
— including a solo show at Thierry
space,” she says. “[But] I didn’t think I
professors gave my work validity. I was
Goldburg Gallery in Manhattan — two
would be an artist.”
given so much care and really attentive
visiting professorships and a collection
thought that I do not think is very
of awards, grants and fellowships.
possible at larger schools.” So speaks Gracelee Lawrence of her experience in the Art department at
But Gracelee didn’t necessarily plan for a career as an artist. “I spent an inordinate amount of time in high
Her experience at Guilford helped her unearth the calling that had been developing since her early childhood in rural Sanford, N.C. Gracelee says it was in one 3D design
Guilford, where she graduated in 2011
class taken early in her time
as a Principled Problem Solving Scholar
at Guilford where she realized the
and with an honors degree in sculpture.
first week, “this is what I do.”
Gracelee has since continued her
“It honestly blew my mind: This
education and work as a sculpture
proclivity I have for material and form
artist and has made a “meteoric” career,
and space and dimensionality and
according to Mark Dixon ’96, Associate
power of structure and things that hold
Professor of Art. Her art has landed
space, [I realized] there was a whole field of that.” Gracelee sites the Principled Problem Solving Scholars program (of which she was in the first class), strong relationships with her professors, including Mark Dixon, and the space and freedom afforded her as an Art department thesis student for her success. She is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Sculpture at the University at Albany, SUNY, where she is working with graduate students. “Teaching is such an accompaniment for my practice. It allows me to bring in thoughts and systems and theoretical sources from my peripheral interests that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. It adds this kind of enrichment to my own work that I’m really grateful for.” Learn more at graceleelawrence.com. — S. Fanney PHOTO BY GR ACELEE L AW R E N C E ’ 1 1
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