Michelle Thomas Richardson
Surround Sound 

December 5 - January 15, 2018-19
​​RO2 ART | The magnolia theatre
3699 McKinney Avenue, Suite 100. Dallas, TX 75204

December 5 - January 15, 2018-19
​Ro2 Art | Dallas, TX

Dallas -  Ro2 Art is proud to present Surround Sound, a solo exhibition featuring new works by artist Michelle Thomas Richardson. The show will run from December 5 through January 15, 2018-19 at the Magnolia Theatre 3699 McKinney Avenue, Suite 100. Dallas, TX 75204. 

Michelle Thomas Richardson’s work draws inspiration from the relationship between perception and reality. Surround Sound invokes the viewer to examine their own self-perception as they interact with their surroundings. This encounter highlights the importance and complexity of our individual roles in society. Centered around the historical relationship between community and the way we receive audible information, the artist brings the viewer into a relevant dialog regarding the interaction between society and sound.

ABOUT THE ARTIST 

Michelle Thomas Richardson is a native of Dallas, Texas. She achieved her Master of Fine Arts degree in Drawing and Painting at the University of North Texas after earning her BFA from Louisiana State University. Richardson was named a grant recipient of the Dallas Museum of Art’s Awards to Artists through the Arch and Anne Giles Kimbrough Fund in 2016. She has also been a Nasher Microgrant finalist as well as a CADD FUNd finalist. She has shown throughout Texas and has held solo exhibitions of her work at venues including Ro2 Art, 500X Gallery, and Clamp Light Gallery. In addition to her studio practice, Richardson currently works as a Public Art Project Manager with the Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County and an Adjunct Professor at Eastfield College.

ARTIST STATEMENT 

The tradition of gathering around the radio, television or other device during historic moments has carried on from generation to generation. Inspired by recent news stories, this series of artworks references objects of mass communication over the last 150 years in relationship to significant events in women’s history such as the present-day #meToo movement.

Individually, these pieces invite viewers to participate by joining near a screen during a given moment. Together they parallel not only the multitude of news we experience today but also surround sound system arrangements. Each work embodies the experience of at once being broadcasted yet not heard. This series is created with painterly layers of textiles and threading that simultaneously echo craft medium.